The censure of powerful women : roman monarchy and gender anxiety
Roman literature is full of disparaging commentary on women. Pemales in general are depicted as greedy, susceptible to luxuria, at the mercy of their uncontrollable passions, deceitful, jealous and cruel; a woman in proximity to power will attempt to corrupt that power or usurp it for herself and her own personal desires.
Julio-Claudian empresses
The social framework in which Romans lived has been reexamined in recent years. One important focus, the study of Roman women and family, has emerged.1 Indeed, social historians argue that the roles generally played by wives and mothers are crucial keys to our understanding their value in Roman society.
Livia the Poisoner: Genesis of an Historical Myth
The figure of Livia preserved by Roman literary tradition is fraught with ambiguity: on the one hand, she embodies the virtues that made the women of ancient Rome exemplary, to the point that even her most virulent detractors could not help acknowledging her chastity, prudence, wisdom, and loyalty to her husband