The First Ladies of Rome

This essay retraces the lives of the legendary women who were born or married into the imperial houses of Rome, from the rise of Livia, the first "First Lady," through Roman history across six dynasties, culminating in the incredible trajectory of Galla Placidia, captured by a savage horde of Goths only to rise to prominence as one of the last empresses. Drawing on up-to-date literary, artistic, archaeological, and epigraphic evidence, this book reveals for the first time the stories of some of history's most compelling women, and the vivid and complex role of empresses as political figures on Rome's grand stage.