Dioclea

Dioclea (c. 211 - )

Dioclea was the name of Diocletian's mother, after whom Diocletian got his given name as Diocles, she was the wife of Diocletian's father, who was a notar, scribe (lat. pisarvi) and clerk occupation.

She was originally from the Illyrian tribe of Delmata, as was probably her husband too, who may have both been slaves before, and were later freed by the Romans. Some historians and writers, academics, came to the conclusion with assumption that Dioclea and her son Diocletian originally came from Illyrian Duklja (lat. Doclea), but for that not exists reliable evidences, although in Montenegrin folklore there is a legend about emperor Dukljanin, who was persecuted christians.

Origin of Dioclea and Diocletian is not from Duklja. Or it is (?)

What kind of evidence can proof of that, or not. Below some few facts can give maybe answers and directions for conclude that Dioclea and Diocletian were not origin from Duklja.

Facts and assumptions

• Based on the fact of the between relation Diocletian and Claudius, who was his uncle (not cousin), seems a Diocletian's father and mother Dioclea were related to the Gaius Caius, who was a roman soldier and centurion in Salona and Rome, and Pope St. Caius, who was a Diocletian's nephew (based on the some sources who was mentioned about that informations). So, can be assumpted that Diocletian's father seems was a Gaius Caius's brother or Gaius Caius's free illiryan slave, how Diocletian's father, was a notar (cro. pisar, činovnik, lat. pisarvi), so this assumption can be possible a true fact about relation. Note: For now, a correct relation not knowed, did they and their son Diocletian related on the paternal or maternal's side, but probbably Diocletian was related by the his paternal side (or both parent sides ?).
• Based on the name Diocletian, when he became emperor, but Diocletian's first early given name was Diocles, later he was called as Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletian (Emperor Caesar Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus) (284-305), it can be assume that this his name Gaius Aurelius Valerius easily possible indicates that was a name of Diocletian's biological father (?), who was Gaius Caius's' brother, or before - maybe the name of Gaius Caius's free illiryan slave, who had romanized name later as Aurelius Valerius (or Gaius Aurelius Valerius ) (?). A 'Pius Felix Invictus Augustus' was an imperial title between pagan tradition and christian innovation (Pius Felix Invictus Augustus: una titolatura imperiale tra tradizione pagana e innovazione cristiana), what Diocletian had in the time when he became an Roman Emperor.
• The fact what can be easy possible conclude that the part of Diocletian's name Aurelius Valerius or Gaius Aurelius Valerius - meaning that Diocletian was probbably a son of Gaius Aurelius Valerius (or son of Aurelius of Valerius), also based on the name what Diocletian given name to his daugther Galeria Valeria, who was later mostly recognized and also known as Valeria, also can be assume that one of Diocletian's ancestor (or maybe his father) was had a name Valerio (lat. Valerius).
• A first name of emperor Diocletian as Gaius, also indicate that was the same name of Gaius Caius, roman centurion who was father of Pope St. Caius who was Diocletian's nephew.
• The part of Diocletian's name Gaius Aurelius Valerius also are parts of the name of Constantine I "the Great", Roman Emperor, but full name of Constantine I was Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinius or Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, probbably also relations in the history was existed with him.

See:

• Diocles: Diocles of Magara, Diocles
• Doclea (Illyria), En, Duklja, Hr,
• Doclea, Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje, Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 2021.
• Roman emperor
• Vjesnik Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu, Vol. 14 No. 1, 1919., Car Dijoklecijan, Car Dijoklecijan, Izvorni znanstveni članak, Frano Bulić
• Dioklecijanov “carski dvor” u Duklji, Ars Adriatica, No. 11, 2021., Tin Turković; Odsjek za povijest umjetnosti, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
• Later Roman army (284–476 AD) continuing as East Roman army (476–641 AD)
• Roman Emperors
• On the Roman Town of Doclea in Montenegro, Communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, Author J. A. R. Munro, W. C. F. Anderson, Joseph Grafton Milne, Francis Haverfield · 1896
• Archaeologia, Or, Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity
• Valerius
• Konstantin I. Veliki (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus), Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje, Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, - see: Constantine I "the Great", Roman Emperor
• Gaius, Caius
• Valerius, Valerio
• Aurelius
• Diokleia (Dioclea)
• Diokles, Diocles, Diocletianus, Diocletian