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Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator
See ancient Rome, and peer into the Roman mind, through the eyes of a gladiator—from the evening before the games at the Colosseum to the evening after
"A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible." —Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History
What did a gladiator feel when he stepped out onto the sand of the Colosseum, his life in the balance? What ran through the minds of the masses there to witness his likely execution? And how did this bloodthirsty ritual come to exist in the first place?
In Those Who Are About to Die, Harry Sidebottom—an internationally bestselling novelist and professor of classical history at Oxford—pulls us into the arena, and into the homes and forums of ancient Rome, taking the reader on an eye-opening, twenty-four-hour tour through Roman life at the height of the gladiatorial games, from the first century BC to the second century AD.
We follow the gladiators through the schools (ludi) where they trained, watch in awe as the massive event unfolds—from the gambling at the pre-festival dinner, to the dawn rush to get a seat at the arena, to the resounding music, the elaborate stage sets, and, yes, the public executions that served as lunch-break entertainment—and we unlearn all the bogus movie tropes (no, alas, gladiators did not have ripped bods, they were kept fleshy so they’d bleed more).
Broken down by time of day—Vesper, Prima Vigilia, Secunda Vigilia, up through the following sunset (Solis Occasus)—Those Who Are About to Die offers illuminating insights into every aspect of the life and mind of ancient Romans, their social mores and hierarchies, their thoughts on death and sex and violence, and the myths and dreams that fueled the spectacle.
With wit and authority, Those Who Are About to Die gives us the truth behind a figure we can’t stop imagining.
"A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible." —Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History
What did a gladiator feel when he stepped out onto the sand of the Colosseum, his life in the balance? What ran through the minds of the masses there to witness his likely execution? And how did this bloodthirsty ritual come to exist in the first place?
In Those Who Are About to Die, Harry Sidebottom—an internationally bestselling novelist and professor of classical history at Oxford—pulls us into the arena, and into the homes and forums of ancient Rome, taking the reader on an eye-opening, twenty-four-hour tour through Roman life at the height of the gladiatorial games, from the first century BC to the second century AD.
We follow the gladiators through the schools (ludi) where they trained, watch in awe as the massive event unfolds—from the gambling at the pre-festival dinner, to the dawn rush to get a seat at the arena, to the resounding music, the elaborate stage sets, and, yes, the public executions that served as lunch-break entertainment—and we unlearn all the bogus movie tropes (no, alas, gladiators did not have ripped bods, they were kept fleshy so they’d bleed more).
Broken down by time of day—Vesper, Prima Vigilia, Secunda Vigilia, up through the following sunset (Solis Occasus)—Those Who Are About to Die offers illuminating insights into every aspect of the life and mind of ancient Romans, their social mores and hierarchies, their thoughts on death and sex and violence, and the myths and dreams that fueled the spectacle.
With wit and authority, Those Who Are About to Die gives us the truth behind a figure we can’t stop imagining.
542 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2026
About the author
Harry Sidebottom
48 books544 followersHarry Sidebottom is Lecturer in Ancient History at Merton College, Oxford, and part-time lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. He has written for and contributed to many publications, including Classical Review, Journal of Roman Studies, and War and Society in the Roman World.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 8, 2025
Definitely did not click for me. Compared to other books on the subject or Ancient Rome in general, author seems to jump from around with details about gladiators as the main glue but not the subject… which is supposed to be what the book is about.
Feels like someone reading an article on a webpage and then clicking a link or a reference, then perhaps another reference from within a reference and then coming back to the main article only to click on again in a bit.
Was too happy to see this book in Waterstones and too eager to buy it… :(
Feels like someone reading an article on a webpage and then clicking a link or a reference, then perhaps another reference from within a reference and then coming back to the main article only to click on again in a bit.
Was too happy to see this book in Waterstones and too eager to buy it… :(
November 5, 2025
Very informative, but if like me you are expecting and hoping for a blood soaked tour through the colosseum, then think again. The bit underneath the title should be the real title. This is more of a deep dive into how the Romans thought about themselves which he ties to gladiators rather than a Russell Crowe epic. He also gets a bit snotty at one point about what he describes as amateur historians, i.e - the people who have just read his book. It was a good book but not really what I thought I was getting.
November 11, 2025
wow. so good. didn't just learn a lot about gladiators. but about the day to day life of the roman people
highly recommended
highly recommended
Read
June 22, 2026I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I refuse to rate non-fiction books. What, I don't like your facts? You picked the wrong time period and I'm mad about it? No.
I find Ancient Rome supremely interesting. It's where we spent our honeymoon. I knew very little about gladiators before going into this.
Now I need to go back to the coliseum and imagine what I've learned from this book.
