Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Anna Lowenstein on THE STONE CITY - A CAPTIVE'S LIFE IN ROME

This week, we're pleased to welcome author ANNA LOWENSTEIN with her latest release,  THE STONE CITY. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win a FREE copy of the novel - this giveaway is open internationally, available in electronic or paperback format. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.

Snatched from her peaceful homestead in Celtic Britain, Bivana is transported to the legendary city of Rome. Struggling to come to terms with the loss of everyone and everything she has ever known, but determined to survive, she slowly adapts to a life of slavery and to the alien culture which surrounds her. Her relationship with another slave brings her into contact with the Nazarenes, activists in a fanatical new religious movement. She had hopes of making a fresh start, but what are her chances of surviving a clash with the authorities?

Since its first publication in 1999, The Stone City has become well known and loved in its Esperanto translation, and has been translated by fans into French and Hungarian. The revised 2016 edition includes several additional scenes.

**Q&A with Anna Lowenstein**

What made you want to write your first novel The Stone City?

Rome in the 1^st century was the New York of the ancient world, a gleaming city with temples, shops, bathhouses and bars, multi-storey buildings, paved streets and public fountains. It is thought to have had a million inhabitants from all over the empire, rivalling present-day cities like Birmingham (UK) or Rotterdam. What impression would this astonishing place have made on a barbarian newly arrived from the wilds of Britain or some equally remote part of the Roman empire? That was the question I wanted to explore when I started work on The Stone City. The novel tells the story of Bivana, who is captured during the conquest of Britain in AD 43 and brought to Rome as a slave.

So what impression does Rome make on Bivana when she arrives?

Bivana has come from the chalk downs and woodlands of southern Britain, where the largest buildings were wattle-and-daub thatched huts. She has rarely encountered a face that she did not recognize. But now she finds herself in a city surrounded by not only by countless strangers but by huge stone buildings, including apartment blocks several storeys high. She has never seen windows or stairs before, and the first time she is taken inside one of those gigantic buildings, she is confused to find herself in a small room instead of the vast hall she was expecting.

   Before I could understand how Bivana might have reacted to her new life in Rome, I needed to know where she was coming from. The first part of the book describes her life in a homestead in southern Britain. Although there is always a risk of raids by neighbouring tribes, her life is happy and relatively stable, and at the time of the Roman invasion she is looking forward to her marriage. To her, Rome is a mythical place, inconceivably distant. It seems impossible that the Roman army should ever cross the sea and attack her village.

Once she arrives in Rome, Bivana spends many years as a slave on a country estate. Slavery can’t be an easy thing to write about.

My aim in this novel was not to write about misery and suffering. I wanted Bivana to be able to look about her and to compare her new life and surroundings with those she knew before. She would not be able to do that if she was in fear and depression from constant mistreatment. For this reason I gave her to a family who treat their slaves reasonably well, and at least avoid deliberate cruelty. Even so, it is not easy for Bivana to adjust to this totally new setting and culture, the loss of her freedom, and the loss of everyone she knew and loved. The uglier face of slavery is shown indirectly through her occasional encounters with people who have been far less fortunate than she has.

Anna at the remains of the temple
in the ancient town of Palestrina,
which appears in her novel
under its Latin name Praeneste.

Through her relationship with one of the other slaves, Bivana comes into contact with the members of a new religious sect, the Nazarenes. Is this a religious book?

Bivana’s ideas are the ones she grew up with, and I can add that some aspects of ancient British religious life will be startling to modern readers! When she is transported to Rome, she finds it natural to seek help from the gods who reign in her new country. Like any good Roman, she is suspicious of the Nazarene’s rejection of all gods but their own.

   The Nazarenes are members of a young, idealistic sect, but as in all new movements people have different ideas about how to achieve their aims. This leads to disagreements and quarrels; this is a normal phase that every idealistic movement goes through at some point, whether its aims are religious, political or social. The Nazarenes are not saints but ordinary people, and that is how Bivana sees them.

