Download or read book Messallina - The Longest Shadow written by J P Graham and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2018-12-05 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient Roman society was male-centred to its core. The wives of emperors were largely meant to be seen and not heard, and were often not treated much better in the literature of antiquity than any other high-ranking women. Any whose behaviour breached the boundaries set by the male ruling elite were often savagely punished. The Empress Messallina, third wife of the Emperor Claudius, was one of them. Her devastating reputation has set a benchmark which has lasted in the annals of history for two thousand years.