Livia, Empress of Rome

November 29, 2010
In the wake of Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra, this is an attempt to similarly rescue the wife of her antagonist, Augustus, from the demonization of ancient historians. Livia Drusilla of the Claudii (58 B.C.E.–29 C.E.) was vilified by Tacitus and later by Robert Graves's I, Claudius as the ambitious schemer who poisoned five of her son's competitors for the Roman throne. Beautiful, intelligent, an aristocrat of impeccable lineage, through her first husband, who haplessly backed Mark Antony against the emperor Augustus, Livia was mother of two future emperors. While pregnant with her second son, she became mistress to Augustus and soon married him. As empress, Livia espoused an idealized image of virtue and restraint. British journalist Dennison (The Last Princess) clears Livia of the charge of poisoning Marcellus, Augustus's son-in-law and presumed successor, attributing his death to typhoid fever. As to the scant evidence offered posthumously that she killed Augustus's three grandsons, another son-in-law, her own grandson, and even Augustus himself, Dennison claims Livia's real crime was the exercise of power in an assertively masculine society. This is an erudite, nuanced, and engrossing portrait of a turbulent era and of an empress demonized for refusing to be invisible. 8 pages of b&w photos.

November 1, 2010

Wife of one emperor, mother of another, Empress Livia proves a powerful tool with which to amplify on the "dog days" of the Roman Empire.

British journalist Dennison (The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter, 2008, etc.) deftly sifts the historical record for a portrait of a woman in the right place at the right time. Livia was the daughter of Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, who belonged to Rome's most distinguished senatorial families but backed the wrong side after Julius Caesar's assassination and was eliminated during the Second Triumvirate's Proscription. Nonetheless, Livia had been married off at age 15 to "turncoat" Tiberius Claudius Nero, had two sons quickly by him, living often in exile, before her affair with Octavian, the youngest of the Triumvirate, precipitated a hasty divorce and remarriage. Thus Livia allied herself with Rome's first citizen, and their marriage lasted more than 50 years. Although she had clear ambitions for her two sons, Tiberius and Drusus, Livia herself was not allowed to share power as Octavian's star rose over the next half-century—although "access...was arguably Livia's true patrimony." The first order of business was the necessity of defeating Mark Antony, who had broken off and allied himself with Cleopatra. After Actium, Octavian assumed the name "Augustus," revered one, and gradually Livia also became an archetype by imperial propaganda, becoming sacrosanct, as depicted in public statues—faithful, steadfast and chaste, as opposed to Cleopatra's exotic, promiscuous, beguiling depictions. Her childlessness with Octavian might have been troubling, had Octavian not truly loved Livia. He finally adopted Tiberius as his son, and Livia ultimately secured Tiberius's inheritance of power upon Octavian's death in 14 CE. Dennison does a nice job of defending this fascinating character from "demonization" through the centuries, and knowledgeably considers many facets of Roman history, including religion, the place of women and children, family life and iconography.

A deeply considered look at women and power in the late Roman age.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2010

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.--Crystal Goldman, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Dennison attempts to set the historical record straight in this balanced biography of one of the most maligned females in ancient history. Portrayed in both fact (The Histories and The Annals) and fiction (I, Claudius, anyone?) as a serial poisoner who would stop at nothing to ensure that her son Tiberius succeeded his stepfather Augustus as emperor of Rome, the Livia that is resurrected here is far from the femme fatale of legend. Unfortunately, the real woman is a great deal less interesting than her infamous fictional counterpart. Since what is actually verifiable about his subject is sometimes rather sketchy, Dennison pads Livias chronicle with cultural, societal, and historical details and events that ground her firmly in the context of her times. Ancient Rome always appeals, and it is nice to see an unjustly tarnished reputation polished up for posterity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)