Although Marcus Junius Brutus is one of the most famous, or infamous, conspirators of Rome and the ancient world, if not of all time, knowledge of this historical figure has principally been passed to the modern world through the literary medium of Shakespeare's tragedy, Julius Caesar. Furthermore, any interest in Brutus has tended to focus only on events surrounding his most legendary act, Caesar's murder. This biography, instead, considers Brutus in his historical context, gathering details from ancient evidence and piecing together, as far as possible, his whole life. While his actions played a pivotal role in Roman history, ultimately, although completely unintentionally, bringing about the downfall of the Roman republic, Brutus has often been neglected. Indeed, he has rarely been considered on his own merits, instead featuring as part of the biographies and studies of other leading political figures of the time, especially those of Julius Caesar, Cicero and Octavian. As the first dedicated biography in over 30 years, this full and balanced reconsideration of this significant Roman republican is long overdue. AUTHOR: Dr Kirsty Corrigan is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, having formerly taught Latin there for several years as an Associate Lecturer. In 2010 she was awarded her PhD in Classical and Archaeological Studies, entitled 'Virgo to Virago: Medea in the Silver Age'. This examination of the portrayal of the mythological figure of Medea in Latin literature was subsequently published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2013. Kirsty has also submitted entries on Roman Satire to the Wiley-Blackwell 'Encyclopedia of Ancient History' (2012), and Medea to the Online Companion to the Worlds of Roman Women (2013).
