Livia

A bold new portrait of Livia, ancient Rome's first First Lady, who shaped the empire from behind the throneLivia 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.
"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."
"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."
"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."