Within the world of the women of Emperor Leo I's family, Zenonis is one of the most overlooked. Sister-in-law of the emperor and of Empress Verina through her marriage to Basiliscus, she was named Augusta when he usurped the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire between 475 and 476. However, a detailed reading of literary sources gives us the image of a woman with little popular appreciation, but with great influence over her husband. This contribution is precisely dedicated to the study of the literary image of Empress Zenonis.
Roman coins are often studied to understand the economy of the ancient world, although a much broader debate concerns the role they played in imperial propa-ganda. And it is in this context that a recent line of studies is investigating the relationship between coins and female representations, to understand whether women also had a function in the socio-political sphere, and which one. As a matter of fact, working on the portraits of the Augustae, it becomes evident that the differences are not only in hairstyles, but also in objects that are commonly seen only as jewels or ornaments and could instead be interpreted as insignia of power. Crowns, stephanai and diadems can also be seen in statuary and glyptics, however, it is on coin portraits that an evolution in diachrony is most clearly observed and a "political" meaning can be assumed behind their use. This paper, combined with analysis of ancient sources and philological study of Latin and Greek terms, presents the preliminary results of a research still in progress, hoping to offer new interpreta-tions-and new questions-about the female counterpart of power in Roman times.
The present contribution aims to analyze the evolution and significance of the title nobilissima femina conferred upon the women of the domus Augusta between the late 3(rd) and early 5(th) centuries AD. Starting with the first attestation, referring to Aurelia Prisca, wife of Diocletian, a growing diffusion of the title can be observed throughout the 4(th) century, eventually surpassing the traditional title of Augusta in frequency. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the title's distribution reveals new insights into the criteria for its assignment, highlighting how this title not only formalized the role of women within the dynastic hierarchy but also reflected their centrality in imperial propaganda.
This paper explores the numerous references made by Titus Livius in his work Ab Urbe Condita to groups of women occupying the public space during times of emergency. Through an analysis of language and context, we delimitate the differences between disruptive crowds of women and other feminine groups to whom Livy attributes organisational capacity, political intelligence, and significant agency in intervening in civic and communal affairs from their domestic and and engendered roles. Finally, the study highlights how elements of matronal prestige, linked to the memory of women's heroic collective actions, shaped a gender model for the matrons of Livy's time.
The paper examines the different traditions preserved about Ersilia. The simi-larities between the legendary portrayal of the woman, wife of Romulus, and the biographical profile of Livia, wife of Augustus-found in sources from the Augustan age but not in earlier accounts-suggest that her memory was sub-ject to a rewriting during the Principate. This rewriting likely aimed to provide Livia with an authoritative and legitimizing precedent, particularly for political initiatives that deviated from the traditional female model and incorporated the perceived illegitimacies of female agency during the late Republican period.
