Clodia Metelli: The Tribune's SisterClodia Metelli: The Tribune's Sister is the first full-length biography of a Roman aristocrat whose colorful life, as described by her contemporaries, has inspired numerous modern works of popular fiction, art, and poetry. Clodia, widow of the consul Metellus Celer, was one of several prominent females who made a mark on history during the last decades of the Roman Republic. As the eldest sister of the populist demagogue P. Clodius Pulcher, she used her wealth and position to advance her brother's political goals. For that she was brutally reviled by Clodius' enemy, the orator M. Tullius Cicero, in a speech painting her as a scheming, debauched whore. Clodia may also have been the alluring mistress celebrated in the love poetry of Catullus, whom he calls "Lesbia" in homage to Sappho and depicts as beautiful, witty, but also false and corrupt. From Cicero's letters, finally, we receive glimpses of a very different woman, a great lady at her leisure. This study examines Clodia in the contexts of her family background, the societal expectations for a woman of her rank, and the turbulent political climate in which she operated. It weighs the value of the several kinds of testimony about her and attempts to extract a picture as faithful to historical truth as possible. The manner in which Clodia was represented in writings of the period, and the motives of their authors in portraying her as they did, together shed considerable light on the role played by female figures in Roman fiction and historiography. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Cicero as a Biographical Source | 9 |
The Gens Claudia | 19 |
Women and Wealth | 33 |
The Claudii Pulchri | 52 |
The Metelli | 74 |
Palatine Medea | 96 |
Lesbia | 121 |
A Woman in a Mans World | 145 |
Notes | 151 |
| 173 | |
Index Locorum | 185 |
| 189 | |
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Common terms and phrases
accused actual affair already appears Appius associated attempted Atticus authority became become brother Cael Caelius Caelius’s Caesar Cato Catullus Catullus’s Celer Chapter charge Cicero claim Claudius Clodia Metelli Clodius’s close consul daughter death defense discussion dowry earlier early epigrams evidence fact father female figure Finally followed further gens girl give given hand household husband indicates interests involved Italy known late later Lesbia letters living male marriage married means mentioned Metellus mother noted observations orator period play poems poet political popular position prosecution question reason reference relations responsible Roman Rome SB F seems Senate served side sister sources speech tion took trial tribune turn wealth wife Wiseman witness woman women writing young