Books in the Women in Antiquity series

Cleopatra VII (69-30 BC) is the most famous woman from classical antiquity. Yet her modern reputation is based largely on her post-antique representation in drama, art, and other media. The current study is the first to examine the queen solely from the source material from the Greco-Roman period: literary sources, Egyptian documents including those of the queen herself, her own writings, and her representations in art.

This is the first study of the royal women who ruled in the Mediterranean in the latter first century BC, in a symbiotic relationship with the Roman government. Several are discussed, with the most prominent being Cleopatra Selene (the daughter of the famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt) and Salome, the sister of Herod the Great.

Perpetua was an early Christian martyr who died in Roman Carthage in 203 CE. She has attracted great interest for her narrative written in prison just before she went to her death in the amphitheater. Her story is steeped in mystery, and every aspect of her life and death has generated much controversy.

Hailing from the Syrian city of Palmyra, a woman named Zenobia (also Bathzabbai) governed territory in the eastern Roman empire from 268 to 272. She thus became the most famous Palmyrene who ever lived. This book situates Zenobia in the social, economic, cultural, and material context of her Palmyra.

Fulvia is the first full-length biography focused solely on Fulvia, daughter of Sempronia and Bambalio, who is best known as the wife of Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony). It peels away the heavily biased accounts of her to reveal a strong-willed, independent woman who was, by many traditional measures, a successful Roman matron.

This volume is the first book length treatment of the elusive and intriguing fourth-century CE philosopher, teacher, and prophet Sosipatra of Pergamum. Through a rich contextualization of the ancient evidence, it presents a lively and engaging portrait of this remarkable woman.

An engaging biography of one of history's most intriguing and powerful women: Theodora, Empress of the Byzantine Empire

In Monica: An Ordinary Saint, Gillian Clark reconciles competing images of the life and legacy of Augustine's mother, arriving at a woman who was shrewd and enterprising, but also meek and gentle.

A reconstruction of the remarkable life of a woman who became a combatant in the civil wars that ended the Roman Republic, Turia shows how her life can shed light on Roman women's contribution to their society and the ways in which men came to recognize them.

The life of Arsinoe II (c. 316-c.270 BCE), daughter of the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, is characterized by dynastic intrigue. This book provides the first accessible biography of this fascinating queen.

Even by the standards of royalty in antiquity the life of Galla Placidia (c. 390-450 CE) seems an aberration. Daughter, granddaughter, and sister of Roman emperors, wife of a Gothic chieftain and of a Roman general, and mother of a Roman emperor and of Attila's would be bride, Galla's adventures reflect the vicissitudes of the late Roman Empire itself.

Clodia Metelli: The Tribune's Sister is the first full-length biography of a Roman aristocrat whose colorful life, as portrayed by contemporaries, has inspired numerous modern works of popular fiction, art, and poetry. This study, by examining the way in which she was represented, sheds light on the role played by major female figures in Roman literature.

A sophisticated portrait of a formidable, yet relatively unknown, queen in the 200-year power struggle that followed the death of Alexander the Great.

Eurydice (the wife of Amyntas III, the mother of Philip II, and grandmother of Alexander the Great) was the first royal Macedonian woman who played a role in the public life of ancient Macedonia. This study examines the nature of her role and the factors that contributed to its expansion.

Sabina Augusta: An Imperial Journey traces the development of Sabina's partnership with her husband, the emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138), and shows the vital importance of the empress for Hadrian's own aspirations.

Boudica introduces readers to the life and literary importance of Boudica through juxtaposing her literary characterizations in Tacitus and Cassius Dio with those of other women and rebel leaders. Literary comparisons assist in the understanding of Boudica as a barbarian, queen, mother, commander in war, and leader of revolt.

A learned study of a mother and daughter, both the wives of emperors, and their importance in the golden age of the Roman Empire