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Livia, Empress of Rome

A Biography
by Matthew Dennison
Livia, Empress of Rome: A Biography. St. Martin's. Jan. 2011. c.336p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780312658649. $27.99. BIOG
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In his own words, Dennison (The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter) did not seek out "undiscovered fragments, lost inscriptions or unknown papyri" for this biography, but he used the biased ancient texts and scholarly sources to compile a fuller portrait. Both vilified and deified, Livia (58 B.C.E.–29 C.E.)—wife of the Emperor Augustus and the mother of his successor, her son from her first marriage, Tiberius—was blamed by detractors for the deaths of those who would have inherited before Tiberius, though she was often hundreds of miles away when the supposed victims died. Livia presented a public persona of the virtuous Roman matron, which allowed her to accomplish significant goals by sidestepping the appearance of personal motivation within the masculine sphere of official activities. Readers are not left wondering at Dennison's own opinion: he describes Livia as something of a prodigy.
VERDICT Dense with research, this book is at times difficult to wade through, yet the richness of detail gives readers a solid foothold for understanding the complex traditions, customs, and politics of the era. Perhaps not accessible to casual readers, but academics and aficionados of Roman history, social history, women's history, or biography will enjoy the wealth of information.
Reviewed by Crystal Goldman, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA , Dec 01, 2010
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