Explain the role(s) of aristocratic women in Roman history.

Politically, women were forbidden to openly display their power in public, that is, they could only exercise power behind-the scenes. According to the historian, Bill Leadbetter, the level of indirect power reached levels never imagined during the Republican Period. However, the wives of emperors were able to exercise great political influence- as seen in the case of Agrippina the Younger, Messalina and Livia. Tacitus revealed the character of Livia in The Annals when he wrote …

…though Agrippina could easily exercise power "behind-the-scenes", her attempt to openly display her power in public assured the decline of her power. This could be seen in the way she was forestalled by Seneca after she made as if to seat herself next to Nero on the imperial dais, during an audience with an Armenian embassy. Her decline could be seen in the fact that after AD 55, her image no longer appeared on any coins.