In Caesars’ Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire, Annelise Freisenbruch pulls back the veil on these fascinating women in Rome’s power circles, giving them the chance to speak for themselves for the first time. With impeccable scholarship and arresting storytelling, Freisenbruch brings their personalities vividly to life, from notorious Livia and scandalous Julia to Christian Helena. Starting at the year 30 BC, when Cleopatra, Octavia, and Livia stand at the cusp of Rome’s change from a republic to an autocracy, Freisenbruch relates the story of Octavian and Marc Antony’s clash over the fate of the empire—an archetypal story that has inspired a thousand retellings—in a whole new light, uncovering the crucial political roles these first "first ladies" played. From there, she takes us into the lives of the women who rose to power over the next five centuries—often amid violence, speculation, and schemes—ending in the fifth century ad, with Galla Placidia, who was captured by Goth invaders (and married to one of their kings). The politics of Rome are revealed through the stories of Julia, a wisecracking daughter who disgraced her father by getting drunk in the Roman forum and having sex with strangers on the speaker’s platform; Poppea, a vain and beautiful mistress who persuaded the emperor to kill his mother so that they could marry; Domitia, a wife who had a flagrant affair with an actor before conspiring in her husband’s assassination; and Fausta, a stepmother who tried to seduce her own stepson and then engineered his execution—afterward she was boiled to death as punishment.
Caesars’ Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire
$23.99
Only 1 left in stock
SKU: 9781416583059
Category: PBA Roman & Italian History
Be the first to review “Caesars’ Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire” Cancel reply
Related products
PBA Roman & Italian History
The Italian Army and the First World War (Armies of the Great War)
$35.99
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
PBA Roman & Italian History
$22.00
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
PBA Roman & Italian History
Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations By Martin Goodman
$20.00
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
Sprezzatura: 50 Way Italian Genius Shaped The World By Peter D’Epiro & Mary Desmond Pinkowish
PBA Roman & Italian History
The Inheritance of Rome. Illuminating The Dark Age 400-1000 By Chris Wickham
$23.00
Sale!
PBA Roman & Italian History
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.