Messalina. Debauchery, Slander, and Intrigues in Imperial Rome

The mythologization inherent in all ancient history has especially unfairly treated women, believes ancient historian Honor Cargill-Martin. Since the time of Tacitus and Suetonius, who described the third wife of Emperor Claudius as an insatiable libertine, obsessed with the lowest passions, the name Messalina has become synonymous with debauchery. Scholars, mostly men, long ignored her figure as an object of serious study, dismissing documentary evidence of her life as untrustworthy, and her herself as an uninteresting libertine.

Cargill-Martin's portrait of Messalina offers a new and sometimes unexpected perspective on her actions and motives. Despite the emotionality and fascination of the narrative, this is the work of an erudite scholar aimed at clarifying the true story of the empress and ultimately better understanding the essence of the era.