Immediately after writing The Stone City you began to translate it into Esperanto – in fact the first editions of the book in English and Esperanto came out in the same year, 1999. What on earth gave you the idea of translating the book into Esperanto?

I learnt the international language Esperanto at the age of 13 from a book I borrowed from the library – it was far easier than French and Latin, which I was learning at school! Since then I have been active in the Esperanto movement and it is also the language I speak at home with my husband. So although I wrote my novel in English, it was a natural decision to translate it into Esperanto. The Esperanto version of the novel has been very successful, and has been translated into French and Hungarian. Bivana’s struggle to adapt to life in a different culture is just the sort of topic which appeals to Esperanto speakers – and of course, I hope it will also interest readers of Unusual Historicals!

About the author

Anna Lowenstein became interested in the Romans when she visited Italy over thirty years ago, and was awestruck by her first view of the Pantheon. She wondered what impression it must have made on a barbarian who had never seen a stone building before, let alone architecture as magnificent as the houses and temples of Rome. That was the moment when she had the idea for her first novel The Stone City. Not long afterwards she moved to Italy and came to live in the Roman countryside close to the ancient town of Palestrina, which appears in the novel under its Latin name Praeneste. Since then she has written a second novel, Death of an Artist, also set in Ancient Rome, and is now working on a third. Since 2015 she has been living in the UK.

Links:

Author page: http://annalowenstein.wixsite.com/home

Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_L%C3%B6wenstein

Excerpt Thursday: THE STONE CITY - A CAPTIVE'S LIFE IN ROME by Anna Lowenstein

This week, we're pleased to welcome author ANNA LOWENSTEIN with her latest release,  THE STONE CITY. Join us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's post or Sunday's author interview for a chance to win a FREE copy of the novel - this giveaway is open internationally, available in electronic or paperback format. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.

Snatched from her peaceful homestead in Celtic Britain, Bivana is transported to the legendary city of Rome. Struggling to come to terms with the loss of everyone and everything she has ever known, but determined to survive, she slowly adapts to a life of slavery and to the alien culture which surrounds her. Her relationship with another slave brings her into contact with the Nazarenes, activists in a fanatical new religious movement. She had hopes of making a fresh start, but what are her chances of surviving a clash with the authorities?

Since its first publication in 1999, The Stone City has become well known and loved in its Esperanto translation, and has been translated by fans into French and Hungarian. The revised 2016 edition includes several additional scenes.

**An Excerpt from The Stone City**

Morimanos was the best storyteller in the four villages. He didn’t often visit our homestead, but when he did, our hut was always packed. All my uncle’s family would crowd in to listen, and even some of my aunt’s people from the neighbouring homestead on the other side of the hill.

   I remember Morimanos coming to see us on one occasion when I was a small girl. It was a cold, dreary evening. It had been raining steadily for the past few days, and the two huts in our compound were hunched miserably beneath their round roofs of sodden thatch. We children were afraid that Morimanos would not turn up, but the rain eased off towards nightfall, and to our joy he arrived, picking his way across the muddy compound, which days of rain had churned into waterlogged ruts and holes.

   The air inside the hut was stuffy and smoky, apart from the biting draught from the door, which had been left open to let in what little moonlight there was. The cold air was cutting a swathe through the throng of people, who were huddled together in the warmer patches of the room, all except for my father who was sitting alone directly in the draught with his cloak tightly drawn around him. He never cared about the cold as long as he could breathe in good, fresh air. A moonbeam was shining onto the side of his face, and every movement of his head lit up a different feature: his bony nose at one moment, and next the long dangling end of his moustache.

   A hairy dog-skin had been spread out for Morimanos in the best spot, near the fire but out of the smoke, where everyone would be able to see him by the flickering light of the flames. Near him was my mother, outlined in black against the red glow of the fire. Most people were seated cross-legged on the ground, but she had chosen to sit on a low tree-stump so that she could get on with her spinning by firelight while she listened to the story. She was twirling the spindle and drawing out the thread with regular movements, pausing only to pull one of her long plaits back from her face or to attach my baby brother Tasgios more securely to the breast.

