Paul Chrystal studied Latin and Greek at the University of Hull and then specialized in Latin love poetry for his MPhil at the University of Southampton. He is the author of numerous classical books , including _Rome: Republic to Empire_, _Roman Military Disasters_ and _Women at War in the Classical World_. He has contributed as a feature writer to the _Daily Express_, _BBC History_ _Magazine_, _Ad Familiares_, _Minerva_ and _All About History_, and is frequently on BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Tees, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC World Service. He is a reviewer for and contributor to Classics for All. He lives in York where he is editor of _York Historian_.