Aelia Olympias

Aelia Olympias was a wealthy Roman businesswoman from Alexandria. She made an expensive dedication to the Egyptian temple in Medamoud in celebration of the goddess Leto. Inscription also reveals her business affairs. She ran a business in partnership with another prominent businesswoman, Aelia Isidora.

It is known that she possessed Roman citizenship and the name "Aelia" indicates that she acquired this status under Emperor Hadrian. Also, the term "matronai stolatai" means that she had more than three children, owned property and was legally entitled to conduct her own business ventures without male guardian. She also described herself as "naukleroi" and "emperoi", indicating that she was shipowner or financial backer as well as merchant of the Red Sea.

Apollinarious, mentioned in a fragmentary part of the inscription was most likely the captain (eparchos) of their fleet of ships or possibly their business manager.