Overview

A pioneering political voice, with charisma and power that rivaled many of her male contemporaries, Clodia of Rome was a pivotal figure in the late Roman Republic until a murder trial, rife with corruption, catalyzed her fall from grace. Taking readers inside the courtroom to follow the trial and Clodia's family's tumultuous political history, Douglas Boin brings a modern perspective to a long-buried story, full of juicy details and fascinating anecdotes. With countless examples of the surprising roles that Roman women played, followed by the attempts of powerful men to erase their stories, Boin challenges the male-dominated narrative of classical antiquity. Clodia of Rome offers a new understanding of the radical modernity of first-century Rome-one that mirrors our own in its volatile conflicts between forces of change and those of reaction.

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9781324035671

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Reviews

""A brilliant portrait of the most glamorous, enigmatic, and fascinating woman in the history of the late Roman republic—a book I have been waiting to read since studying Cicero’s evisceration of her when I was sixteen."" -- Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic ""A brilliant, charismatic, politically savvy woman is ruined by misogyny and malice via a high- profile murder case—one over 2,000 years old. Douglas Boin’s spellbinding account of a Roman woman named Clodia, who died in 44 B.C., shows his mastery of archaeological storytelling, excavating the complex layers of a long overdue exoneration of an extraordinary and timeless woman."" -- Sarah Parcak, author of Archaeology from Space ""Douglas Boin valiantly recovers, reconstructs, and restores the reputation of a strong and independent woman who flouted social norms, attacked the prevailing system of inequality and injustice, and was punished by the powerful men she challenged. Clodia of Rome is a breath of fresh air blowing through the history of the Roman world."" -- Mike Duncan, author of Hero of Two Worlds and The Storm Before the Storm ""Scintillating. . . . Clodia has always fascinated—but she has also always been a footnote. Here, she has the attention she deserves."" -- Catherine Nixey, author of The Darkening Age ""Douglas Boin writes with a flair that Clodia herself would have admired. This is a real-life political thriller that takes us through the gritty streets and sumptuous mansions of Rome and reveals how its republic worked."" -- Josiah Osgood, author of Lawless Republic: The Rise of Cicero and the Decline of Rome

""A brilliant portrait of the most glamorous, enigmatic, and fascinating woman in the history of the late Roman republic—a book I have been waiting to read since studying Cicero’s evisceration of her when I was sixteen."" -- Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

Author Information

Douglas Boin is professor of history at Saint Louis University and the author of Alaric the Goth. His essays have appeared in Time, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his husband.

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