Excellent way to break up a reading slump.
I find Ancient Rome supremely interesting. It's where we spent our honeymoon. I knew very little about gladiators before going into this.
Now I need to go back to the coliseum and imagine what I've learned from this book.
Excellent way to break up a reading slump.
January 4, 2026
This is a remarkably great read. It takes as a construct 24 hours in the life of a gladiator, and thereby takes a theme by theme approach which covers every conceivable aspect of both the life and death of gladiators and the concept of the games themselves. It is meticulously backed up and researched but written in the most accessible manner, with plenty of dry wit and tongue in cheek asides by the author. It really is a one-stop shop in gladiators, the games and the entire world within which they existed.
My one gripe is that he used the term pleb as a synonym for poor/lower class - often using them as a social class below “equestrians”. In fact all a pleb was was a non-patrician, and there were very few patricians, so there were many, many rich and distinguished plebs (Pompey and Antony to name only two) and indeed a lot of the equestrians were themselves plebs. Pleb was not a class. I know he must know this and used it as convenience and using the modern understanding of pleb but it did annoy me!
My one gripe is that he used the term pleb as a synonym for poor/lower class - often using them as a social class below “equestrians”. In fact all a pleb was was a non-patrician, and there were very few patricians, so there were many, many rich and distinguished plebs (Pompey and Antony to name only two) and indeed a lot of the equestrians were themselves plebs. Pleb was not a class. I know he must know this and used it as convenience and using the modern understanding of pleb but it did annoy me!
April 14, 2026
Thanks for the free ARC AAKnopf #AAKnopfPartner #PRHPartner . These thoughts are my own:
Through Sidebottom's prose, I was incredibly engaged and strangely invested in the lives, routines, and feelings of the gladiators of ancient Rome--a subject that I hadn't given much thought to prior to reading this book. Like most people, my mental imaginings of gladiators have been created by movies such as Spartacus and Gladiator. The reality is, of course less...Hollywood-ish. Through a composite of a 24-hour-day in the life of a gladiator, broader Roman practices and cultural norms are presented through a number of different viewpoints. A picture of Roman society emerges, as does a general sweep of the 700 years during which gladiator matches were prevalent, stitched together engagingly from a broad variety of primary and secondary sources. The influence of the same Roman value of courage that was embodied by gladiatorial combat is still felt today, and despite the myriad differences in customs and expectations between then and some 2000 years later, our shared humanity shines through. I thoroughly enjoyed being brought along on this fascinating, interesting journey.
#ABorzoiBook
Through Sidebottom's prose, I was incredibly engaged and strangely invested in the lives, routines, and feelings of the gladiators of ancient Rome--a subject that I hadn't given much thought to prior to reading this book. Like most people, my mental imaginings of gladiators have been created by movies such as Spartacus and Gladiator. The reality is, of course less...Hollywood-ish. Through a composite of a 24-hour-day in the life of a gladiator, broader Roman practices and cultural norms are presented through a number of different viewpoints. A picture of Roman society emerges, as does a general sweep of the 700 years during which gladiator matches were prevalent, stitched together engagingly from a broad variety of primary and secondary sources. The influence of the same Roman value of courage that was embodied by gladiatorial combat is still felt today, and despite the myriad differences in customs and expectations between then and some 2000 years later, our shared humanity shines through. I thoroughly enjoyed being brought along on this fascinating, interesting journey.
#ABorzoiBook
May 10, 2026
The title of this book was what drew me to this book, in the first place. I was not disappointed. It is a uniquely constructed tale of the day in the life of the Roman gladiator! I learned so much about the gladiators life , both men and women (which quite a revelation). Not did the author reveal the daily events of the gladiator, but the evolution of the Gladiatorial Games, from beginning in the Republican Roman world of the second century BC to their zenith in the pre emperor and pagan world of the subsequent pagan Emperor of the First and Second centuries AD. And how the advent of Christian emperors led to their demise in the later two centuries of the Roman era. I loved this book and learned so much about the importance of the Gladiatorial Games and their importance to the status quo of the individuals in power!
June 16, 2026
I enjoyed this book, but readers should be aware that it is less about the minutiae of gladiatorial fights, and more about the Roman mind. Sidebottom takes the reader on an enjoyable tour of the back streets of Rome as well as the salons of the upper classes pointing out various of the inhabitants’ customs, what they ate, and their attitudes to life and death. He gives us an insight into how Romans thought about things and how that manner of thinking filtered into the spectacle of gladiatorial games.
