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Theodora Empress Of Byzantium By Paolo Cesaretti

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Throughout most of history men have been credited with almost all of humanities major accomplishments. The world of ancient Rome was no exception. Great emperors, philosophers, and religious figures all came from this great empire. But as with everything there was an exception, in the case of the early Byzantine Empire it was Theodora. This summer I read Theodora Empress of Byzantium by Paolo Cesaretti, a book chronicling Theodora’s life and accomplishments.Theodora was born into that lowest rank of the empire in about 501, the daughter of the bear keeper of the blue faction of the Hippodrome. As Theodora grew up she was put to work on the stage, as a help behind the scenes and eventually as an actress. In time Theodora matured into a beautiful women and she was using that to her advantage. She was said to use her body as a prop on the stage, often with little or no clothing on. Eventually she started to take advantage of her looks off stage and was said to have numerous lovers who paid to see her. But throughout all of her questionable years Theodora never lost sight of her goals, she never stopped looking for an opportunity to become something more, and eventually all her hard work payed off, she was summoned to the palace to see the soon to be emperor; Justinian. When they met he not only feel in love with her body but also the mind that had managed to get her from the lowest level of the empire to the highest. But this was only the beginning of Theodora, the women who,

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