   I was lying on a pile of straw next to my favourite cousin Calliacos. We always chose one of the darker spots, well away from the open door, where we could play and whisper together under the low roof. Tonight, though, we were intent on Morimanos’s story. He was talking about Rome.

   The houses, he said, were as many and as numerous as the fish in the rivers, or the pebbles on the shore, or the waves of the sea, or the stars in the sky. They were taller than the treetops and so close together that if you were to see a pit full of grain, that grain would not be more tightly packed than those houses that were in Rome. The city stretched so far in every direction that if you took the whole of our people’s territory, it would not cover more than a single corner of the territory of Rome. And these houses had one great peculiarity: they had been built not only side by side but also one above the other, three or four deep in some places, so that the people in them were walking around over the heads of their neighbours.

   ‘And the fields, are they up in the air as well?’ asked my little sister Vinda. She was too young to know she shouldn’t interrupt the storyteller. Morimanos paused in his story. ‘There are no fields,’ he said. ‘The houses are pressed tighter together than the skin over your ribs, and not a single tree, not a twig, not a blade of grass can push its way up between them. There’s not a speck of green to be seen in all that city, even if it was only as big as your little fingernail. For in that city, everything is made of stone.’

   ‘But what do all the people eat?’ my sister persisted. My mother started to hush her, but Morimanos replied, ‘There are no fields in that city, and yet the Romans never go short of food. For they have buildings there so large that each one of them could cover the whole of this hillside from roots to hair. And every one of those buildings is filled with things to eat. The first contains nothing but grain, the second is full of meat, the third is stacked with pitchers of wine and ale. And there are other buildings as well, filled with all the things they might need. There is one full of buckets and pots and drinking vessels, another for all the precious jewels: rings and bracelets and golden treasures. But there are no torcs in that building, for no Roman, not even the king of all the Romans himself, wears a torc round his neck. Another building contains cloth, not just in short lengths, but in great rolls a hundred ells long. It comes in all colours: yellow, scarlet, bright green, purple, checked and striped and speckled. There are some types of cloth which are finer than a cobweb and shimmer when they catch the light, like the sun glinting on the tips of the waves. Then there is another type so thick and soft that the wearer of it will never feel the cold, even on days when the birds sit frozen to the branches, and the raindrops turn to ice before they touch the ground.’

About the author

Anna Lowenstein became interested in the Romans when she visited Italy over thirty years ago, and was awestruck by her first view of the Pantheon. She wondered what impression it must have made on a barbarian who had never seen a stone building before, let alone architecture as magnificent as the houses and temples of Rome. That was the moment when she had the idea for her first novel The Stone City. Not long afterwards she moved to Italy and came to live in the Roman countryside close to the ancient town of Palestrina, which appears in the novel under its Latin name Praeneste. Since then she has written a second novel, Death of an Artist, also set in Ancient Rome, and is now working on a third. Since 2015 she has been living in the UK.

Links:

Author page: http://annalowenstein.wixsite.com/home

Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_L%C3%B6wenstein

Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Elisabeth Storrs on CALL TO JUNO

This week, we're pleased to welcome author ELISABETH STORRS with her latest release,  CALL TO JUNO, set in the ancient Roman period. One lucky visitor will get a digital only copy of Call to Juno - this giveaway is open internationally. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.

Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.

Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed?

Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?

Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?

Who will overcome the treachery of mortals and gods?

Praise for Call to Juno

"An elegant, impeccably researched exploration of early Rome and their lesser known enemies, the Etruscans... Elisabeth Storrs weaves a wonderful tale!" 

Kate Quinn, author of The Empress of Rome Saga

**Q&A with Elisabth Storrs**

Which authors have influenced you?

My desire to write historical fiction was sparked after reading The Persian Boy by Mary Renault when I was in high school. I loved the way Renault transported me back into ancient times in a visceral and visual way. History, myth and legend came alive. Her writing also spurred me to read classical literature and study ancient history so I could learn more about the worlds she so clearly loved. I also enjoyed reading Rosemary Sutcliffe and Jean Plaidy when I was younger. Over time I’ve discovered and admire Jim Crace and Alice Hoffman. Their prose is so lyrical and evocative.

