Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome

Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome by Barrett, Anthony A.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780300091960.

This is the first biography in English of one of Romes most famous and infamous women, Livia (58 BC-AD 29), wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius, who dominated imperial politics for decades. The first half of the study presents a chronological history of her extraordinary life followed by a thematic exploration of her groundbreaking role which was a continuous source of contention between Livia and Tiberius. Almost half of the book comprises appendices, sources and notes, leaving the first part of the study more accessible to general readers. This is a scholarly work which strives to correct the lasting impression that Robert Graves has left of a manipulative murderess.