A History Of The Roman Empire In 21 Women

Putting the Women Back into Roman History

Rome as you’ve never seen it before – brazenly unconventional, badly behaved and ever so feminine.

‘Hugely entertaining and illuminating’ —Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

A WATERSTONES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023

Here’s how the history of the Roman Empire usually goes…

We kick off with Romulus murdering his brother, go on to Brutus overthrowing Tarquin, bounce through an appallingly tedious list of battles and generals and consuls, before emerging into the political stab-fest of the late Republic. After ‘Et tu, Brute?’, it runs through all the emperors, occasionally nodding to a wife or mother to show how bad things get when women won’t do as they’re told, until Constantine invents Christianity only for Attila the Hun to come and ruin everything.

Let’s tear up this script. The history of Rome and its empire is so much more than these ‘Important Things’.

In this alternative history, Emma Southon tells another story about the Romans, one that lives through Vestal Virgins and sex workers, business owners and poets, empresses and saints.

• Discover how entrepreneurial sex worker Hispala Faecenia uncovered a conspiracy of treason, human sacrifice and Bacchic orgies so wild they would make Donna Tartt blush, becoming one of Rome’s unlikeliest heroes.
• Book yourself a table at the House of Julia Felix and get to know Pompeii’s savviest businesswoman and restauranteur. Indulge in an array of locally sourced delicacies as you take in the wonderful view of Mount Vesuvius… what could possibly go wrong?
• Join the inimitable Septimia Zenobia, who – after watching a series of incompetent, psychopathic and incompetently psychopathic emperors almost destroy the Empire – did what any of us would do. She declared herself Empress, took over half the Roman Empire and ran it herself.

''Hugely entertaining and illuminating... Emma Southon brilliantly walks the line between humour and heartbreak, never shying away from the brutality some of the women endured, yet doing so with the lightest touch and managing to keep their humanity always in focus.'' —Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

‘Southon gives a fresh sense of Roman civilization... She presents ordinary, “small” lives as extraordinary… This is not just a book about the lives of historical women, but one about the history of womanhood… delightful… Southon’s book is a testament to those who were determined not to be left voiceless.’ —TLS

''The women in Southon’s book are nuanced, fearless and thanks to Southon''s brilliant storytelling, unforgettable: ambitious kingmakers, charming courtesans, political actors, brave survivors and proud poets. Funny, original and often moving, this is exactly the type of book I wish I could have read when I was younger.'' —Costanza Casati, author of Clytemnestra

''A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women is a fantastic read. It is sparkling, irreverent and entertaining... Where was Emma Southon when I studied Roman history!?'' —Laura Shepperson, author of The Heroines

''A fresh perspective. Following the lives of 21 women from across Rome and its territories, Southon rollicks through the empire we thought we knew so well.'' —Idler

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