By Sidebottom’s own admission, however, there are precious few contemporary sources that tell us exactly what went on in the arena once the various gladiatorial struggles (unarmed man vs. beast, net-and-trident fighters vs. men of arms, heavily-armed men against each other) commenced. It seems his sole original source is the various tombstone inscriptions memorializing gladiators who had been killed in the arena, though he draws on some of the posters and inscriptions in the ruins of Pompeii.
As a reader I am fascinated by the sophistication of ancient Rome in an age where our technological tools were not even to be dreamed of. Thus, in spite of the fact that Those Who are About to Die does not live up to its dust-jacket premise, I can recommend this as an enjoyable read for those who share my interest in things Roman.
By Sidebottom’s own admission, however, there are precious few contemporary sources that tell us exactly what went on in the arena once the various gladiatorial struggles (unarmed man vs. beast, net-and-trident fighters vs. men of arms, heavily-armed men against each other) commenced. It seems his sole original source is the various tombstone inscriptions memorializing gladiators who had been killed in the arena, though he draws on some of the posters and inscriptions in the ruins of Pompeii.
As a reader I am fascinated by the sophistication of ancient Rome in an age where our technological tools were not even to be dreamed of. Thus, in spite of the fact that Those Who are About to Die does not live up to its dust-jacket premise, I can recommend this as an enjoyable read for those who share my interest in things Roman.
May 29, 2026
An interesting look at the life of a gladiator. The author uses gladiatorial games as a lens to study Ancient Roman culture and society through.
May 23, 2026
Was skeptical of the “24 hours in the life of” format but in the end it added much needed contextualization/commentary of society, to me the strength of this book.
May 21, 2026
It's about more than just gladiators, their origine, history and roles. Takes you through an ordinary Roman 24 hours, describes what is now known about the lives of slaves, ordinary people etc.
January 5, 2026
Lots of good information but presented poorly in my opinion which makes the book hard to read.
Ostensibly the book is laid out as a fictional story of 24 hours in the lives of two gladiators, Demetrius and Diodorus. Each chapter begins or ends with a short snapshot of what they are doing at that time and then follows much interesting information in the chapter itself.
This can be a bit weird—for example the first chapter obviously begins at midnight and is largely devoted to how Romans slept and how they told the time and so on—extremely interesting but not exactly what I was expecting.
Most of the book is like that; it jumps around from topic to topic covering a huge amount of detail about how Romans lived and always with gladiators as the focus but looping away from the gladiators and back again as the facts and explanations and tangents that arise lead the way rather than being marshalled and controlled by the author. The structure is very loose. So much so that every time Demetrius and Diodorus were mentioned I found myself surprised and had to remind myself who they were.
All in all very enjoyable and I learned a lot but the structure made this harder to read than it should have been.
Overall: recommended.
Ostensibly the book is laid out as a fictional story of 24 hours in the lives of two gladiators, Demetrius and Diodorus. Each chapter begins or ends with a short snapshot of what they are doing at that time and then follows much interesting information in the chapter itself.
This can be a bit weird—for example the first chapter obviously begins at midnight and is largely devoted to how Romans slept and how they told the time and so on—extremely interesting but not exactly what I was expecting.
Most of the book is like that; it jumps around from topic to topic covering a huge amount of detail about how Romans lived and always with gladiators as the focus but looping away from the gladiators and back again as the facts and explanations and tangents that arise lead the way rather than being marshalled and controlled by the author. The structure is very loose. So much so that every time Demetrius and Diodorus were mentioned I found myself surprised and had to remind myself who they were.
All in all very enjoyable and I learned a lot but the structure made this harder to read than it should have been.
Overall: recommended.
May 7, 2026
Really great book, though readers should be aware that it's really covering a much broader topic. I would say, it is much more about the broader daily lives during the Roman empire viewed through the lens of the Gladiators. It talks a lot about them, for sure, but also has lengthy asides about daily life, the political environment, the different regions of the empire, but all well grounded in how those related to the gladiators. The book also comes through with a sense of style and humor which is nice in a popular history - it should be fun to read.
September 27, 2025
Just finished the audio version, I've enjoyed many of Harry Sidebottom's fiction works. I used to play a lot of Rome Total War.
This was a well-written and well-read audiobook; there has clearly been a huge amount of research into the subject. The style was entertaining and flowed well.
It combines enough descriptions of action to avoid becoming a dry textbook.
For fans of Rome: Total War, it's worth a read.
This was a well-written and well-read audiobook; there has clearly been a huge amount of research into the subject. The style was entertaining and flowed well.
It combines enough descriptions of action to avoid becoming a dry textbook.
For fans of Rome: Total War, it's worth a read.
