Women who shaped the Roman empire
Emma Southon discusses the women of ancient Rome whose stories illuminate experiences of war, empire and political machinations
How do you surface the stories of women in the Roman empire, when the majority of ancient texts were written by men, telling of military victories and losses, or intrigues in the political arena? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Emma Southon chronicles the Roman empire through the stories of women whose experiences illuminate war, empire and political machinations, taking readers from the foundational myth of Rome to a ‘leisure centre’ in ancient Pompeii.
Emma Southon is the author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women (Oneworld, 2023)
Authors
Elinor Evans is digital editor of HistoryExtra.com. She commissions and writes history articles for the website, and regularly interviews historians for the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast
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