Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400

Plotina Advises Emperor Trajan

The impact of Plotina on the reign of her husband Trajan is both profound and difficult to delineate. Witness how her moral influence, as well as that of other valued women in Trajan’s household, shaped the policies and reputation of one of the “Five Good Emperors” of Rome and how her story demonstrates a particular version of female power in the ancient world.