Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome [Hardcover]

Anthony A. Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

Livia (58 BC-29 AD), the wife of the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, and mother of the second, Tiberius, wielded power at the centre of Roman politics for most of her long life. Livia has been portrayed as a cunning and sinister schemer, but in this biography (the first in English devoted to her) Livia emerges as a much more complex individual. Achieving influence unprecedented for a woman, she won support and even affection from her contemporaries and was widely revered after her death. Anthony A. Barrett, author of acclaimed biographies of Caligula and Agrippina, here examines Livia's life and her role in Roman politics. He recounts the events of her life, from her early days as a member of the wealthy and powerful Claudian family through her final conflicts with the new Emperor Tiberius. Barrett also considers how Livia helped shape the pattern of Roman government that prevailed for the next four centuries.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Barrett, who has written biographies of Caligula and Agrippina, here reconstructs the life of a noteworthy Roman historical figure about whom little direct information is available. Livia maintained a "deliberate reserve" throughout her life and was steadfastly committed to being the Emperor Augustus's wife. Much has been suggested about the influence she had on her husband during his tenure, and common belief holds that she deliberately poisoned his successors. Barrett counters the mostly negative attacks on her character, arguing that much of what has been said about her is spurious. As such, those responsible for documenting the imperial family, such as the historian Tacitus, get scrutinized. Barrett explores other facets of Livia's personality, such as her interest in horticulture and political patronage. The book presents the general politics of the time and highlights other key figures from imperial Rome. Surprisingly, Livia was highly regarded by the Roman Senate, as well as by other peers, who often commended her for her generosity. Barrett's work is probably denser and more detailed than would interest the average reader, but for those keenly interested in studying ancient Rome it comes as a welcome addition to the genre. Recommended for academic libraries. Isabel Coates, CCRA-Toronto West Tax Office, Mississauga, Ont.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

"In his previous books on Caligula and Agrippina, Anthony Barrett has amply proven his competence as an imperial biographer. Now he adds an excellent biography of Livia-as appealing to the general reader as it is satisfying to the scholar." -Colin M. Wells, Trinity University, San Antonio

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300091966
• ISBN-13: 978-0300091960
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Livia, May 16, 2003

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome (Hardcover)

Anthony Barrett has written another excellent biography. Livia is an historical figure who has been much maligned over time and effectively turned into a ruthless serial killer in order to see her son Tiberius as emperor. Reality is a different matter and Livia emerges as an intelligent, beautiful and caring woman whose life was generally restrained by having no official political position. As Augustus' wife, she could exert a great deal of influence but until he death, when she was adopted into the Julian gens and given the title name Augusta. Mr. Barrett has examined Livia's life in detail as the wife of the princeps, the mother of the second emperor, her role as a protector and benefactor and her public and her private life.

Among the bits of interesting information I found was that Livia gave an allowance to the Elder and Younger Julia's after they had been sent into exile that lasted for the rest of their lives. Also of interest was Livia's healthy habits, which included drinking red wine each day, and that she underwent grief management after the death of her son Drusus..

Mr. Barrett separates some more specialized discussions in the appendix, dealing with such topics as Livia's name and birth to Livia's relations with Agrippina the Elder etc. The book is invaluable for the detailed listing of sources of information about Livia, including inscriptions, sculptures, books and articles and a list of abbreviations of ancient authors and their individual works. In short, this is as complete a biography of Livia that we will have in English.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Livia has left the building, November 5, 2007

By 

Carl Reddick "Semper Ubi Sub Ubi" (Newport, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome (Paperback)

LIVIA (First Lady of Imperial Rome)was just that. She was Augustus' wife and the mother of Tiberius and the grandmother of Caligula, Claudus, and Nero. As the first 'first lady' of the Imperial age she set the tone and pace of what would become the de-facto wife-of-an emperor (Augustus). No one had ever been in this position before. History has painted her as a murdering poisoner but author Anthony Barrett sets the gossip aside and plows right through the original sources teaching us why Tacitus and other primary sources were prejudiced against her and have handed down a tainted picture of her situation. Make no mistake, this was a hard book to read. It is real history by a real historian. But the effort really pays off if you are interested how Augustus and his wife virtually invented the politics that came to run the machinery started by Julius Caesar prior to his slaughter in the Senate House. I give it all 5 stars but caution that you should look elsewhere if you are just starting your adventure in reading about the glory that was Rome.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rome's First Imperial Matron, February 28, 2005

By 

Octavius (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome (Paperback)

The book offers a unique insight into the life of Rome's first imperial matron, Livia. Reviewing narrative and archeological evidence, Anthony Barret succeeds in showing how Livia was perceived by her contemporaries in light of Augustus' new imperial institutions. Because there's so little information on who Livia really was as a person, Mr. Barret's analysis starts becoming rather speculative when it comes to Livia's private dispositions. The book is thus more of a review of Livia's persona as opposed to her actual beliefs and behavior behind closed doors. At the very least, he succeeds in dispelling many of the anecdotal stories of her as a ambitious master schemer and regicite. These negative qualities are mostly the product of Tacitus' biased accounts which were so wonderfully crafted into Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" books. At the very least, one gets a good picture of the political and social environment Livia found herself in when she married Augustus and how it affected her public image. The book is easy to read for the casual reader but detailed enough for the scholar. I strongly recommend this work.