What is the inspiration for your books?

Call to Juno is the third book in my Tales of Ancient Rome saga. I was inspired to write the story of Caecilia, a young Roman treaty bride, who is married to Vel Mastarna, an enemy Etruscan nobleman, after I discovered a photograph of a 6^th Century BC sarcophagus upon which a husband and wife lay on their bed in a tender embrace. The casket was unusual because, in this period of history, women were rarely commemorated in funerary art let alone a couple depicted in such a pose of affection. The image of the lovers remained with me. What kind of culture exalted marital fidelity while showing such an openly sensuous connection? What ancient society revered women as much as men? Discovering the answer led me to the decadent and mystical Etruscan civilization and the little known story of the war between early Republican Rome and the city of Veii. These cities were situated only 12 miles apart across the Tiber River but the societies were vastly different in their culture and beliefs. The Etruscans were sophisticated and cosmopolitan and afforded independence, education and sexual freedom to their women at a time when the Romans and Greeks treated females as possessions and second class citizens.  As a result, Etruscan women were seen as wicked and corrupt by the rest of the ancient world.

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

Throughout the three books of the Tales of Ancient Rome, I explore themes of tolerance and prejudice as well as the concept of fate and free will. Caecilia is forced to make choices when examining the customs, beliefs and laws of Rome compared to the hedonistic and liberal world of the Etruscans: firstly as to whether she can leave her homeland when war is declared in The Wedding Shroud; secondly whether she still owes duty to her Roman family in The Golden Dice; and lastly, if she can forsake her Roman spiritual beliefs for the dark, wild Etruscan religion that offers eternal life in Call to Juno.

What challenges do you face in writing a book set in ancient times?

Roman fiction is heavily weighted toward military action books with male characters. Often female characters are only depicted as victims or manipulative schemers. My challenge in writing a book set during a ten year siege in the 4^th Century BC was to describe war from the viewpoint of women whose lives were limited. As such, it was not possible to place my female protagonists in the ‘thick of the action’ of a battle scene or in political machinations in order to move the plot forward. Instead, I explore how ancient women show courage in surviving by exerting influence through their own resources and intelligence. My characters bear witness to events but I never portray them in a way that would be unlikely given their societal constraints. In doing so, I portray the differences between the opportunities available to Roman and Etruscan women, and between the social orders.

 In The Golden Dice, I introduce two new female characters in addition to Caecilia: Pinna and Semni. Pinna is a Roman whore who uses coercion and wiles to claw her way from desperation and poverty to ultimately win the heart of Rome’s greatest general, Camillus. Although she is forced to be conniving by her straitened circumstances, she has her own moral code and a desire to be recognised as a Roman citizen again (a right denied her once she was reduced to prostitution.) Pinna travels as a camp wife with the Roman army. Through her, the Roman side of the conflict is revealed. Semni is an Etruscan artisan who is divorced and ejected from her home after bearing an illegitimate child. She finds shelter in the House of Mastarna as a servant. Her interaction with Caecilia’s children ultimately results in a desperate quest for survival. And, Caecilia, who was married against her will to an enemy, grows from a frightened naïve virgin into a strong and committed mother who is free to make choices, and is empowered to hold fate in her own hands. All three women may be constrained by their cultures but each show strength, resourcefulness and courage in their own way.

Thanks so much for inviting me to tell readers a little about my saga. 

Buy all of Elisabeth Storrs' novels at:

Call to Juno: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/call-to-juno.html

The Wedding Shroud: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/the-wedding-shroud.html

The Golden Dice: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/the-golden-dice.html

About the Author

Elisabeth Storrs is an Australian author who graduated from University of Sydney in Arts Law, having studied Classics. Her curiosity piqued by an Etruscan sarcophagus depicting a couple embracing for eternity, she discovered the little-known story of the struggle between Etruscan Veii and Republican Rome and the inspiration to write the Tales of Ancient Rome Saga.

