More than 2,000 years ago, Greeks and Romans became aware of the media potential of couples and
used it as an instrument to reinforce political power. Notable examples are Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or the Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia."
Power Couples in Antiquity. A Transvesal Perspectie "brings together the reflections of ten specialists on Greek and Roman power couples from the fourth century BCE to the first century CE . It is focused on the birth and the development of the “ruling couple” in the Hellenistic Greek kingdoms and in Rome between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. By taking some emblematic cases, this book analyses the redistribution of public and private roles within
these couples, examines the sentimental bonds or the relations of domination established between partners, explores how these relationships played out in private, and highlights the many common points between ancient and contemporary power couples.