Skip to content
  • Podcast
  • Microcast
  • Books
  • Context
  • Search
    • Podcast Programs
      • Chapters
      • Engaging the World
      • How + Why
      • Medium History
      • The Fire Problem
      • Without...
    • Podcast Series
      • Adjust Accordingly
      • Eichler Sessions
      • Environmental Justice
      • Ethnic Studies
      • Gender and Sexuality
      • Love of Food
      • Placing Equity into Practice
      • Science + Technology
      • Significance of Race
      • Sounds + Stories
      • The Grammar
    • Book Collections
      • Arts
      • Biography + Memoir
      • Business + Education
      • Children
      • Comics + Graphic Novels
      • Cooking
      • History
      • Poetry
      • Science + Technology
      • Young Adult
    • Book Lists
      • Children Bestsellers
      • Fiction Bestsellers
      • Nonfiction Bestsellers
      • Book Awards
      • Indie Next List
      • Indie Next List for Kids
  • Sign in
0

Past ForwardPast Forward

  • Podcast
  • Microcast
  • Books
  • Context
  • Search
    • Podcast Programs
      • Chapters
      • Engaging the World
      • How + Why
      • Medium History
      • The Fire Problem
      • Without...
    • Podcast Series
      • Adjust Accordingly
      • Eichler Sessions
      • Environmental Justice
      • Ethnic Studies
      • Gender and Sexuality
      • Love of Food
      • Placing Equity into Practice
      • Science + Technology
      • Significance of Race
      • Sounds + Stories
      • The Grammar
    • Book Collections
      • Arts
      • Biography + Memoir
      • Business + Education
      • Children
      • Comics + Graphic Novels
      • Cooking
      • History
      • Poetry
      • Science + Technology
      • Young Adult
    • Book Lists
      • Children Bestsellers
      • Fiction Bestsellers
      • Nonfiction Bestsellers
      • Book Awards
      • Indie Next List
      • Indie Next List for Kids

Your cart

Rome's Revolution: Death of the Republic and Birth of the Empire by Alston, Richard

Rome's Revolution: Death of the Republic and Birth of the Empire

Rome's Revolution: Death of the Republic and Birth of the Empire

Richard Alston

$22.99

$19.54

 
 
This item is a recurring or deferred purchase. By continuing, I agree to the cancellation policy and authorize you to charge my payment method at the prices, frequency and dates listed on this page until my order is fulfilled or I cancel, if permitted.
Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, depict the sixth-century emperor Justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, Theodora (497-548). This majestic portrait gives no inkling of Theodora's very humble beginnings or her improbable rise to fame and power. Raised in a family of circus performers near Constantinople's Hippodrome, she abandoned a successful acting career in her late teens to follow a lover whom she was legally forbidden to marry. When he left her, she was a single mother who built a new life for herself as a secret agent, in which role she met the heir to the throne. To the shock of the ruling elite, the two were married, and when Justinian assumed power in 527, they ruled the Eastern Roman Empire together.

Their reign was the most celebrated in Byzantine history, bringing wealth, prestige, and even Rome itself back to the Empire. Theodora was one of the dominant political figures of her era, helping shape imperial foreign and domestic policy and twice saving her husband from threatened deposition. She played a central role trying to solve the religious disputes of her era and proactively assisted women who were being trafficked. An extraordinarily able politician, she excited admiration and hatred from those around her. Enemies wrote extensively and imaginatively about her presumed early career as a prostitute, while supporters elevated her, quite literally, to sainthood.

Theodora's is a tale of a woman of exceptional talent who overcame immense obstacles to achieve incredible power, which she exercised without ever forgetting where she had come from. In Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint, David Potter penetrates the highly biased accounts of her found in the writings of her contemporaries and takes advantage of the latest research on early Byzantium to craft a modern, well-rounded, and engaging narrative of Theodora's life. This fascinating portrait will intrigue all readers with an interest in ancient and women's history.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 05/01/2017
ISBN: 9780190663469
Pages: 408
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.20w x 0.80d

Mission

Past Forward is a public service dedicated to educational accessibility.

Podcast

Listen to episodes on our website, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Books

Search millions of discounted books with next business day shipping in the US.

Information

To learn more, please visit the following pages for Context, Disclaimers, Policies, and Terms.

© 2014-2025 Past Forward