April 23, 2026
Everything you wanted to know about gladiators but were afraid to ask…. Detailed recounting of the history of gladiators and gladiatorial games during the Roman Empire. Obviously thoroughly researched and well written. My one small nit to pick is that there are numerous times the author refers to the same information, sometimes within a couple of pages. I realize some of the content can be hard to follow, thus the use of callbacks, but these mentions that annoyed me were not needed in that sense (at least IMHO). Overall however this book is well worth reading if you have an interest in the topic or the Romans in general.
May 7, 2026
Great insight into the gladiatorial arts of Ancient Rome.
May 4, 2026
A deep dive into this topic, with plenty of extra context. It can occasionally get a bit dry, but is overall a fairly accessible and fascinating look at this historical icon, and the ways in which it is similar and different from what you probably assume based on pop culture appearances.
May 6, 2026
A real good book
October 12, 2025
Loved finding out more about gladiators, their day to day lives, how they fit within the Roman world. The book is rich with research and interesting facts. It did however read too much like a textbook and I found it a bit laborious in parts.
January 10, 2026
I love Harry's style of writing and can honestly say, this is one of his best! It gives a great explanation of the life of a gladiator. The endnotes and bibliography finish the book off perfectly.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy profiling one of the fascinating of historical sports figures, the gladiators of ancient Rome, and what a day in their life was like, what was true, and what has been mythologized, and their legacy today.
Captain Oveur once asked of a visitor to his plane's cockpit in the movie Airplane! "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?". The answer would have to be a resounding yes, yes we do. Sand-and-sandal movies were a major export of the Italian film industry, creating long line of imitators, and careers. Academy award winning films, long running television shows, books, comics, poems, even songs tell of gladiators and their battles in arenas. Today we have professional wrestling to capture the spectacle, and the UFC and mixed martial arts for the blood, modern gladiator battles in rings and octagons, making millions for owners, and long-lasting pain for the combatants. Gladiators are something that people, well men think about once a day along with Rome itself. However most of what we know is not real, mostly myth making, from the ancient times, and to the shows we watch today. What was life like for these men and a few women. Were the entertainers, traitors, well-rewarded, or waiting for death. Questions this book answers, as well as a real view of what life in Roman Empire was like. Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator by writer and educator Harry Sidebottom is a look at life from dawn to dawn for a gladiator, with discussions about wider issues about life in Rome, where tales of gladiators came from, and the shadow they have cast on history, both fictional and in understanding the ancient world.
The introduction discusses where the idea of the book came from, and something that I did not know about our understanding of gladiators. Sidebottom is using the same technique as another historical book, looking at 24 hours during the French Revolution. Though the French Revolution it seems has a whole lot more sources and paperwork than ancient Rome. Sidebottom shares that most of what we know about the bread and circuses are based on different works, both fictional and nonfictional. Some stories, some poems. Historical mentions in memoirs, or travelogues and history of areas. There was no formal discussion of gladiators or their history. Sidebottom then describes their days from dawn, where one could watch the gladiators eat, to the next day, with training, fights, more entertainment, and finally rest. As Sidebottom breaks the day into sections, he looks at the broader history. The pay scale for gladiators, and the promise of estates. How people became gladiators, and what they gave up to do so. Sidebottom looks at those in power who used this entertainment to prove their wealth, and the attempts by certain Emperors to control what gladiators made. Even food and drink are discussed giving a broader sense about life in Rome, a far more personal examination than I expected.
A very well-written and well-researched book, one that gave me more of an understanding of the ancient world than I expected. I had always thought there was more research, more understanding about gladiators, not realizing that most historians treated it like many historians would, Not that important, and not as understood at the time. As if someone wrote about the 60's and didn't discuss the music, and changes in entertainment. Gladiators in many ways were professional wrestlers. Trying not to get hurt, nor hurt, at least too much their fellow workers in the arena, people they trained with, drank with and had to fight with. Sidebottom also has written a series of fictional stories set in Rome, and this writing helps add excitement, and look at things from different points of view. A really excellent and fascinating history.
This is the first I have read by Sidebottom, either fiction or non-fiction, but I really learned quite a bit, and enjoyed the narrative. I look forward to reading more by Harry Sidebottom and learning more about Rome.
Captain Oveur once asked of a visitor to his plane's cockpit in the movie Airplane! "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?". The answer would have to be a resounding yes, yes we do. Sand-and-sandal movies were a major export of the Italian film industry, creating long line of imitators, and careers. Academy award winning films, long running television shows, books, comics, poems, even songs tell of gladiators and their battles in arenas. Today we have professional wrestling to capture the spectacle, and the UFC and mixed martial arts for the blood, modern gladiator battles in rings and octagons, making millions for owners, and long-lasting pain for the combatants. Gladiators are something that people, well men think about once a day along with Rome itself. However most of what we know is not real, mostly myth making, from the ancient times, and to the shows we watch today. What was life like for these men and a few women. Were the entertainers, traitors, well-rewarded, or waiting for death. Questions this book answers, as well as a real view of what life in Roman Empire was like. Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator by writer and educator Harry Sidebottom is a look at life from dawn to dawn for a gladiator, with discussions about wider issues about life in Rome, where tales of gladiators came from, and the shadow they have cast on history, both fictional and in understanding the ancient world.
