Overview

A bold new portrait of Livia, ancient Rome's first First Lady, who shaped the empire from behind the throne Livia was no ordinary Roman woman. As wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius―the first and second Roman emperors―she stood at the heart of the first imperial dynasty, wielding extraordinary influence in a world that denied women formal power. In this vivid biography, Caitlin C. Gillespie reclaims Livia (59 or 58 BCE-29 CE) from centuries of scandal and rumored villainy, tracing her journey from elite birth and early traumatic exile through her rise to wealth and influence as the matriarch of the imperial household. Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, Gillespie explores Livia's inner life through her personal losses, including the death of her son Drusus; her political savvy; and her later life as Julia Augusta, high priestess of Augustus's divine cult. Though she never held an official political position, Livia emerges as a complex figure whose story of ambition, resilience, and maternal power resonates over millennia, captivating audiences from antiquity through today.

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Reviews

""A lively and exceptionally well-informed reassessment of a figure who has too often been distorted by stereotype. Gillespie compellingly restores Augustus's wife as his political partner, who was crucial to the formation of the 'imperial house' that would endure for centuries."" -- ""T. Corey Brennan, author of The Fasces: A History of Ancient Rome's Most Dangerous Political Symbol"" ""Caitlin Gillespie has produced a sympathetic, plausible portrait of Livia, wife of the first Roman emperor Augustus. Hedged in by her class and by her family's history, she gradually invented a successful public persona that enabled her to exercise considerable political power and yet embody traditional female virtues."" -- ""Elizabeth Donnelly Carney, author of Eurydice and the Birth of Macedonian Power"" ""This vibrant book gives us not just Livia the icon but the person. Gillespie skillfully weaves together Livia's many successes with the challenges she faced as a woman living in turbulent times."" -- ""Josiah Osgood, author of Lawless Republic: The Rise of Cicero and the Decline of Rome""

Author Information

Caitlin C. Gillespie is the Helaine and Alvin Allen Chair in Literature and assistant professor in the Department of Classical Studies at Brandeis University. She is the author of Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain. She lives in Cambridge, MA. Natalie Naudus is one of the most beloved audiobook narrators working today and now author of her debut novel, Gay the Pray Away.

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