‘She represents a political paradox of the early Roman Empire, the woman who managed to exercise great power and influence in a society that offered no constitutional role to powerful and influential women. It is this achievement, to be an empress in an empire that allowed only emperors that makes her accomplishments interesting and worthy of serious study.’
- Anthony A Barrett, Sex, Power and Politics in the Early Roman Empire
...The behaviour of daughters, mothers, and wives, therefore, could reflect on both men and city. The goodness of Rome was displayed by the purity of its freeborn women.
Jennifer Wright Knust. Abandoned to Lust.
...attacks against women can be placed within a tradition of representation in which women could figure as signifiers in discussions about men and the larger society. The honour due a city, an emperor, or an individual man depended, in part, on the chastity of the women they were expected to control. Conversely, corruption of city or empire was exemplified by the licentious behaviour of these same women.
Jennifer Wright Knust. Abandoned to Lust.
...Livia, the proper Roman matron, illustrates the virtue of her husband, Augustus, an emperor who restored virtue to Rome and brought concordia to both his own household and to the empire.
Jennifer Wright Knust. Abandoned to Lust.
So vilified are they (the Julio-Claudian women) that their names have been invoked by many as justifications for denying women share in political power through the ages, their faces held up- quite literally in some cases- as malignant and universal spectres of murderous delinquency, promiscuity and criminality.
Annelise Freisenbruch The first ladies of Rome.
Women during this period were able to influence politics through:
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auctoritas – personal prestige and standing
potestas – the power of magistrates potentia – power, authority, sway, influence vis – power, force, vigour fastigium – height, summit (of a building/power) artes honestae – respectable, worthy skills impotentia – lack of control and restraint impudicitia – unchastity lascivia – wantonness |
noverca – a stepmother
cupiditas – greed for money and power avaritia – greed superbia – arrogance socia – partner, companion, ally, relative prosperis dubiisque socia – an ally in good times and bad domestica cura – domestic concerns domination – domination/lordship |
SUETONIUS
Born around 70 CE he held a number of imperial offices under the emperor Hadrian and was a biographer rather than a historian. He tends not to follow a chronological order but rather a thematic order. He had access to imperial archives and some of his personal study is impressive although he is notorious for recording every piece of gossip, superstition and rumour he hears or reads. Most of his information about Agrippina is intended not to show us Agrippina herself, but what she shows us about the emperor whose biography he is writing. Therefore his image of Agrippina is inconsistent- for example he describes Agrippina’s influence of Claudius as ferocious and violent, perhaps not to reveal anything about her but to show how weak and subject to influence Claudius is. Suetonius’ motive is more to show the immoral nature of the emperors in his biography, than to reveal anything about Agrippina’s character. |
TACITUS
Tacitus is the richest source on the Julio Claudians and gives the clearest picture of Agrippina. He depicts much of the life of Agrippina and yet cannot escape the stereotype of imperial women that he creates. He is not a misogynist (someone who hates women altogether) but rather he despises a particular class of women- those who sought to participate in the political process- thereby robbing the roman senate and people of their rights. Many of the stories he relates about Agrippina echo earlier stories that he tells about Livia, Augustus’ wife indicating that he is more concerned with the theme about these women that he is trying to communicate rather than their true nature. In Tacitus’ The Annals (which means ‘the Histories’) there are over 30 instances of the use of the term ‘female’ in relation to stereotypical statements. |
CASSIUS DIO
Born a provincial aristocrat who held a consulship around 205 and again in 229, his history is written in Greek some 100 years after the events occurred. He is uniformly hostile to Agrippina and almost always relates stories of her actions in relation to adultery and immorality. In many instances Dio relates stories which are an indication of how little Dio understands Agrippina’s’ motives and ambitions. |
(Ancient writers) tend to paint their subjects in brash surface deep primary colours, assigning them moral types into which they can be pigeon holed- as conniving stepmothers or wronged wives.
Annelise Freisenbruch The first ladies of Rome.
With astute analysis, Ginsburg shows that Tacitus depicts Agrippina as a woman whose every action was attributable to political ambition. Actions that involve step-motherly intrigue, hypocrisy, female jealousy and a public display of dominance all expose “her own desire for power” (p. 33). Because of Tacitus’ compelling rhetoric, most scholars have accepted this literary image of Agrippina as genuine.
Kathryn Williams (reviewing Judith Ginsburg's Representing Agrippina)