The author of Rome Is Burning separates fact from fiction as he examines the life of an ancient Roman figure made famous in the TV miniseries I Claudius.

Livia-wife of the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, and mother of the second, Tiberius-wielded extraordinary power at the center of Roman politics. In this biography of Livia, the first in English, Anthony Barrett sets aside the portrait of a cunning and sinister schemer to reveal Livia as a complex figure whose enduring political influence helped shape Roman government long after her death.

"An excellent biography of Livia-as appealing to the general reader as it is satisfying to the scholar." -Colin M. Wells, Trinity University, San Antonio

"In reading Anthony Barrett's biography of Livia, I not only learned about this remarkable woman, but also gained a meaningful appreciation of life and society in her time." -Howard Alper, President, The Royal Society of Canada

Anthony A. Barrett, professor of classics at the University of British Columbia, is also the author of Caligula: The Corruption of Power and Agrippina: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early Empire, both published by Yale University Press.