A History of Ancient Rome in 100 Lives

Philip Matyszak, Joanne Berry

$29.99

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

Thames & Hudson
02 May 2023

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE

Discover the lives of the ancient Romans, pieced together from inscriptions, discarded letters, biographies and myth over two thousand years of history.

The Roman empire witnessed a huge diversity of human experience over its history. At its pinnacle, it exerted its rule across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, from Britannia to the Black Sea. In this collection of 100 lives, Philip Matyszak and Joanne Berry give voice not only to famed rulers and generals whose names and deeds have been enshrined in classical texts but also to the ordinary citizens - centurions, scholars, Christian martyrs and civil servants - who made up the fabric of Roman society.

The biographies of these individuals, whose stories range from the happy and uneventful to the tragic and dramatic, are pieced together from ancient art, artefacts and myths. Matyszak and Berry illuminate the sometimes surprising exploits of Rome's women, such as Amazonia, a sword-swinging gladiator, and Metila, a priestess of the cult of Cymbele. Romans of every class and creed are represented, from Faustulus, a shepherd said to have adopted the infant Romulus and Remus, to the poet Virgil, whose words still echo down the ages.

Each of these lives forms part of a larger picture, together making up a rich mosaic that gives us a glimpse of what it meant to be a Roman.

By: Philip Matyszak, Joanne Berry
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
Weight: 280g
ISBN: 9780500297056
ISBN 10: 0500297053
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 02 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Philip Matyszak is the author of many bestselling books on classical civilization, including The Greek and Roman Myths, Chronicle of the Roman Republic, The Sons of Caesar, Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, Ancient Athens on Five Drachmas a Day, Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World and, most recently, The Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome. Joanne Berry is a Roman historian and archaeologist, and a lecturer in Ancient History in the School of Arts and Humanities at Swansea University. She is the author or co-author of several books, including The Complete Pompeii and The Complete Roman Legions, both published by Thames & Hudson.

Reviews for A History of Ancient Rome in 100 Lives

'The authors are to be commended for what they accomplish with such a format … Great to see that so many women’s lives are included, even to illustrate a period where there are male alternatives – redressing this age-old imbalance' - Ancient History