The introduction discusses where the idea of the book came from, and something that I did not know about our understanding of gladiators. Sidebottom is using the same technique as another historical book, looking at 24 hours during the French Revolution. Though the French Revolution it seems has a whole lot more sources and paperwork than ancient Rome. Sidebottom shares that most of what we know about the bread and circuses are based on different works, both fictional and nonfictional. Some stories, some poems. Historical mentions in memoirs, or travelogues and history of areas. There was no formal discussion of gladiators or their history. Sidebottom then describes their days from dawn, where one could watch the gladiators eat, to the next day, with training, fights, more entertainment, and finally rest. As Sidebottom breaks the day into sections, he looks at the broader history. The pay scale for gladiators, and the promise of estates. How people became gladiators, and what they gave up to do so. Sidebottom looks at those in power who used this entertainment to prove their wealth, and the attempts by certain Emperors to control what gladiators made. Even food and drink are discussed giving a broader sense about life in Rome, a far more personal examination than I expected.
A very well-written and well-researched book, one that gave me more of an understanding of the ancient world than I expected. I had always thought there was more research, more understanding about gladiators, not realizing that most historians treated it like many historians would, Not that important, and not as understood at the time. As if someone wrote about the 60's and didn't discuss the music, and changes in entertainment. Gladiators in many ways were professional wrestlers. Trying not to get hurt, nor hurt, at least too much their fellow workers in the arena, people they trained with, drank with and had to fight with. Sidebottom also has written a series of fictional stories set in Rome, and this writing helps add excitement, and look at things from different points of view. A really excellent and fascinating history.
This is the first I have read by Sidebottom, either fiction or non-fiction, but I really learned quite a bit, and enjoyed the narrative. I look forward to reading more by Harry Sidebottom and learning more about Rome.
June 24, 2026
Ultimately quite disappointed. I think the idea of structing the book around a "day in Ancient Rome" is good in theory but fails in practice. Even though it did not impress me massively, 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There was a much better execution of the same concept. The latter worked because its scope - in the title and in its content - sought to bring forth a broader understanding of everyday life and customs in Ancient Rome. Its added value for me was that it went beyond geopolitics and the sweep of political and military history of Rome.
The problem with Sidebottom's book as that it supposedly has a more narrow focus on gladiators and the institution of gladiatorial games. However that "...and the Roman Mind" is actually an important suffix to the title. The book's greatest weakness is that it is incredibly meandering and at times very, very repetitive. Instead of a topical structure, the somewhat forced "24 hours in Rome" framework leads to discussions of religion, philosophy, gladiators, contemporary novels, geography, cartography, sex, gladiators, architecture, sociology. It sound comprehensive, but is in effect more of a chaotic mix. And though understanding how the inhabitants of the Roman Republic/Empire lived, thought, bathed, made love, wrote, slept, ate and fit in the social fabric provides useful context for the spectacle of gladiatorial combat, the red thread gets lost way too many times. It makes it harder to put everything in temporal or topical context. Without shoehorning the narrative into the 24 hours frame, I think the same content would have been delivered in a much better and more cohesive way.
My biggest praise for Sidebottom is that he often presents different interpretations by historians new and old and then weighs in on what the evidence supports or not (evidently in Sidebottom's own view). Personal biases aside, I appreciate this style of popular history literature because it constantly reminds the reader how we are trying to interpret texts, art, architecture and snippets of second-hand information centuries and millenia after their actual context. It is a humbling perspective on the discipline of history and I appreciated these discussions, as they appear many times throughout the text.
The problem with Sidebottom's book as that it supposedly has a more narrow focus on gladiators and the institution of gladiatorial games. However that "...and the Roman Mind" is actually an important suffix to the title. The book's greatest weakness is that it is incredibly meandering and at times very, very repetitive. Instead of a topical structure, the somewhat forced "24 hours in Rome" framework leads to discussions of religion, philosophy, gladiators, contemporary novels, geography, cartography, sex, gladiators, architecture, sociology. It sound comprehensive, but is in effect more of a chaotic mix. And though understanding how the inhabitants of the Roman Republic/Empire lived, thought, bathed, made love, wrote, slept, ate and fit in the social fabric provides useful context for the spectacle of gladiatorial combat, the red thread gets lost way too many times. It makes it harder to put everything in temporal or topical context. Without shoehorning the narrative into the 24 hours frame, I think the same content would have been delivered in a much better and more cohesive way.