Elisabeth lives with her husband and two sons in Sydney, and over the years has worked as a solicitor, corporate lawyer and corporate governance consultant. She is the Deputy Chair of the NSW Writers’ Centre and one of the founders of the Historical Novel Society Australasia.

Feel free to connect with me through my website: www.elisabethstorrs.com  or Triclinium blog www.elisabethstorrs.com/blog.  

You can find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.storrs/ 

Twitter: @elisabethstorrs https://twitter.com/elisabethstorrs  and Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elisabethstorrs/

Excerpt Thursday: CALL TO JUNO by Elisabeth Storrs

This week, we're pleased to welcome author ELISABETH STORRS with her latest release,  CALL TO JUNO, set in the ancient Roman period. Join us again on Sunday for an author interview, with more details about the story behind the story. One lucky visitor will get a digital only copy of Call to Juno - this giveaway is open internationally. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's post or Sunday's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.

Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.

Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed?

Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?

Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?

Who will overcome the treachery of mortals and gods?

Praise for Call to Juno

"An elegant, impeccably researched exploration of early Rome and their lesser known enemies, the Etruscans... Elisabeth Storrs weaves a wonderful tale!" 

Kate Quinn, author of The Empress of Rome Saga

Read a PDF version of an excerpt from Call to Juno (click link)

Buy all of Elisabeth Storrs' novels at:

Call to Juno: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/call-to-juno.html

The Wedding Shroud: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/the-wedding-shroud.html

The Golden Dice: http://www.elisabethstorrs.com/buy-books/the-golden-dice.html

About the Author

Elisabeth Storrs is an Australian author who graduated from University of Sydney in Arts Law, having studied Classics. Her curiosity piqued by an Etruscan sarcophagus depicting a couple embracing for eternity, she discovered the little-known story of the struggle between Etruscan Veii and Republican Rome and the inspiration to write the Tales of Ancient Rome Saga.

Elisabeth lives with her husband and two sons in Sydney, and over the years has worked as a solicitor, corporate lawyer and corporate governance consultant. She is the Deputy Chair of the NSW Writers’ Centre and one of the founders of the Historical Novel Society Australasia.

Feel free to connect with me through my website: www.elisabethstorrs.com  or Triclinium blog www.elisabethstorrs.com/blog.  
You can find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.storrs/ 
Twitter: @elisabethstorrs https://twitter.com/elisabethstorrs  and Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elisabethstorrs/

First Ladies: Livia Drusilla of Rome

By Alison Morton

Who was Livia, first lady of Rome?

At seventeen, running through a burning forest in 41 BC, nearly betrayed by the cries of her baby son, Livia Drusilla fled through Sparta with her husband, a supporter of Mark Anthony. Pursued by Octavian’s forces during the two warlords’ bitter struggle, they barely made it to safety.

Livia carried the blood and prestige of both the Livii and the patrician Claudii, families long accustomed to power. Politics was in the very air she breathed. She’d married within her aristocratic circle to Tiberius Claudius Nero, whom Cicero described as ‘a nobly born, talented and self-controlling young man’ and who had risen to the rank of praetor, a senior magistrate. Unfortunately, he had backed the wrong side in the wars following Julius Caesar’s death.

During an amnesty between Octavian and Anthony, Livia and her husband were able to return to Rome in 39 BC, doubtless relieved after a life on the run. Stripped of three-quarters of their assets for their disloyalty, the patrician couple accepted this was the end of Tiberius’ political career. But 39 BC was the year Livia began as a political exile and ended as the consort of one of one of the most powerful men in the world at whose side she stayed for over fifty years.

Livia was introduced to Octavian in autumn 39 BC when she was six months pregnant with her second child, Nero Claudius Drusus. Legend says that Octavian fell immediately in love with her, despite the fact that he was still married. He divorced his wife, Scribonia, on the very day that she gave birth to his daughter, Julia. Livia’s husband, Tiberius, was ‘persuaded’ to divorce Livia and she then moved into Octavian’s house. On 14 January 38 BC her child was born; Octavian and Livia married on 17 January, waiving the traditional waiting period. Fantastically enough, Tiberius, her divorced husband, was present at the wedding, giving her in marriage ‘just as a father would’!

