New book rewrites perceptions of ancient noblewomen

A comment made by a guide at Rome’s Palazzo Massimo inspired the title of Joan Smith’s new book: Unfortunately, She Was a Nymphomaniac, an alternative imperial history about the women of ancient Rome. Smith sets out to reexamine the lives of 23 Roman noblewomen — the wives, mothers, and daughters of emperors — to dispel their enduring depiction as “shrews, scheming bitches or lust-crazed she-wolves,” The Guardian wrote.

While classicists often question the 2,000-year-old narratives surrounding male figures such as Nero, this revisionism is rarely extended to women, and Smith’s work “speaks volumes not just about ancient misogyny, but the origin and persistence of attitudes that continue to blight women’s lives today,” Booktopia said.