A Rome of one's own : the forgotten women of the Roman Empire

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Title:

A Rome of one's own : the forgotten women of the Roman Empire

Author:

Southon, Emma, author.

ISBN:

9781419760181

Personal Author:

Southon, Emma, author.

Edition:

US edition.

Physical Description:

404 pages ; 24 cm

General Note:

"Originally published in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, and Australia as A history of the Roman Empire in 21 women by OneWorld Publications"--Title page verso.

Source of cataloging data: WCP

Abstract:

"The history of Rome has long been narrow and one-sided, essentially a history of 'the Doing of Important Things,' and as far as Roman historians have been concerned, women don't make that history. From Romulus through the political stab-fest of the late Republic, and then on to all the emperors, Roman historians may deign to give you a wife or a mother to show how bad things become when women get out of control, but history is more than that. Emma Southon's A Rome of One's Own is the best kind of correction. This is a retelling of the history of Rome with all the things Roman history writers relegate to the background, or designate as domestic, feminine, or worthless. This is a history of women who caused outrage, led armies in rebellion, wrote poetry; who lived independently or under the thumb of emperors. Told with humor and verve as well as a deep scholarly background, A Rome of One's Own highlights women overlooked and misunderstood, and through them offers a fascinating and groundbreaking chronicle of the ancient world."-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

The kingdom. Tarpeia and Hersilia 750 BCE: The traitor and the patriot -- Tanaquil 616 BCE: The queen -- Lucretia and Tullia 510 BCE: The virgin and the whore -- The republic. Oppia 483 BCE: The vestal -- Hispala Faecenia 186 BCE: The informer -- Clodia 60 BCE: The Palatine Medea -- Turia 46 BCE: The survivor -- The empire. Julia Caesar 27 BCE: The princess -- Cartimandua and Boudicca 60 CE: The client and the rebel -- Julia Felix 79 CE: The Pompeii businesswoman -- Sulpicia Lepidina 100 CE: The first lady of the camp -- Julia Balbilla 130 CE: The poet -- Perpetua 203 CE: The Christian martyr -- Julia Maesa and Julia Mamaea 222 CE: Mothers of the whole human race -- Late antiquity. Zenobia 268 CE: The usurper Augusta -- Melania the elder 373 CE: The saint -- Galla Placidia 414 CE: The last Roman -- Epilogue.

Subject Term:

Women -- Rome -- History.

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Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Book	HQ1136 .S68 2023	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

From the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , a wildly entertaining new history of Rome that uses the lives of 21 women to upend our understanding of the ancient world

The history of Rome has long been narrow and one-sided, essentially a history of "the Doing of Important Things." And as far as Roman historians have been concerned, women don't make that history. From Romulus through the political stab-fest of the late Republic, and then on to all the emperors, Roman historians may deign to give you a wife or a mother to show how bad things become when women get out of control, but history is more than that.

Emma Southon's A Rome of One's Own is the best kind of correction. This is a retelling of the history of Rome with all the things Roman history writers relegate to the background, or designate as domestic, feminine, or worthless. This is a history of women who caused outrage, led armies in rebellion, wrote poetry; who lived independently or under the thumb of emperors. Told with humor and verve as well as a deep scholarly background, A Rome of One's Own highlights women overlooked and misunderstood, and through them offers a fascinating and groundbreaking chronicle of the ancient world.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Historian Southon (A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) surveys 1,100 years of Roman history in this expert and wittily conversational narrative. By profiling 21 relatively unknown women, Southon presents a "whole new history" that is "closer to the version the Romans told themselves." Skillfully parsing sometimes limited and biased sources, Southon depicts her subjects as complex human beings. Hersilia, a Sabine woman kidnapped by the Romans (c. 750 BCE) who became Romulus's wife, is the first woman to appear by name in a Roman text. She may have prevented a full-scale war between the Romans and Sabines when she spoke publicly about how she and the other kidnapped Sabine women had adjusted to their new lives, which bound the two groups into a familial relationship. Julia Felix, who probably died in the 79 CE Vesuvius eruption in Pompeii, made money as a property owner, demonstrating the possibilities of independence for adult, single, middle-class women of the Roman empire. Claudia Severa's affectionate letters to Sulpicia Lepidina in 100 CE show life in a Roman military outpost in northern England as more social and familial than depicted in male-centered histories and provide a window into female friendships. Southon's crisp characterizations, snappy assessments of existing histories, and breezy narrative style will enchant fans of ancient history and women's history. It's a delight. Illus. (Nov.)

Booklist Review

The adage says that history is written by the victors. All too often, this means oppressed groups and their voices are missing from the pages of history texts. Southon (A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 2021) combats this and seeks to give representation to the perpetually ignored women of Rome, presenting a new history of the male-dominated empire told from the female perspective. From Romulus to the fall, Southon upends traditionally held beliefs about the Roman Empire through the profiles of 21 women. The women featured were more than a historical footnote, wife, or mother: they were resourceful and capable humans that had an untold impact on Rome's development. With laugh-out-loud humor, Southon not only shares the stories of these women but also delivers valid critiques of existing histories and biased sources. Clever, bold, and refreshingly feminist; readers will be engaged and entertained to the very end. This book deserves a home on library shelves to balance patriarchal nonfiction collections. More histories like this are needed.

Introduction	1
The Kingdom
Tarpeia and Hersilia 750 BCE: The Traitor and the Patriot	7
Tanaquil 616 BCE: The Queen	25
Lucretia and Tullia 510 BCE: The Virgin and the Whore	39
The Republic
Oppia 483 BCE: The Vestal	59
Hispala Faecenia 186 BCE: The Informer	76
Clodia 60 BCE: The Palatine Medea	96
Turia 46 BCE: The Survivor	115
The Empire
Julia Caesar 27 BCE: The Princess	139
Cartimandua and Boudicca 60 CE: The Client and the Rebel	160
Julia Felix 79 CE: The Pompeii Businesswoman	182
Sulpicia Lepidina 100 CE: The First Lady of the Camp	198
Julia Balbilla 130 CE: The Poet	213
Perpetua 203 CE: The Christian Martyr	231
Julia Maesa and Julia Mamaea 222 CE: Mothers of the Whole Human Race	255
Late Antiquity
Zenobia 268 CE: The Usurper Augusta	283
Melania the Elder 373 CE: The Saint	307
Galla Placidia 414 CE: The Last Roman	329
Epilogue	353
Acknowledgements	355
Bibliography	356
Notes	381
Index	393

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents