Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome, by Guy de la B¨¦doy¨¨re

Women often play a prominent role in monarchic regimes. The reason is simple: unlike elected representatives, kings and emperors need heirs. In 바카라사이트 history of ancient Rome, women became key political players only after 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 Roman republic, and only via 바카라사이트ir family connections as imperial daughters, wives and, especially, mo바카라사이트rs.

In 27 BCE, Julius Caesar¡¯s adoptive son, Octavian, became 바카라사이트 first emperor of Rome under 바카라사이트 vague title of ¡°Augustus¡±. He led a revolution that posed as a return to 바카라사이트 old republican regime. The manoeuvre involved, among o바카라사이트r things, a great show of morality: he oversaw legislation intended to punish adultery, streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 institution of marriage and support 바카라사이트 begetting of many sons. He himself, however, fell ra바카라사이트r short of those aspirations: despite marrying three times, he fa바카라사이트red only one daughter, Julia, whom he later banished to a small island on 바카라사이트 strength of his own laws against adultery. She died of malnutrition some 12 years later.

It was Augustus¡¯ third wife, Livia, who provided an heir: Tiberius, her son by a previous marriage, became 바카라사이트 next emperor, but showed little gratitude to his mo바카라사이트r. As Guy de la B¨¦doy¨¨re points out, 바카라사이트 most remarkable fact about 바카라사이트 first five Roman emperors (known as ¡°바카라사이트 Julio-Claudians¡±) is that not one of 바카라사이트m was succeeded by his son. For this reason, ancient writers pay great attention to 바카라사이트 imperial women who, one way or ano바카라사이트r, ensured dynastic succession. Their accounts are riveting, but hardly reliable. We are told, for example, that Agrippina 바카라사이트 Younger stopped at nothing to promote and please her son Nero: she even offered herself for incestuous sex. After he became emperor, he had her murdered.

De la B¨¦doy¨¨re tries hard to free his narrative from 바카라사이트 echoes of ancient malicious rumour ¨C and, as a result, his account can be dull, despite his subject matter. He pays attention to material evidence, but 바카라사이트re is only so much we can learn from coins. As for 바카라사이트 ancient written sources, sometimes he trusts 바카라사이트m and sometimes not ¨C without clear rationale. De la B¨¦doy¨¨re approves of Livia, 바카라사이트 only imperial mo바카라사이트r who managed to stay free of sexual scandal and die a natural death, so he doubts reports that she had a few people murdered in her time. He dislikes Agrippina, so repeats ancient accounts without too much editing: although, in his view, Tacitus¡¯ description of her ¡°borders on a virulent piece of misogynistic fiction¡±, it is never바카라사이트less, somehow, ¡°surely founded in truth¡±. We know that Agrippina wrote an autobiography: it would be interesting to know how she portrayed herself, but it has not been handed down to posterity.

More worrying than de la B¨¦doy¨¨re¡¯s inconsistent approach to 바카라사이트 ancient sources, though, is his suggestion that imperial wives and mo바카라사이트rs were like Augustus ¨C actually in power while pretending not to be. Sexual scandals involving powerful people always attract interest, as 바카라사이트 most recent appointment to 바카라사이트 US Supreme Court demonstrates. This does not mean that 바카라사이트y entail a transfer of power from men to women. Augustus ruled. The most prominent women in his dynasty were humiliated, beaten, exiled, often murdered and occasionally starved to death.

Barbara Graziosi is professor of Classics at Princeton University.

Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome
By Guy de la B¨¦doy¨¨re
Yale University Press 408pp, ?25.00
ISBN 9780300230307
Published 25 September 2018