The importance of the patrician Claudii to Octavian's cause, and the Claudians’ own political survival provide more rational explanations. Octavian, a rising star but from a middle rank equestrian background, needed connections with aristocrats like Livia to provide an aura of Republican respectability to his growing power. As for Livia's feelings, at 20 years old she was probably content to be joined with a younger man of 25 with such overwhelming promise. The 47-year-old Tiberius, newly pardoned by Octavian, did not have a real choice, but he was aware that it did not hurt to bestow his wife on Rome's ascendant power. Everyone gained.

By all accounts, Livia played the role of a loving, dutiful and even old-fashioned wife. When Octavian rebranded himself as Augustus, Livia cooperated with his idea that upper-class women should behave in the austere fashion of earlier times, so she and other female members of his household spun and wove his clothing.

Livia's image appears in ancient visual media such as coins and portraits and evolved with different styles of portraiture that promoted imperial propaganda and the cult of Augustus. Becoming more than the "beautiful woman" described as in ancient texts, Livia served as a public image for idealised Roman feminine qualities and symbolised the renewal of the Republic with the female virtues of pietas and concordia that was supposed to set the public pattern for future imperial women.

She ignored Augustus’s notorious womanizing; Tacitus called her an "easy wife". But this was not unusual. The goal of a Roman marriage was the formation of a household and the production of children, not sexual gratification, which could be found elsewhere. Unfortunately, Livia never bore Augustus any living children. It demonstrated the strength of their relationship that Augustus did not divorce her because she failed to produce them. The two were a partnership; with her intelligence, connections and influence, she served him as a trusted confidante and advisor, even accompanying him abroad.

The perception that Livia schemed and was ambitious for Tiberius, her son with her first husband, fed the idea of her complicity in Augustus' death in AD 14. She supposedly smeared poison on figs, then guided him to pick one of these for himself while she selected untainted ones. Although implausible, the accusation shows how strongly she came to be perceived as championing her offspring at any cost.

Suetonius describes a loving and trusting relationship between Livia and Augustus at the end. The emperor's last words were 'Live mindful of our wedlock, Livia and farewell’; he died as he kissed her. This detail is probably no more accurate than the poisoned figs story, but it represents Livia’s double role: dutiful wife and ambitious schemer.

Livia remained an influential figure even after Augustus’s death. Gaius, her great-grandson who followed Tiberius in the principate as Caligula, lived with her when he was young. He called her Ulixes stolatus, (Ulysses in a matron's dress), a strong and manipulative woman.

Livia died in AD 29 at the advanced age of 86. She received a public funeral, although a relatively modest one, and was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Gaius (the future Caligula) delivered the eulogy. When he became emperor, he paid the bequests that she had provided for in her will that her own son Tiberius had ignored. Her grandson Claudius would oversee her long-deferred deification in AD 42. Women were to name Diva Augusta in their oaths; she received an elephant-drawn chariot to convey her image to the games; a statue of her was set up in the temple of Augustus; races were held in her honour. The woman who played an important role in two principates joined the imperial pantheon at last. Tacitus' obituary calls her "An imperious mother and an amiable wife, she was a match for the diplomacy of her husband and the dissimulation of her son", a concise statement of the reputation that she left behind.

Further reading:

The First Ladies of Rome: The women behind the Caesars, Annelise Freisenbruch

  

Photos:

[Statue]

Livia Drusilla, Museo della Civita Romana, author’s photo

[Coin]

Dupondius depicting Livia as Pietas
By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0

-------------------------------

Alison Morton is the author of the acclaimed Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO and AURELIA (currently shortlisted for the 2016 Historical Novel Society Indie Award). Her fifth book, INSURRECTIO is out on 12 April. 

