Yet today, the only reference you will find to her in pop culture is as a minor character in the hack-and-slash video game Dante’s Inferno (where she is called “the greediest woman in all of Rome”).

Defined by the men in their lives, women in ancient Rome were valued mainly as wives and mothers. Although some were allowed more freedom than others, there was always a limit, even for the ...

“In particular, the portraits of women offer an important opportunity to examine the behind-the-scenes ‘soft’ power and ...