Rome's Gardens of Eden: Beauty, Temptation, and Betrayal Part 1

by Liisa Eyerly

Rome had no shortage of power-hungry, ego-maniacal emperors, but why should the men get all the notoriety? If power and wealth corrupt, the empresses were not immune.

Enter Valeria Messalina, the third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, second cousin of Emperor Caligula, great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus, and the mother of Claudia Octavia, the stepsister and first wife of Emperor Nero. There was a large amount of inbreeding in the family. Messalina Louvre Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0  <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The ideal Roman stood in sharp contrast to the luxury and excess embraced by

many emperors and aristocrats, whose vast fortunes came from Rome's conquests and the wealth of its provinces.

Romans called their cultural identity Romanitas—a commitment to shared values such as devotion to country, respect for parents and family, reverence for the gods, hard work, honesty, and self-discipline. Above all, they prized gravitas: the seriousness of character, moral virtue, and sense of duty that defined the ideals of early Republican Rome. Claudius Sergey Sosnovskiy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Messalina enters history with a reputation as ruthless, predatory, and sexually insatiable, while her husband, the emperor Claudius, is painted as easily led by her and unaware of her many adulteries. Not exactly a Roman role model. But before we completely vilify her, remember that many records written by men of the time were "suspicious of women" and were not completely free of "scandalous gossip." Messalina Sailko, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Messalina statue

That said, Messalina is hard to excuse. Her husband's family, especially the females, seemed to be specially targeted by Messalina. Her list of enemies was long—and often fatal.

· She persuaded Claudius to exile his niece Julia Livilla a second time on charges of adultery with the philosopher Seneca. Julia was later executed, though Seneca survived and returned from exile seven years later.

· Messalina accused another niece, Julia Livia, of immorality and incest and had her executed on Claudius's orders.

· Agripina the Younger, Claudius’s last surviving niece, was accused of leading Statilius Taurus in crimes of "magical and superstitious practices.” Taurus committed suicide, and Messalina was only prevented from further persecuting Agrippina because she was distracted by her new lover, Gaius Silius.

According to later accounts, Messalina even plotted to kill the young Nero, sending assassins to his bedchamber. Though the attempt failed, she continued trying to eliminate both Nero and his mother. 

· Poppaea Sabina the Elder, Messalina’s rival for the affection of the actor Mnester, was harassed until she took her own life.

· Marcus Vinicius was allegedly poisoned after rejecting her advances. Painting Hans Makart, Public domain

· She arranged the execution of Polybius, one of Claudius's influential freedmen secretaries.

· She instigated the deaths of two prominent senators, Appius Silanus and Valerius Asiaticus. Silanus was married to Messalina's mother, Domitia Lepida. Messalina restricted her mother’s loyalty to herself.

· Messalina coveted a property owned by Asiaticus, the magnificent Gardens of Lucullus. He was accused of adultery and engaging in homosexual acts, and Claudius condemned him to death.

Claudius remained devoted to Messalina even after learning that she had gone 

through a marriage ceremony with her latest lover, Senator Gaius Silius, while still legally married to the emperor. Historians speculate the union was part of a plot to overthrow Claudius and place Silius on the throne. When the conspiracy unraveled, Messalina fled with her mother to her beloved refuge, the Gardens of Lucullus. Max Roeder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite the evidence against her, Claudius arranged a private meeting. Before it could take place, however, his freedman—claiming to act on the emperor's orders—sent the Praetorian Guard to execute her. At the Gardens of Lucullus, Messalina was offered the honorable choice of suicide. Unable to take her own life, she was killed by a guardsman's sword. Italiano: Fotogramma del film muto Messalina, dir Enrico Guazzoni, prod Guazzoni Film, Roma, 1923

In next month's blog, we'll step inside the fabled Gardens of Lucullus, a place of breathtaking beauty and deadly intrigue, where Messalina reportedly entertained lovers, plotted against rivals, and spent her final hours before execution.


Step into the shadowy streets of 96 AD Ephesus, where danger lurks around every corner, and the line between friend and foe is razor-thin. Fortunes of Death, plunges you into a world where faith is tested, alliances are shattered, and one woman's courage could be the difference between life and death.

Sabina, a fierce young Christian widow, is thrust into a deadly game when a wealthy citizen is murdered. With her friend’s life hanging in the balance, Sabina must unravel a web of lies, deceit, and hidden motives. Every clue she uncovers brings her closer to the truth—and closer to becoming the next victim.

This isn't just a murder mystery. It's a gripping tale of faith, resilience, and the power of one woman standing against the darkness.

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Fortunes of Death

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Mystery, murder, and mayhem aren’t your typical Christian themes—but why should secular authors have all the fun solving crimes in ancient Rome? My love of history, scripture, and whodunits led me to blend faith with intrigue, bringing the world of the early Christians to life. Writing from my home in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I also draw inspiration from my travels to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, where I’ve walked the same streets my characters once did. Through historical mysteries, I explore a time when faith was a matter of life and death—literally.