Historian Onor Cargill-Martin believes that women in ancient times were unfairly mythologized. This especially concerns Messalina, the wife of Emperor Claudius, about whom many negative stories were written. Many scholars ignored her as a subject of study, believing her life was uninteresting. However, Cargill-Martin offers a fresh perspective on her actions and motives, to better understand her story and the era in which she lived.