My biggest praise for Sidebottom is that he often presents different interpretations by historians new and old and then weighs in on what the evidence supports or not (evidently in Sidebottom's own view). Personal biases aside, I appreciate this style of popular history literature because it constantly reminds the reader how we are trying to interpret texts, art, architecture and snippets of second-hand information centuries and millenia after their actual context. It is a humbling perspective on the discipline of history and I appreciated these discussions, as they appear many times throughout the text.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love Roman history, probably from my four years of high school Latin and cheesy 1950s movies like Demetrius the Gladiator. So when this showed up I was excited for the read (thank you NetGalley and Knopf) and it did not fail to deliver.
First, this is an incredibly researched book. As a history nerd I’ve read many fine Roman history books (SPQR, Twelve Caesars, Rubicon, etc), so I’m pleased to be adding this among my reads. And having read these other books, the veracity of the information is impressive and important to be aware of. You are getting a certifiable accurate book!
This book in part explores myths about gladiators. A gladiatorial contest was not a death sentence. A contestant had a one in eight chance of dying per match which was once or twice a year. Also a man might only be a gladiator for three years so survival was not out of the question. Also, these guys were not the six-pack men we think of today. Their diet of barley stew cause them to bulk up so they if they were cut in a contest, the fat round protect vital organs but it was the blood the people most liked to see.
The book’s structure is most captivating. Taking apart a 24 hour period, the book provides what are “watches” of the day (Prima Vigilia, etc) from the evening meal before the next days games through to the events of the day. I think this was a splendid way to structure the book to give you an authentic feel for a gladiator’s life.
But the book is more than just a gladiator’s story. We are treated to aspects of Roman life - diet, literature, sex, sleep m, dreams, politics. The book name drops the names of emperors - who is not aware of Commodus, the gladiator emperor from Gladiator. This also helps put the gladiator into context.
Finally this is an easy-to-read book. It’s not dry but contains some funny moments. It’s a book anyone interested in learning more about Rome and Roman life can enjoy.
First, this is an incredibly researched book. As a history nerd I’ve read many fine Roman history books (SPQR, Twelve Caesars, Rubicon, etc), so I’m pleased to be adding this among my reads. And having read these other books, the veracity of the information is impressive and important to be aware of. You are getting a certifiable accurate book!
This book in part explores myths about gladiators. A gladiatorial contest was not a death sentence. A contestant had a one in eight chance of dying per match which was once or twice a year. Also a man might only be a gladiator for three years so survival was not out of the question. Also, these guys were not the six-pack men we think of today. Their diet of barley stew cause them to bulk up so they if they were cut in a contest, the fat round protect vital organs but it was the blood the people most liked to see.
The book’s structure is most captivating. Taking apart a 24 hour period, the book provides what are “watches” of the day (Prima Vigilia, etc) from the evening meal before the next days games through to the events of the day. I think this was a splendid way to structure the book to give you an authentic feel for a gladiator’s life.
But the book is more than just a gladiator’s story. We are treated to aspects of Roman life - diet, literature, sex, sleep m, dreams, politics. The book name drops the names of emperors - who is not aware of Commodus, the gladiator emperor from Gladiator. This also helps put the gladiator into context.
Finally this is an easy-to-read book. It’s not dry but contains some funny moments. It’s a book anyone interested in learning more about Rome and Roman life can enjoy.
May 17, 2026
I am very much the kind of person who does jump off point writing. What this means is you take a topic, a handful of sub-topics, and then do jump off points that still connect. The question is, does it work as a non-fiction book? In a way, yes. In other ways some people might be a little frustrated by the 'tenuous' connections. In some ways, it's like reading an ADHD 6 degrees of separation thought process.
In this case, for example, we relate things in a typical day and night (or actually night and day) of a gladiator's life and then jump off from that point into related topics. When it comes time for gladiators to go to sleep, we engage with the idea of sleep and dreams in Roman life. And from there, we narrow down to ever smaller topics. And then we swing back around. It makes for an engaging, easy to swallow read.
This book is absolutely a 'your mileage may vary' book. My only true complaint is the lack of sources/footnotes. Though I enjoyed the paragraph or so on the music and being given a few groups to check out. And 'further reading' is at least available as a section. There are some areas that I feel are not entirely correct after all of our studies over the years and now that it's the year 2026. But if I were an expert, I would be writing the book, as they say.
