May the gods forgive me.
I have never had a daughter. But in some sense, Cleopatra Selene has been a true daughter to me. Yes, I admire her. I wish she were the child of my own flesh.
I will never see Julia again, and I will try not to think of her.
My son will come home sooner or later. Not when Tavius or I call, but when Rome does. In this regard, I know him better than he knows himself. If one day he becomes First Citizen and I still survive, I will do my best to make his rule merciful. I believe a woman who walks on the stage of history should devote herself to peace and the preservation of life. I will strive to do so as long as the gods grant me breath.
The End
Author’s Note
The Roman histories that are our chief source of knowledge about Caesar Augustus’s time are incomplete and were written by men—never women—who had political agendas and, more often than not, misogynistic attitudes. It’s hard to be certain about people who lived so long ago, but recent biographers have made a convincing case for Livia’s innocence of the murder charges that have darkened her reputation. The stories of her poisoning some of Augustus’s heirs and ultimately him have been largely discredited. Historians also have revised their view of Augustus’s daughter, Julia, once seen as merely a promiscuous wild child. Many now believe that she and her lover Jullus Antony led a political faction that aimed at substituting Jullus for Tiberius as Julia’s husband. This would have made him guardian of her sons (and of the empire) in the case of her father’s demise.
All the ancient sources speak of Julia’s multiple lovers, but beyond that, there are varying accounts of her behavior. I find it hard to give credence to tales of her prostituting herself on the Rostra (speaker’s platform) in the Forum, but it does seem highly likely she was unfaithful during her marriages to Agrippa and Tiberius. Historians point to the irony of Augustus criminalizing adultery and campaigning for Roman “family values” when his daughter was promiscuous and he had committed adultery himself. (It should be kept in mind that adultery in ancient Rome by definition involved a free, married woman; other sex outside the bonds of marriage did not count.) This campaign was not very successful, and it certainly alienated some citizens.
The details of Julia and Jullus’s plot are veiled in mystery. Augustus officially accused the two, as well as their accomplices, of adultery rather than treason. But Julia’s crowning of the statue of Marsyas was clearly a politically subversive act. Romans commonly believed that Julia had plotted to overthrow and kill her father. Augustus, who had closed his eyes to her sexual escapades for years, suddenly exiled her and politically prominent men who were her friends and lovers. This included Sempronius Gracchus, a member of the family that a few generations earlier had produced Rome’s heroic democratic reformers, the Gracchi brothers. Antony committed suicide, as an alternative to being put to death.
Julia is described in the ancient sources as kind, humane, and greatly loved by the Roman people. (After her exile, a crowd in the Forum begged Augustus to forgive and reinstate her.) If we assume she was a would-be murderer, of her father no less, this adds up to a contradictory portrait. My biggest challenge in writing this novel was to portray her as a psychologically comprehensible human being.
Jullus Antony (the first name is alternately spelled Iullus) was the son of Mark Antony by his wife Fulvia, who died before Antony’s marriage to Octavia. He was raised by his stepmother and ultimately married her daughter. Augustus denied him military commands but on the whole treated him surprisingly well and is said to have liked him personally. He was allowed to become a senator and fill high governmental posts. Intelligent and capable, he was also a prolific poet, though unfortunately his poems have not survived. Julia also had literary interests, and that may have been a bond they shared.
Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, is an especially fascinating historical figure. She arrived in Rome as a captive, a young child at the mercy of the man who destroyed her parents and executed her two teenage half brothers. We might expect her to have lived a miserable life in the event she avoided an early death. Somehow or other she wound up queen of Mauretania, married to King Juba, an admirable man with a formidable intellect. Augustus even provided her with a huge dowry. We really don’t know how in the world this came about, but she must have attracted one or more powerful patrons. I find the fact that she apparently named her daughter Drusilla in honor of Livia suggestive.
She and Juba were enlightened rulers who beautified their capital city and made Mauretania a magnet for scholars. It is recorded that she exerted great influence as queen. Given that Juba authored numerous books and went off on voyages of exploration (he discovered the Canary Islands), it seems fair to suppose that much day-to-day government was in her hands. Unfortunately, many of the specifics we would like to have about her later life are impossible to come by. Even the year of her death is a matter of controversy, with reputable scholars arguing for widely differing dates.
