Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain (Women in Antiquity)

Amazon.com Price: $67.51 (as of 10/11/2019 21:40 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

In AD 60/61, Rome almost lost the province of Britain to a lady. Boudica, wife of the client king Prasutagus, fomented a riot that proved catastrophic for Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London), and Verulamium (St Albans), destroyed a part of a Roman legion, and caused the deaths of an untold number of veterans, families, soldiers, and Britons. Yet with one decisive defeat, her vision of freedom used to be destroyed, and the Iceni never rose again. Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain introduces readers to the life and literary importance of Boudica through juxtaposing her different literary characterizations with those of other women and insurrection leaders. This study makes a speciality of our earliest literary evidence, the accounts of Tacitus and Cassius Dio, and investigates their narratives alongside material evidence of late Iron Age and early Roman Britain. All the way through the book, Caitlin Gillespie draws comparative sketches between Boudica and the positive and negative examples with which readers associate her, including the prophetess Veleda, the client queen Cartimandua, and the insurrection Caratacus. Literary comparisons assist in the understanding of Boudica as a barbarian, queen, mother, commander in war, and leader of rebellion. Within the ancient texts, Boudica may be used as an internal commentator on the failures of the emperor Nero, and her rebellion epitomizes ongoing conflicts of gender and power at the end of the Juilio-Claudian era. Both literary and archaeological sources point towards broader issues inherent in the clash between Roman and native cultures. Boudica’s unique ability to unify disparate groups of Britons cemented her place in the history of Roman Britain. At the same time as details of her life remain elusive, her literary character still has more to say.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Asia » Japan » General » Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain (Women in Antiquity)

Recent Products