If you're looking for an hour by hour breakdown, that's not happening in here. It's vague times in an average day for a gladiator, but there isn't much in the vein of historical fiction like some history books out there do. There are a few good jokes sprinkled around the book.
And as an aside, I'm not a fan of using the term 'dwarf' to refer to little people. It's an iffy word; not a slur, necessarily, but still not one you would use in a little person's company if you are not one as well or told explicitly that it's okay and should not use it generally such as in a non-fiction book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the review copy!
In this case, for example, we relate things in a typical day and night (or actually night and day) of a gladiator's life and then jump off from that point into related topics. When it comes time for gladiators to go to sleep, we engage with the idea of sleep and dreams in Roman life. And from there, we narrow down to ever smaller topics. And then we swing back around. It makes for an engaging, easy to swallow read.
This book is absolutely a 'your mileage may vary' book. My only true complaint is the lack of sources/footnotes. Though I enjoyed the paragraph or so on the music and being given a few groups to check out. And 'further reading' is at least available as a section. There are some areas that I feel are not entirely correct after all of our studies over the years and now that it's the year 2026. But if I were an expert, I would be writing the book, as they say.
If you're looking for an hour by hour breakdown, that's not happening in here. It's vague times in an average day for a gladiator, but there isn't much in the vein of historical fiction like some history books out there do. There are a few good jokes sprinkled around the book.
And as an aside, I'm not a fan of using the term 'dwarf' to refer to little people. It's an iffy word; not a slur, necessarily, but still not one you would use in a little person's company if you are not one as well or told explicitly that it's okay and should not use it generally such as in a non-fiction book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the review copy!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is not a light read, and it doesn’t pretend to be.
Harry Sidebottom delivers a deeply researched, intensely detailed exploration of Ancient Rome, with a specific focus on gladiators, violence, and the culture that surrounded the arena. Rather than a fast-paced narrative, this reads like a dense historical excavation, layered with academic insight, primary source analysis, and a clear passion for the subject matter.
At times, the level of detail is overwhelming. There are sections where the book slows down under the weight of its own scholarship, and readers looking for a narrative-driven or entertainment-focused history may find themselves working to stay engaged.
But for the right reader, someone genuinely fascinated by Ancient Rome, gladiatorial combat, and the mechanics of Roman spectacle, this book is incredibly rewarding. It offers a vivid, often brutal window into how entertainment, power, and violence were intertwined in the Roman world.
Overall, this is a book best suited for serious history enthusiasts rather than casual readers. If you love getting lost in the depth of ancient civilizations and don’t mind a challenging, information-heavy text, this will absolutely be worth your time.
Harry Sidebottom delivers a deeply researched, intensely detailed exploration of Ancient Rome, with a specific focus on gladiators, violence, and the culture that surrounded the arena. Rather than a fast-paced narrative, this reads like a dense historical excavation, layered with academic insight, primary source analysis, and a clear passion for the subject matter.
At times, the level of detail is overwhelming. There are sections where the book slows down under the weight of its own scholarship, and readers looking for a narrative-driven or entertainment-focused history may find themselves working to stay engaged.
But for the right reader, someone genuinely fascinated by Ancient Rome, gladiatorial combat, and the mechanics of Roman spectacle, this book is incredibly rewarding. It offers a vivid, often brutal window into how entertainment, power, and violence were intertwined in the Roman world.
Overall, this is a book best suited for serious history enthusiasts rather than casual readers. If you love getting lost in the depth of ancient civilizations and don’t mind a challenging, information-heavy text, this will absolutely be worth your time.
December 29, 2025
This is a good book to get information on a subject that really has little information to go by. It's well reasearched and put together as a day in the life of a gladiator which i enjoyed. You could imagine the day and all of the little side stories, histories etc that went along with being a gladiator. It is not a widely known subject because of the lack in archeological evidence, however there is enough to glean from murals, mosaics and written stories to put together a relative coherent history of how these mostly men and some women lived and spent their days and moments leading up to the contests on the sand of the arenas whether against other opponents or animals ( which I actually found quite appalling considering the number of animals which were slaughtered for sport and entertainment).
The spector of death hung in these "games" and the people seemed to love it though most combats with people did not end in death as has been the way of hollywood. Nevertheless, they were not bloodless events by any stretch of the imagination.
All in all a very good read. Well written and referenced in endnotes and bibliography.
The spector of death hung in these "games" and the people seemed to love it though most combats with people did not end in death as has been the way of hollywood. Nevertheless, they were not bloodless events by any stretch of the imagination.