In the novel, Cleopatra Selene gives away Julia and Jullus’s plot to overthrow Augustus. Actually, no source tells us how the plot was thwarted. Cleopatra Selene made several visits to Rome as queen. Unlike her brother, she remained at least outwardly loyal to Augustus all her life. She could have played the role she does in the novel, though I would never try to prove that she did. It is certainly true that she and Jullus chose opposing ways of dealing with a tragic family legacy.
Acknowledgments
Both my literary agent, Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein, and my first editor at Amazon/Lake Union, Terry Goodman, provided feedback and encouragement as I developed the proposal for this novel. Without these two brilliant and creative people, I doubt that I’d ever have fulfilled my dream of becoming a published novelist, much less be bringing out my second book. I owe each of them a huge debt. Liz, thanks for combining business smarts with empathy. Terry, I wish you the happiest retirement imaginable. It was a joy and an honor to work with you.
A writer is probably lucky to find one extraordinary acquiring editor in her career. I somehow found two. My thanks to Danielle Marshall for stepping into Terry Goodman’s shoes, contributing valuable insights that improved the novel, and shepherding it to publication. Thanks also to my amazing developmental editor, Charlotte Herscher, for her sensitivity and acumen and for making my work better than I ever thought it could be, and to the meticulous Laura Petrella, my copyeditor.
I’ve relied on the behind-the-scenes efforts of two extremely capable teams, one at McIntosh & Otis, America’s second-oldest literary agency, and the other at Amazon, publishing’s leading innovator. My special thanks to Amelia Appel and Alecia Douglas at M&O and Thom Kephart, Tyler Stoops, Dennelle Catlett, Susan Stockman, and Gabriella Van den Heuvel at Lake Union.
Finally, I’m deeply grateful to the fellow writers who gave me kind support and astute feedback during this latest journey: Bruce Bowman, Susie DeFord, Henya Drescher, Cynthia Dunn, Frances Northcutt Green, Mary Hoffman, Noah Lederman, Vicky Oliver, David Rothman, and Norm Scott.
Questions for Discussion
Julia saw herself as motherless even though she had both a mother and a stepmother. Were Livia or Scribonia to blame for this? Do you think if Julia had had a closer relationship to one of them growing up her life would have been different?
Did Augustus (Tavius) truly love his daughter? How did their relationship impact Julia’s life?
Cleopatra Selene managed to survive and prosper after an adverse start in life. Why do you think that was?
Each of Julia’s marriages were political arrangements, but she reacted differently to each one. Why?
Augustus (Tavius) tried to legislate morality in Rome. Do you think governments can successfully foster morality? Should they try to?
Why do you think Tiberius turned on Julia when their baby died? How do you imagine their relationship would have evolved if the baby lived?
Jullus says he wants both Julia and political power. Which do you think was mo
st important to him?
In arguing with her father, Julia says Livia can’t see Tiberius clearly because she is his mother. Was she right? Thinking of the three central women characters, Julia, Livia, and Cleopatra Selene, would you say they have accurate views of the people close to them?
Was Julia right to revolt against her father? Do you think she was willing to have him killed by those who plotted to overthrow him?
Livia says that some people are unable to be happy in the situation they are born into. Was this true of Julia? Do you think it is true of some people today?
How are the women in the novel used by men to help them keep or obtain political power? How do Livia, Julia, and Cleopatra Selene exercise power themselves, openly and/or behind the scenes? Have the political roles of women completely changed in the modern world—or only in some respects?
About the Author
Photo Credit © 2013 Rachel Elkind
Phyllis T. Smith was born and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and a master’s degree from New York University, Phyllis pursued a practical career in computer applications training, yet found herself drawn to writing fiction and to the history, literature, and art of the ancient world. Her first novel, I Am Livia, was a #1 Kindle and Digital Book World bestseller. She plans to write more novels set in ancient Rome.
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