A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome - Softcover

Angela, Alberto

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933372710 ISBN 13: 9781933372716

Publisher: Europa Editions, 2009

Synopsis

The roar of frenzied spectators inside the Coliseum during a battle between gladiators. A crowd of onlookers gathered around a slave driver. The wondrous plenty of banquets where flamingos are roasted whole and wine flows like rivers. The silence of the baths and the boisterous taverns . . . Many books have dealt with the history of ancient Rome, but none has been able to bring its readers so near to daily life in the Imperial capital.

This extraordinary voyage of exploration, guided by Alberto Angela with the charm of a born storyteller, lasts twenty-four hours, beginning at dawn on an ordinary day in the year 115 A.D., with Imperial Rome at the height of its power. The reader wakes in a rich patrician home and discovers frescoes, opulent furnishings and richly appointed boudoirs. Strolling though the splendors of the Roman Forum, one overhears both erudite opinions from learned orators and local ribaldry floating out from the public latrines. One meets the intense gazes of Roman matriarchs strolling the streets, looks on as a banquet is prepared, and is afforded a peek into the sexual habits and fetishes of Roman patricians and plebs. For all those who have ever dreamed of traveling back in time, Alberto Angela’s narrative style will come as a welcome change to dry historical tomes.

About this title

About the Author

Gregory Conti’s translations for Europa Editions include Alessandro Barbero’s The Eyes of Venice and Alberto Angela’s A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome, which was voted a Best Book of the Year by the Kansas City Star and became an Indie Bound best seller.

Edition details

• Publisher: Europa Editions
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933372710
• ISBN 13: 9781933372716
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352