Women of Power in the Roman World

“Women cannot hold magistracies, priesthoods, celebrate triumphs, wear badges of office, enjoy gifts, or booty; elegance, finery, and beautiful clothes are women’s emblems, this is what they love and are proud of . . .” Titus Livius, History of Rome, 34.7In ancient Rome, women were, for the most part, regarded as second-class citizens. Even among the wealthier classes, a woman’s role was to be subordinate to men. Despite the many obstacles placed in their way, some women nevertheless managed to achieve positions of significant political, economic or societal power, both within and without the Roman world. This was often either as rulers in their own right, or with their own political agency.This fascinating new work by best-selling and award-winning historian Dr Simon Elliott FSA turns the spotlight on ten of these extraordinary women. Among them is one of the most famous women in history – Cleopatra – the Greek-speaking Macedonian queen who ruled Egypt and masterfully manipulated the governing classes of Republican Rome. Then there is the mighty Boudicca, the British warrior queen who nearly destroyed the new Roman province from within; and the most politically powerful Roman woman of all, Galla Placidia, who, for over a decade, ruled the Roman Empire on her own as regent for her infant son, Valentinian III.Spanning more than 600 years, the enthralling tales of these formidable female figures challenges traditional interpretations of women’s roles in the ancient world and reveals that the brutal power politics of Rome was not just a man’s game.