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Claudius
Claudius became emperor after the assassination of Caligula, and was deified by his successor Nero in AD 54. Opinions of him have varied greatly over succeeding centuries, but he has mostly been caricatured as a reluctant emperor, hampered by a speech impediment, who preferred reading to ruling. Barbara Levick's authoritative study reassesses the reign of Claudius, examining his political objectives and activities within the constitutional, political, social and economic development of Rome. Out of Levick's critical scrutiny of the literary, archaeological and epigraphic sources emerges a different Claudius - an intelligent politician, ruthlessly determined to secure his position as ruler. Now updated to take account of recent scholarship, Claudius remains essential reading for students and historians of the early Roman Empire.
Tiberius the Politician
Tiberius has always been one of the most enigmatic of the Roman emperors. At the same time, his career is uniquely important for the understanding of the Empire's development on the foundations laid by Augustus. Barbara Levick offers a comprehensive and engaging portrait of the life and times of Tiberius, including an exploration of his ancestry and his education, an analysis of his provincial and foreign policy and an examination of his debauched final years and his posthumous reputation. This new edition of Tiberius the Politician contains a new preface and a revised bibliography.
Augustus
Throughout a long and spectacularly successful political life, the Emperor Augustus (63BC-AD14) was a master of spin. Barbara Levick exposes the techniques which he used to disguise the ruthlessness of his rise to power and to enhance his successes once power was achieved. There was, she argues, less difference than might appear between the ambitious youth who overthrew Anthony and Cleopatra and the admired Emperor of later years. However seemingly benevolent his autocracy and substantial his achievements, Augustus’ overriding purpose was always to keep himself and his dynasty in power. Similar techniques were practised against surviving and fresh opponents, but with increasing skill and d...
Vespasian
From a pre-eminent biographer in the field, this volume examines the life and times of the emperor Vespasian and challenges the validity of his perennial good reputation and universally acknowledged achievements. Levick examines how this plebeian and uncharismatic Emperor restored peace and confidence to Rome and ensured a smooth succession, how he coped with the military, political and economic problems of his reign, and his evaluation of the solutions to these problems, before she finally examines his posthumous reputation. Now updated to take account of the past 15 years of scholarship, and with a new chapter on literature under the Flavians, Vespasian is a fascinating study for students of Roman history and the general classical enthusiast alike.
Julia Domna
A fresh reassessment of one of the most controversial figures of the her time, this book examines key questions in the study of Domna, her power, her travels and her life.
The Government of the Roman Empire
This book reveals how an empire that stretched from Glasgow to Aswan in Egypt could be ruled from a single city and still survive more than a thousand years. The Government of the Roman Empire is the only sourcebook to concentrate on the administration of the empire, using the evidence of contemporary writers and historians. Specifically designed for students, with extensive cross-referencing, bibliographies and introductions and explanations for each item, this new edition brings the book right up-to-date, and makes it the ideal resource for students of the subject.
Vita Vigilia Est
The new millennium sees both Pliny the Elder and his massive encyclopaedic Natural History being studied more seriously and holistically than at any time in the preceding century. The essays in this volume, which honour the seminal work of Barbara Levick on the politics and society of imperial Rome, above all in the period of Pliny's life and literary activity further this re-assessment. They consider aspects of Pliny's life and output which have not so far received serious attention. These include his value as a source for the kings of Rome and their achievements; his attitude to astronomy and natural wonders, to gentilician commemoration, philosophical sects, Roman dress and coinage; and his moral judgements on the fall of the Republic. The essays consider the ideological climate of the Flavian period, as reflected not only in Pliny's attitude to the past, but in his construction of Rome and Italy, and his relationship to contemporary writers like Licinius Mucianus. Pliny emerges clearly as a major literary and cultural figure of the early Empire.
Faustina I and II
Barbara Levick's Faustina I and II highlights the importance of these women to the internal politics of the Empire during this period and shows how they are links in a chain of elite Roman women for whom varying levels of recognition and even power were available. The Faustinae, as they are jointly called, come between the discreet Matidiae, the discreetly manipulative Plotina (Trajan's women), the philosophical Sabina (Hadrian's wife) and in the Severan dynasty Julia Domna, who has had a very high profile. In assessing their place in this chain, Levick will examine especially Faustina II's deep involvement in palace politics, her enhancement of her mother's position, and her possible role in the revolt of Avidius Cassius (175).
Women in Antiquity: New Assessments
Explores and expands on scholarly debates on the status and representation women in antiquity; invaluable reading for all students and teachers of ancient history.
Catiline
Like Guy Fawkes in early 17th-century Britain, L. Sergius Catilina was a threat to the constitution imposed on Rome by Sulla in the mid-1st century BC. His aim at first was to reach the consulship, the summit of power at Rome, by conventional means, but he lacked the money and support to win his way to the top, unlike two contemporaries of greater means and talent: the orator Cicero and the military man Pompey the Great. Defeated for the third time, Catiline took to revolution with a substantial following: destitute farmers, impoverished landowners, discontented Italians and debtors of all kinds. But they could not stand up to the forces of law and order and the rebellion was quashed. For th...
