'A thoroughly rapacious woman...as cruel as she is greedy' Cicero
'A woman who took no thought for spinning or housekeeping...meddlesome and headstrong' Plutarch
'[She] caused the death of many, both to satisfy her enmity and to gain their wealth' Cassius Dio
'She acted in a haughty manner towards those who were placing her in a position to be arrogant' Orosius
'Nothing of the woman in her except her sex' Velleius Paterculus

The charismatic Fulvia amassed a degree of military and political power that was unprecedented for a woman in Ancient Rome. Married three times to men who moved in powerful circles, including Marc Antony, Fulvia was not content to play the usual background role that was expected of a wife - instead she challenged the Roman patriarchy and sought to increase her influence in the face of determined opposition.

It's rare to know so much about a particular Roman woman, but Fulvia was so despised by her male detractors that she was much written about. Acclaimed historian Jane Draycott has used original sources to piece together Fulvia's life and sort fact from fiction, while also exploring the role of women in Roman society.

"Timely and welcome...makes a persuasive case for Fulvia as one of the most significant characters in late republican history" - Sunday Times

"Draycott's portrait of Fulvia is light and thorough, wide-reaching and focused, entertaining but not sensationalist" - Financial Times

"Makes a persuasive case that, in the Roman Republic, any woman who dared do things differently was virtually certain of going down in history as an evil femme fatale" - Mail on Sunday

"Draycott is an engaging writer who conveys Roman history in a lively and accessible way, and with a dry wit...Fulvia succeeds brilliantly" - TLS

"An engaging insight into a formidable woman and a dramatic period of Roman history" - The Historian