Description: 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.---Amazon.
Brief description: Dr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham. The author of Marriage, Sex and Death: the Family and the Fall of Rome and Agrippina, she cohosts a history podcast with writer Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy, and works full time as a bookseller at Waterstones Belfast.
Review Quotes: "A Rome of One's Own is a fantastic read. It is sparkling, irreverent and entertaining, while still being clear and informative, and the focus on the often-ignored women's stories is long overdue. Where was Emma Southon when I studied Roman history!?"--Laura Shepperson, author of Phaedra