HISTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN 21 WOMEN (HB)

We know - or think we know - the story of Rome. Romulus and Remus are suckled by a wolf, then a tedious list of battles and generals and consuls leads to the stab-fest of the late Republic, followed by a slightly less tedious list of emperors. Wives and mothers are occasionally mentioned, to show how bad things get when women are let out of control. This alternative history traces the story of the Roman Empire through its women: Vestal Virgins and sex workers, business owners and poets, martyrs and saints.