Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Sempronia the Sister of the Gracchi

In our last blog in our series Notable Women of the Roman Republic we wrote about Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi. Cornelia was the daughter of the great Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus who conquered Carthage at the end of the second Punic war. She was married to Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and had twelve children […]

Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Cornelia the Mother of the Gracchi

In my last blog about notable women of the Roman Republic, I wrote about Aemilia Paulla, the daughter of Aemilius Paullus the Roman consul slain at Cannae, and wife of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the conqueror of Carthage in the second Punic war.   In this blog I will write about her younger daughter, Cornelia […]

Book Review: The Jewel of Medina

Sherry Jones’ novel The Jewel of Medina tells the story of the prophet Mohammad and his child bride A’isha. A’isha was the daughter of Abu Bakr, an early follower of the prophet. He offered the forty-nine year old widower Mohammad his six year old daughter to strengthen their bond of friendship and devotion. The wedding ceremony […]

Notable Women of The Roman Republic-Aemilia Paulla

                        Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Aemilia Paulla   Lucius Aemilius Paullus was one of the two Roman Consuls in 216 B.C. when the disastrous battle of Cannae took place. Killed in the battle, he left a widow and at least two young children. His son, Lucius Aemilius Paullus was born around 228 B.C., […]

The Death of Verginia

                                                                                              The Death of Verginia   This is the fourth in a series of stories about notable women of the Romen Republic. Verginia is more of a tragic victim in this story than a heroine, but her story sharply illustrates the conflicts between the classes in the early days of the Roman Republic, and the […]

Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Veturia the Mother of Coriolanus

    This is the third in a series of blogs about notable women of the Roman republic. Veturia, sometimes also known as Volumnia, was the mother of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. She single-handedly saved Rome from imminent destruction. Quotations are from Plutarch’s Life of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.   Veturia, a patrician woman, was widowed soon […]

Women of the Roman Republic: Cloelia

This is the second in a series of blogs that will tell the stories of women who were notable in the history of the Roman Republic. In our first blog we saw that the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Supurbus, or Tarquin the Proud, was precipitated by the violation of the virtuous […]