Susan Treggiari – författare

Servilia is often cited as one of the most influential women of the late Roman Republic. Though she was a high-born patrician, her grandfather died disgraced and her controversial father was killed before he could stand for the consulship; she herself married twice, but both husbands were mediocre. Nevertheless, her position in the ruling class still afforded her significant social and political power, and it is likely that she masterminded the distinguished marriages of her one son, Brutus, and her three daughters. During her second marriage she began an affair with Iulius Caesar, which probably lasted for the rest of his life and is further indicative of the force of her charm and her exceptional intelligence.The patchiness of the sources means that a full biography is impossible, though in suggesting connections between the available evidence and the speculative possibilities open to women of Servilia's status this volume aims to offer an insightful reconstruction of her life and position both as a member of the senatorial nobility and within her extended and nuclear family. The best attested period of Servilia's life, for which the chief source is Cicero's letters, follows the murder of Caesar by her son and her son-in-law, Cassius, who were leaders among the crowd of conspirators in the Senate House on the Ides of March in 44 BC. We find her energetically working to protect the assassins' interests, also defending her grandchildren by the Caesarian Lepidus when he was declared a public enemy and his property threatened with confiscation. Exploring the role she played during these turbulent years of the late Republic reveals much about the ways in which Romans of both sexes exerted influence and sought to control outcomes, as well as about the place of women in high society, allowing us to conclude that Servilia wielded her social and political power effectively, though with discretion and within conventional limits.

This lively and original guidebook is the first to show students new to the subject exactly what Roman social history involves, and how they can study it for themselves.After presenting a short history of the development and current position of the discipline, the author discusses the kinds of evidence that can be used, and the full range of resources available. Two case-studies provide practical examples of how to approach sources, and what we can learn from them.Clear, concise and accessible, with all text extracts translated into English, this is the ideal introduction to an increasingly popular subject.

Studying references and writings in over 900 personal letters, an unparalleled source, this book presents a rounded and intriguing account of the three women who, until now, have only survived as secondary figures to Cicero.In a field where little is really known about Cicero’s family, Susan Treggiari creates a history for these figures who, through history, have not had voices of their own, and a vivid impression of the everyday life upper-class Roman women in Italy had during the heyday of Roman power.Artfully assembling a rounded picture of their personalities and experiences, Treggiari reconstructs the lives of these three important women:Cicero’s first wife Terentia: a strong, tempestuous woman of status and fortune, with an implacable desire to retain control of bothhis second wife Publilia: shadowy and mysterious, the young submissive who Cicero wedded to compensate for her predecessor’s steely resolve and fiery temperhis daughter Tullia.Including illustrations, chronological charts, maps and glossaries, this book is essential reading for students wishing to get better acquainted with the women of ancient Rome.

Studying references and writings in over 900 personal letters, an unparalleled source, this book presents a rounded and intriguing account of the three women who, until now, have only survived as secondary figures to Cicero.In a field where little is really known about Cicero’s family, Susan Treggiari creates a history for these figures who, through history, have not had voices of their own, and a vivid impression of the everyday life upper-class Roman women in Italy had during the heyday of Roman power.Artfully assembling a rounded picture of their personalities and experiences, Treggiari reconstructs the lives of these three important women:Cicero’s first wife Terentia: a strong, tempestuous woman of status and fortune, with an implacable desire to retain control of bothhis second wife Publilia: shadowy and mysterious, the young submissive who Cicero wedded to compensate for her predecessor’s steely resolve and fiery temperhis daughter Tullia.Including illustrations, chronological charts, maps and glossaries, this book is essential reading for students wishing to get better acquainted with the women of ancient Rome.