This lecture is part of the City of Rome programme, an intensive eight-week residential course coordinated by Dr. Christopher Stephen Siwicki, designed for postgraduates from selected British partner universities. The programme is aimed at students at the Master’s or early Doctoral level studying classical archaeology, art history, ancient history, and the transformation of antiquity in the Middle Ages and modern period.

The Jealousy of Fulvia: Rereading Female Politicians in the Civil Wars

Marcus Antonius was living with Cleopatra VII in Alexandria when his wife, Fulvia, sent him a letter which caused him to abandon plans for an upcoming Parthian campaign and head to Italy with 200 ships. Plutarch does not give us the contents of the letter, stating only that it was “full of complaints” and claiming that Fulvia was using her conflict with Antony’s rival Octavian to draw her husband away from his Egyptian queen. Plutarch’s interpretation reflects more his moral stance on the character of Fulvia than gives any real clue as to the letter’s contents. This is just one example of the many references to letters that we have from women to the major players during the civil wars at the end of the Republic. This paper gathers the references to these letters, places them in their historical context, and asks what we can know about their contents. In doing so, it provides a reinterpretation of these passing references to letters as vital pieces of evidence for women as political actors in Rome during these tumultuous last years of the Republic.

Emily. L. Hurt is a scholar of Classical Studies with a passion for ancient Mediterranean exploration. Originally from Rhode Island, she moved to Italy in 2019, where she discovered John Cabot University and joined the faculty as a full-time Classical Studies professor.

See the full programme here.