Messalina: sex, slander & scandal in imperial Rome

Published: May 31, 2023, 11 p.m.

Even in the ancient Roman world of ruthless politicking, suspicious deaths and high-stakes schemes, the scandalous reputation of Empress Valeria Messalina stands out. The third wife of Emperor Claudius, she has gone down in history as a sexually insatiable schemer, whose cutthroat deeds kept her at the top of the Palatine court. Speaking with Emily Briffett, Honor Cargill-Martin, author of a new book on Messalina, interrogates the rumours that have long swirled around the empress.\n\n(Ad) Honor Cargill-Martin is the author of Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery (Apollo, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon:\n\u200b\u200bhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Messalina-Story-Empire-Slander-Adultery/dp/1801102597/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices