This installment continues the hilariously engaging exploration of history by Greg Jenner, blending humor with fascinating historical insights. Known for his best-selling status and popular podcast, Jenner offers a unique perspective that makes learning about the past entertaining and accessible. The series promises to captivate readers with its witty storytelling and informative content, appealing to history buffs and casual readers alike.
Exploring the often-overlooked role of women in Roman history, this book challenges the traditional narrative that focuses solely on significant male figures and events. It highlights how female perspectives and contributions have been marginalized or ignored, from the era of Romulus to the late Republic and the imperial period. By examining the lives and influences of women, the author seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Roman history, revealing the complexities and richness that have been historically overlooked.
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.