Connect with Alison on her Roma Nova site: http://alison-morton.com

Facebook author page  https://www.facebook.com/AlisonMortonAuthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/alison_morton @alison-morton

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5783095.Alison_Morton

Buying link for AURELIA, Alison’s latest book (multiple retailers/formats):

http://alison-morton.com/books-2/aurelia/where-to-buy-aurelia/

AURELIA book trailer: https://youtu.be/K5_hXzg0JWA

First Ladies: Antonia Minor

by Heather Domin

In Ancient Rome women rarely held official positions, but often wielded considerable power behind the scenes. One of the best examples of this is Antonia Minor: daughter, niece, wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother of powerful Roman men, and in her own right one of the most powerful women in Roman history.

the Juno Ludovisi,
a portrait of Antonia Minor

Antonia was born in 36 BCE, the younger of two daughters born to Marc Antony and Octavia Minor. She never knew her father, who left his family for his ill-fated affair with Queen Cleopatra when Antonia was a toddler; she was raised by her mother and her uncle Octavian (soon to be known as Caesar Augustus) as part of a collection of important children brought up within Augustus' oversight, the offspring of family, friends, and enemies. Growing up in such an environment, Antonia must have learned the ways of Rome from an early age. She learned them well indeed.

At age 20 she married her step-cousin Drusus, the darling of the Roman military world. For seven years they were the power couple of Rome, touted by the Princeps as models of conservative Roman family values; in a time when the government had to browbeat the upper class into having children, Antonia was pregnant at least 5 times in 7 years (though only 3 children lived). She accompanied her husband on campaign and was so beloved by his soldiers that they called her "Mother of the Legions". By all accounts they were truly in love – there are no stories of either party having affairs, which was nearly unheard of in aristocratic Roman society. I often wonder how Antonia’s life might have been if Drusus had succeeded Augustus and she had become the true first lady of Rome, living happily ever after with her husband and children. Alas, that was not to be. In 9BCE Drusus died at the age of 29, leaving Antonia a widow at 27.

Rather than shrinking into the background, Antonia remained influential – and single – for the rest of her life. The Senate recognized her with honors and offered her the title Augusta, a distinction that had only been given to one other woman (her equally formidable aunt Livia, wife of Augustus). She'd inherited a lot of property and money from her father and husband, and she managed it on her own, interacting with male associates on terms of equality as an independent businesswoman. She and her aunt Livia oversaw the Julio-Claudian dynasty with a steely authority that earned them both the enmity of Roman writers, who tended to view strong women as cold, ruthless, vain, and unnatural.

coin featuring Antonia's profile
and the title Antonia Augusta

It's true that when it came to running the family business, Antonia did not let maternal instincts get in the way. She showed disdain for her youngest child, the stammering Claudius, mocking him as stupid and even calling him a monster. Roman attitudes to physical impairment surely colored her judgment, but it could be she just didn't like him. Perhaps losing Drusus had hardened her beyond such tenderness. But she couldn’t have been entirely without feeling – like her uncle Augustus, she collected the offspring of dead relations and raised a household of other people's children. She outlived several of them, including two of her own children: her son Germanicus followed in his father's footsteps by dying young of mysterious circumstances, while her only daughter Livilla masterminded a plot to assassinate Tiberius in 31CE. Antonia administered swift and merciless punishment, locking her daughter away and possibly starving her to death. No matter what else, loyalty to the family must always come first. 

At the age of 73, Antonia Minor died the same way she had lived: on her own terms, and by her own strength. When her grandson Caligula refused to listen to her advice and showed himself entirely unconcerned with the family's honor, she committed suicide as an act of protest. If only she had waited a little longer and seen her youngest son come to power, she could have known that not everything in her life was destined to come to a tragic end. Her stupid little monster ended up becoming one of the greatest emperors in Roman history.

---

Heather Domin is the author of The Heirs of Fortune, set in Augustan Rome, in which Antonia Minor plays a small but important role. She has been a contributing member of Unusual Historicals since 2011.

