Clodia Metelli : the tribune's sister

222 Pages·2011·2.31 MB·English

by  Clodia

C l o d i a M e t e l l i
WOMEN IN ANTIQUITY
Series Editors: Ronnie Ancona and Sarah B. Pomeroy
Th is book series provides compact and accessible introductions to the life and
historical times of women from the ancient world. Approaching ancient history
and culture broadly, the series selects fi gures from the earliest of times to late
antiquity.
Cleopatra
A Biography
Duane W. Roller
Clodia Metelli
Th e Tribune’s Sister
Marilyn B. Skinner
C L O D I A M E T E L L I
T H E T R I B U N E ’ S S I S T E R
Marilyn B. Skinner
1
2011
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Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skinner, Marilyn B.
Clodia Metelli : the tribune’s sister / Marilyn B. Skinner.
p. cm. — (Women in antiquity)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-19-537500-8; 978-0-19-537501-5 (pbk.)
1. Clodia, 94–53 B.C. 2. Clodia, 94–53 B.C.—Family. 3. Clodia, 94–53 B.C.—Infl uence.
4. Women—Rome—Biography. 5. Women—Rome—Social conditions.
6. Statesmen’s spouses—Rome—Biography. 7. Patricians (Rome)—Biography.
8. Rome—Biography. 9. Rome—Politics and government—265–30 B.C. I. Title.
DG260.C6S56 2011
937.′05092—dc22 [B] 2010009169
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Sherlock Holmes she is always t he woman.
a rthur c onan d oyle, “ a s candal in b ohemia”
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For Ron, as always
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Acknowledgments
F irst, my thanks go to the editors of the Women in Antiquity series,
Ronnie Ancona and Sarah B. Pomeroy, for their persistence in approach-
ing me. Th eir original request that I write Clodia’s biography came at a
time when my existing obligations absolutely would not permit it; I am
glad they patiently waited until my schedule was free. I owe a special
debt of gratitude to Ronnie for on-the-spot strategic advice when Clo-
dia’s overweening brothers, with their much greater presence in the his-
tory books, were threatening to take over the entire project. To Sarah I
owe the title.
At Oxford University Press, I have benefi ted greatly from the skills
and advice of Stefan Vranka, editor for Classics, Ancient History, and
Archaeology, who went through a fi rst draft of the manuscript word by
word and noted numerous places where clarifi cation would assist the
reader. I am also thankful for the help of his editorial assistant, Deirdre
Brady, in acquiring images and arranging for maps and genealogies. Fi-
nally, I appreciated receiving an advance copy of the initial volume in
this Oxford series, Duane W. Roller’s Cleopatra: A Biography, not least
because it provided valuable support for my own ideas.
Th e referees for the volume—the two readers who commented on the
initial proposal and the evaluator who read the submitted manuscript in
its entirety—were generous with their enthusiasm and suggestions. Since
Julia Dyson Hejduk, one of the earlier anonymous referees, has identifi ed
herself, I want to assure her that her own contribution, C lodia: A Source-
book (2008), was on the shelf above my desk, ready to be consulted re-
peatedly. Th e fi nal reader, whose expertise in Roman political history is
impressive, supplied up-to-date bibliographical suggestions and saved me
from egregious errors when I ventured into unfamiliar territory.