Briefly Noted

The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian

James Allan Evans (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002), 172 PP., $29.95

The rags-to-riches story of Theodora, wife of the eastern Roman emperor Justinian (527–565 A.D.), seems tailor-made for Hollywood. Raised in a carnival atmosphere (her father was a bearkeeper in Byzantium’s hippodrome), Theodora worked as an actress and prostitute before meeting Justinian. Justinian—then a senator—convinced his uncle, the emperor Justin, to repeal legislation prohibiting marriages between senators and actresses. After Justinian was crowned emperor following Justin’s death, Theodora became his most trusted adviser; her wise counsel helped him deal with a growing schism between early Christian sects.

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