Books in the Women in Antiquity series

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

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.

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.

Melania the Younger: From Rome to Jerusalem explores one of the most richly detailed stories of a woman of late antiquity. Melania, an early fifth-century Roman Christian aristocrat, renounced her staggering wealth to lead a life of ascetic renunciation. Her life spans many crucial events in the history of the later Roman Empire.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher brings to life Hypatia's intellectual and political triumphs, uncovers the unique challenges she faced as a female teacher in a man's world, details the tragic story of her murder, and shows why her story has fascinated people for 1600 years.