Dangerous women or victims of their own time?

Painting "Queen Boudica" by John Opie
Throughout the centuries, countless women have been labeled as witches, enchantresses, seductresses, and sirens. Cleopatra VII, Boudica, Eve, Jezebel, and Lucrezia Borgia are a few such women. But how accurate are these labels?
Alison Futrell, Associate Professor of Roman History, specializes in Roman Imperial and Mediterranean History with particular emphasis on gender roles and power relations throughout the ancient world. Much of Futrell’s research examines the symbols, traditions, and beliefs that flourished during antiquity. She investigates the ways that antiquity has influenced the representation of gender, power, and identity within western folklore and the visual arts. She has studied individuals like Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, and Cleopatra.
Futrell studies the “true colors” of these famous women. Due to her expertise in the areas of Roman and Mediterranean History, Furtell has been consulted on various documentaries and projects such as Hannibal, The True Story of Gladiators, Cleopatra’s World: Alexandria Revealed, and Boudica: Warrior Queen.
For more information on Alison Futrell, and her research please visit http://history.arizona.edu/afutrell.