WOMEN HAD RULED IN ROME?
INTERVIEW WITH DR EMMA SOUTHON
Dr Southon is the author of Marriage, Sex And Death: The Family And The Fall Of The Roman West; Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore, and A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, She also co-hosts the podcast, History Is Sexy
Ancient Rome was a world dominated by men, its history defined by rulers such as Caesar, Nero and Augustus. In contrast to this, most women found themselves subservient to the whims of their husbands or fathers, and were rarely – if ever – permitted to hold positions of public office. While there are examples of women who were able to wield power despite these restrictions (Fulvia, Claudia Metrodora and Valeria Messalina, to name just a few), the possibility of a Rome ruled by an empress and not an emperor opens up a world of possibilities. What if it was the wives and daughters of the emperors who held the reins of power?
