Faustina I and II

The elder Faustina (c.97-140 AD) was the wife of Antonius Pius and the aunt of Marcus Aurelius, and her more prominent daughter, Faustina II (130-175), the wife of Marcus Aurelius and the mother of Commodus. These women shed valuable light on the role of imperial women in in what is often considered the golden age of the Roman Empire. This book highlights the importance of these women to the internal politics of the Empire during this period and shows how they are links in a chain of elite Roman women for whom varying levels of recognition and even power were available.