A close look at the women who helped create imperial Rome, as the male lineages failed (e.g. the first emperor, Augustus, had no sons or surviving direct male heirs, and it was through his wife, Livia, the first empress of Rome, that his stepson, Tiberius, came to power as the second emperor). Thus, the story focuses mainly on the women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, though the women of the later Severan dynasty also receive attention as following in the footsteps of the Julio-Claudians to some extent). A magisterial work on the topic - truly impressive - and ends with the note that "Agrippina the Elder's 'impatience for equality' was never realized. She waits still."