โAn illuminating and highly readable narrative about the role of women at the center of imperial Romeโfascinating and important.โ โLesley Adkins, author ofย Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Neroโthese are the names history associates with the early Roman Empire. Yet, not a single one of these emperors was the blood son of his predecessor. In this captivating history, a prominent scholar of the era documents the Julio-Claudian women whose bloodline, ambition, and ruthlessness made it possible for the emperorsโ line to continue.
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Eminent scholar Guy de la Bรฉdoyรจre, author ofย Praetorian,ย asserts that the women behind the scenesโincluding Livia, Octavia, and the elder and younger Agrippinaโwere the true backbone of the dynasty. De la Bรฉdoyรจre draws on the accounts of ancient Roman historians to revisit a familiar time from a completely fresh vantage point. Anyone who enjoysย I, Claudiusย will be fascinated by this study of dynastic power and gender interplay in ancient Rome.
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โIn contrast to most histories of Rome which focus almost entirely on the exploits of its male emperors,ย Dominaย examines the women who partnered them in power, from the perfect Roman wives Livia and Octavia to Cleopatra, Agrippina the Younger and the trio of Severan Julias who all stepped far beyond tradition to dominate the Roman world.โโJoann Fletcher,ย author of The Story of Egypt
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โEnjoyable, fluently written and well-balanced in approach. De la Bรฉdoyรจre leaves no stone unturned by way of evidence, which he carefully evaluates with regard to its context and reliability.โโPat Southern, author ofย The Roman Army