Clodia of Rome

A pioneering political voice, with charisma and power that rivalled many of her male contemporaries, Clodia of Rome was a pivotal figure in the late Roman Republic until a murder trial, rife with corruption, catalysed her fall from grace. Taking readers inside the courtroom to follow the trial and Clodia’s family’s tumultuous political history, Douglas Boin brings a modern perspective to a long-buried story, full of juicy details and fascinating anecdotes. With numerous examples of the surprising roles that Roman women played, followed by the attempts of powerful men to erase their stories, Boin challenges the male-dominated narrative of classical antiquity. Clodia of Rome offers a new understanding of the radical modernity of first-century Rome—one that mirrors our own in its volatile conflicts between forces of change and those of reaction. Douglas Boin’s Alaric the Goth was praised as: "Superb”—The Economist The Best Books of the Year 2020: History, The Economist "...a finely crafted account of how Alaric became the embodiment of Rome's self-defeating fear of the world outside its frontiers."—Philip Parker, Literary Review

A pioneering political voice, with charisma and power that rivalled many of her male contemporaries, Clodia of Rome was a pivotal figure in the late Roman Republic until a murder trial, rife with corruption, catalysed her fall from grace. Taking readers inside the courtroom to follow the trial and Clodia’s family’s tumultuous political history, Douglas Boin brings a modern perspective to a long-buried story, full of juicy details and fascinating anecdotes. With numerous examples of the surprising roles that Roman women played, followed by the attempts of powerful men to erase their stories, Boin challenges the male-dominated narrative of classical antiquity. Clodia of Rome offers a new understanding of the radical modernity of first-century Rome—one that mirrors our own in its volatile conflicts between forces of change and those of reaction. Douglas Boin’s Alaric the Goth was praised as: "Superb”—The Economist The Best Books of the Year 2020: History, The Economist "...a finely crafted account of how Alaric became the embodiment of Rome's self-defeating fear of the world outside its frontiers."—Philip Parker, Literary Review