Those Who Are About To Die

Gladiators and the Roman Mind

Harry Sidebottom

$36.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Hutchinson Heinemann
28 August 2025

History; European history; Ancient history: to c 500 CE

Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the life of the best-known figure of the ancient world- the Roman gladiator

'Grippingly original' Tom Holland 'Fascinating' Matthew Kneale 'Thrilling... every page sizzles' Alice Loxton

Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword, the Roman gladiator is the most iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now, he was in his own time a deeply controversial character, by turns hated and idealized - and always at the heart of Roman culture. But what did he really mean to the Romans? What did they see in the gladiator and the spectacle of the games? And what does he reveal to us today about the Roman way of life?

Brilliantly written and meticulously researched, this book tells the stories of the gladiators and those who observed them - from grand emperors to lowly slaves - illuminating and analysing the all-consuming passion of the Roman Empire for the spectacle of mortal combat. In doing so, it reveals Roman ideas about everything from freedom and servitude to sex and desire, from courage and cowardice to death and the afterlife.

Taking readers on an unforgettable twenty-four-hour adventure - beginning the night before the games and ending the evening after - Those Who Are About To Die gives a blow-by-blow account of what life was really like in the brutally unforgiving arena of the ancient world.

By: Harry Sidebottom
Imprint: Hutchinson Heinemann
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 700g
ISBN: 9781529154016
ISBN 10: 1529154014
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 28 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Harry Sidebottom teaches classical history at Oxford University, and is the bestselling author of fifteen novels. His debut trade non-fiction book, The Mad Emperor- Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome, was published in 2022 and was a Book of the Year in the Spectator, the Financial Times and BBC History.

Reviews for Those Who Are About To Die: Gladiators and the Roman Mind

Buy the book; it's very entertaining -- David Aaronovitch * The Times on The Mad Emperor * The decadence, debauchery and sexual promiscuity that marked the adolescent’s time on the imperial throne make for a rollicking read. * Daily Mail on The Mad Emperor * Ancient history was never less dry than in Harry Sidebottom’s superbly entertaining and always scholarly account of the reign of Heliogabalus... There is something for every reader: sex, politics, scandals and a compelling portrait of imperial society and culture * Financial Times on The Mad Emperor *