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Product Details

Review
"A good sourcebook and a great introduction to elements of social history usually overlooked."--Eric D. Huntsman, Brigham Young University

"A someone who teaches as much social history as possible I found this book to be both fascinating and highly beneficial. Students will enjoy it because it brings the Romans down to the human level."--Jana Pisani, Texas AandM International University

"A superb sourcebook for the social history of ancient Rome. Required reading for all Roman civilization courses at the University of Pittsburgh."--Warren Dawkins, University of Pittsburgh

"Excellent choice of readings. Good commentary."--Margaret P. Hasselman, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

"I like the organization and vast array of selections included. Also, I appreciate the short selections that allow students a taste of a great many different sorts of historical sources--windows on the Roman world."--Arlene Sindelar, University of Central Arkansas

"In short, this is an excellent book, one which fulfills the purpose for which it was written."--Ancient History Bulletin

"Substantive. Useful. Delightful!"--Francis B. Randall, Sarah Lawrence College

"The best one-volume sourcebook available for Roman history."--Henry Chambers, California State University, Sacramento

"This is by far the best sourcebook for any course touching upon or concentrating on Roman social history. I require it for my large lecture classes in the Roman family and in Republican history." --W. Jeffrey Tatum, Florida State University

"This superbly rich anthology of readings in Roman life and civilization is already indispensable. As an instructor I found it well-organized, detailed, and wide-ranging. Shelton's background sections are especially capable--cogent and clear, but never over-simplifying difficult issues."--James M. Pfundstein, Bowling Green State University

About the Author
Jo-Ann Shelton is Professor of Classics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of several books and articles on the social and cultural history of Rome in the early imperial period, including Hercules Furens: The Madness of Hercules (1991).

Customer Reviews

A valuable source on life as a Roman
I must say this was an incredibly fun sourcebook to read. At times it had me laughing with humorous quotations such as; "I am amazed, o wall, that you have not collapsed and fallen, since you must bear the tedious stupidities of so many scrawlers" and at other times I would shudder; "Good God, what scrawny little slaves they were! Their skin was everywhere embroidered with purple welts from their many beatings. Their backs, scarred from floggings... their complexions were an ugly yellow..."

Using a slew of both primary and secondary sources, Jo-Ann Shelton takes us through the life of the Romans. Covering topics as varied as slavery, provincial administration, the family unit, the magistrates and occupations, we are brought directly into Roman life with all of its practices, norms, values and peculiarities. The key feature of this book is the focus on the common Roman and how they lived with a section devoted entirely to woman in Roman society, a much overlooked topic. From dinner parties to funeral clubs, all aspects of the common Romans life are discussed.

In all a very worthwhile book to own and use as both a source of reference and entertainment!

An Extraordinary Book
An extraordinary book, it alternates concise, cogent discussions of every aspect of Roman life with equally concise, cogent and elegantly translated short selections from Roman sources that illuminate the topic, serving both as a window on the lives of the Romans and as a comprehensive introduction to the wealth of Roman literature and documents that have survived. I was always entertained and often surprised and moved by the insights the book offered into Roman attitudes about government, religion, family life, economic striving, military affairs, and much, much more. Ranging from the laments of dramatists about the short attention spans of their audiences to the complaints of neighbors about the noise of early morning classes for school children, the book is so comprehensive - and Rome has so pervasively influenced our lives today - that a selection even explains why for over two thousand years grooms have traditionally carried their brides across the threshold.

Excellent
This book truly makes the ancient Romans come alive. The passages Shelton includes were written by ancient Romans themselves, so it is as though they are able to speak to us and tell us of their everyday lives. In this book it becomes clear that they were really not so different from people today, having many of the same problems and concerns. Shelton also uses very helpful cross referencing, as well as a thorough appendix and index, which aid the reader in fully understanding the book, which is not a difficult read at all.