Great Women of Imperial Rome

"All women, because of their innate weakness, should be under the control of guardians" writes Cicero, curtly summarizing the status of women in Ancient Rome. Yet Roman women had more control than many believe. Stories of female artists, teachers, doctors, and even gladiators are scattered through the history of Imperial Rome; a Roman woman did not change her name when she married, her husband could not control her property or dowry, and she was free to divorce.
Royal women in particular - the wives, daughters, sisters and mothers of emperors - have made a profound impression on Roman history, long overlooked. This lively and attractive book vividly characterizes eleven such women, spanning the period from the death of Julius Caesar in 44BC to the third century AD and with an epilogue surveying empresses of later eras. The author's compelling biographies reveal their remarkable contributions towards the legacy of Imperial Rome, often tinged with tragedy, courage, and injustice.
- a pregnant Roman princess saves a Roman army through an act of personal heroism
- three 3rd century empresses rule the most powerful state on Earth, presiding over unprecedented social and political reform
- though revered by her husband, an empress is immortalized in history for infidelity and corruption by students of her greatest enemy.
Drawing from a broad range of documentation, Jasper Burns has painted portraits of these exceptional women that are colorful, sympathetic, and above all profoundly human. The women and their worlds are brought visually to life through photographs of over 300 ancient coins and through the author's own illustrations.
This book will be highly valuable to numismatists, students and scholars of Roman history or women's studies, and enjoyable to any reader.