The Dead: Join the Club

Roman death masks

Since the Romans believed the dead lived on as spirits who participated in the living world, influencing the lives of their descendants for good or ill (see last month's post for more on that), funerals in ancient Rome were serious business. Insufficient mourning could doom the deceased to wander the earth without peace, lonely and restless; this might turn them from benevolent lares to malevolent lemures, wreaking havoc on the living, and possibly drawing the ire of the gods on those who had neglected to show the dead the proper respect. Therefore, a decent funeral was a necessity. For wealthier Romans this was no problem; you can read all about the elaborate funerals put on by the well-to-do, sometimes lasting for weeks, featuring everything from a grand lying in state to public parades, games, sacrifices, feasts, and eulogies by famous orators. But what about the ordinary Roman? How did the vast majority of the population – tradesmen, laborers, farmers – provide a suitable farewell for their dearly departed? The answer was thoroughly Roman: they joined a funeral club.

Social clubs, known as collegia (colleges), were quite common in Roman society, so much so that the government kept track of them to make sure they weren't used to foment dissent. Romans formed clubs based on all sorts of associations: trade guilds, religious cults, sports affiliations, various hobbies and pastimes. One of the most common was the funeraticium collegium, the funeral club. Members paid an entrance fee and monthly dues, which were used to pay for each member's eventual funeral expenses. This ensured your funeral would have all the trimmings an ordinary Roman couldn't afford: a good undertaker, a death mask, professional mourners (usually women, paid to wail theatrically and keep up the required level of grief), musicians and singers, a procession to the cemetery outside of town, offerings for your pyre, and a tomb for your ashes. Club members were bound to help plan and attend the funerals of fellow members, and were responsible for providing the cena novientas, the dinner that took place nine days after death to celebrate the life of the deceased. Membership in a funeral club ensured that even the poorest Romans would be ushered into the afterlife in style.

One such club in the Italian town of Lanuvium had the minutes of their first meeting carved in marble as a charter. Dated 133 CE, these by-laws show in great detail how funeral clubs operated:

...it is decided that those who wish to join this club should pay an initiation fee of 100 sesterces and an amphora of good wine. Then each month he should pay five ases. 

...if any member of this club has paid his dues regularly and then dies, 300 sesterces will be allotted from the treasury for his funeral. Of this amount, 50 sesterces will be used to reimburse participants in the funeral procession.

...if any member of this club should die beyond the 20th milestone from this town, three men chosen from this club will go to that place and make arrangements for his funeral. They will then make a report of the expense  without deceit.

...if any member of this club who is a slave should die, and if his body should not be handed over to us because of the unfairness of his master, a funeral will be held for an effigy of him.

...if any member of this club has not paid his dues for six months in a row, and then meets death, arrangements will not be made for his funeral.

Regulations were set down for electing a club president, scheduling meetings and dinners, setting fines for infractions, and investigating fraud. The club president was tasked with making offerings at festivals on behalf of all members, keeping track of the treasury, and hosting the monthly meeting, including providing dinner and oil for bathing.

You might think that a club based on death would only meet when a member had died, but records show that funeral clubs were in fact active social groups. For poor Romans who couldn't afford multiple membership dues, or people who lived in sparsely populated areas, the funeral club might be their only social outlet; it seems morbid to modern sensibilities, but to the Romans being dead was just another version of being alive, and what could be a stronger basis for friendship than helping each other find peace in the afterlife? Such clubs provided community interaction and social welfare, with members looking after each other in good times and bad. Besides the monthly dinner meeting, one can imagine them getting together for holidays and festivals, inviting each other to weddings and births as well as funerals. Roman funeral clubs were more than a group savings account for cremation – they were an example of the Roman integration of death into life, and the importance placed on taking proper care of the dead, even before they've died.

Quotes from the Lanuvium charter are taken from As the Romans Did by Jo-Ann Shelton (1998), pg 97.

---

Heather Domin has been an Unusual Historicals contributor since 2011. She is the author of The Soldier of Raetia, set in Augustan Rome, and Allegiance, set in 1920s Dublin. Her newest title, The Heirs of Fortune (sequel to Soldier of Raetia) will be released on November 30.