All in all a very good read. Well written and referenced in endnotes and bibliography.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The was a very intriguing book about Roman gladiators. It is labeled as “a day in the life of a Roman gladiator” but it much more than that. It is more of an entire historic look of the society as a whole at the time of gladiators. The author draws his conclusions from many different sources, and you can tell extensive research has been done prior to the making of this book. It was interesting to see how the people thought, what they did, and how it was completely different from our society today. For instance, reading about the bathrooms and bath houses and how everything was so public peaked my curiosity. It was a very different from the privacy that is the norm today. The book is full of very fascinating information from everything going on at the time. If you are into Roman history or if you are interested in what it would be like to live in those days, this is a book I think you would enjoy.
I want to thank #NetGalley and #Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing a copy for me to give my honest review, of which all my options are my own.
#Knopf #Doubleday #Pantheon #Vintage
I want to thank #NetGalley and #Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing a copy for me to give my honest review, of which all my options are my own.
#Knopf #Doubleday #Pantheon #Vintage
March 23, 2026
For those who want a propulsive and entertaining look at life in ancient Rome, look no further than Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator. It's highly readable/accessible, even reading cover to cover (something you don't always do with a nonfiction text) and the opportunity to learn new tidbits about this period is vast. I loved every second of it.
I did, however, find the book, at least by title alone, slightly misleading. This is not just about gladiators by any means, but about Roman life as a whole. If you're just looking to read about beefcake warriors a la Russell Crowe (I assure you, this is not why I wanted to read this! But let's face it--the average person's knowledge of this era is from this movie), you may be a bit disappointed--not only has Hollywood fooled you, but Harry Sidebottom has really provides far more information about Ancient Rome than I expected to find here. From the coming and goings of emperors to the lowly slaves, not much is left out. Highly informative however, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
Special thanks to Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this title through NetGalley.
I did, however, find the book, at least by title alone, slightly misleading. This is not just about gladiators by any means, but about Roman life as a whole. If you're just looking to read about beefcake warriors a la Russell Crowe (I assure you, this is not why I wanted to read this! But let's face it--the average person's knowledge of this era is from this movie), you may be a bit disappointed--not only has Hollywood fooled you, but Harry Sidebottom has really provides far more information about Ancient Rome than I expected to find here. From the coming and goings of emperors to the lowly slaves, not much is left out. Highly informative however, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
Special thanks to Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this title through NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Ah. I wish I would have liked this one more than I did. I REALLY enjoyed the information presented in this book. I learned so much about the ancient Gladiator world. I have a few new party facts I can whip out if needed- but I will say I got lost in all the information. The book is supposed to be sharing a day in the life of a gladiator- from morning, noon, and night. While this story follows that trajectory, there is a lot of side tangents that made me really frustrated. Like can we just focus on breakfast? Do I need to know ALL of these side tangents? And I mean, I get it. I am an academic and in archaeology and am used to content like this. I just thought that the book would be much more accessible and managable if it was more narrowly focused as I expected it to be. The flow of this book needed some reworking and some editing.
I would recommend if you are a die hard Roman history fan or familiar with the pop culture around the topic. I would not recommend if you are not new to Roman history- you will get lost.
A special thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for my ARC!
I would recommend if you are a die hard Roman history fan or familiar with the pop culture around the topic. I would not recommend if you are not new to Roman history- you will get lost.
A special thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for my ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Didn't really work for me.
It bills itself as a day in the life a Roman gladiator, with the fictional gladiators Diodorus and Demetrius as our guides. But I guess there just isn't enough in the historical record to fill out the whole day, so it becomes more of a day in the life of a Roman, with an overview on Roman attitudes to death, food, philosophy, sex, empire, and more. The fictional gladiators barely factor into it at all.
Don't get me wrong, it's interesting and well written. You will certainly come away from the book understanding how Romans from all walks of life--from emperors and senators to gladiators, soldiers, and slaves--lived all those centuries ago. It's more of "a day in the life of a Roman, with a special focus on gladiators" than "a day in the life of a gladiator."
I received an ARC from NetGalley. What I read may differ from the final copy that hits shelves in April.
It bills itself as a day in the life a Roman gladiator, with the fictional gladiators Diodorus and Demetrius as our guides. But I guess there just isn't enough in the historical record to fill out the whole day, so it becomes more of a day in the life of a Roman, with an overview on Roman attitudes to death, food, philosophy, sex, empire, and more. The fictional gladiators barely factor into it at all.
Don't get me wrong, it's interesting and well written. You will certainly come away from the book understanding how Romans from all walks of life--from emperors and senators to gladiators, soldiers, and slaves--lived all those centuries ago. It's more of "a day in the life of a Roman, with a special focus on gladiators" than "a day in the life of a gladiator."
I received an ARC from NetGalley. What I read may differ from the final copy that hits shelves in April.
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