A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome
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3.7 • 12 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one fifty-year period, twenty-six emperors were murdered.
But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside ancient Rome’s darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life and death and what it means to be human.
Customer Reviews
Unique. Thorough. Stunning.
Emma Southon….I think perhaps I have waited for your work for my whole life.
Your voice, wrapped as it is, scytale style around your scholarship would have kept me in academia had you arrived in my time….alas.
Live a long time please….so I can read your words until my own death.
Merci à mille fois!
John Dayker
Interesting and occasionally horrifying
A very interesting listen. The author uses humor to lessen the horrors of Ancient Roman life.
Insufferable author
The topic itself could have made for a fascinating and informative book. I had high hopes. But this author spends every other line trying to be clever, make jokes, and it simply ruins the whole book. Her approach is extremely casual and laisse-faire, it's simply not appropriate for a book about killing and death. I tried very hard to listen to the whole book but was unable.