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Not Built In A Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire
From acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and historian Emma Southon, a groundbreaking history of Ancient Rome that explores how the empire was built, fueled, and shaped by its enslaved people.
When Julius Caesar conquered Gaul he boasted that he killed a million Gauls and enslaved a million more. This is the truth about the Roman Rome could not function without slavery as it underpinned every single part of their economy. Without the millions of people snatched from their homes in the aftermath of war, kidnapped from the streets, sold into slavery as punishment, or born into it as “home bred slaves”, the Roman empire’s great aqueducts and temples could never have been built. There would be no coins or tiles to find in fields, no limitless manpower for the army and navy that conquered the Mediterranean, no marble palaces or underfloor heating, and certainly no life of unimaginable luxury for the one percent who didn’t even tie their own shoes. For the first time, Not Built in a Day tells their stories.
Not Built in a Day takes readers into the invisible spaces of the Roman empire, where the millions of enslaved lives perpetuated the excesses of the empire that owned them. From the fields of wheat required to give every Roman his daily bread, to the actors and gladiators who provided their circuses; from the guards who kept the streets of Rome safe and the mines which kept Rome a city of gold and marble, to the builders who placed every brick in the Colosseum. It traces how people entered, experienced, and left slavery, covering the little known story of slave revolts and the complex realities of enslaved people who themselves owned enslaved people. Not Built in a Dayalso explores the lives of those freed from slavery, finally able to choose their own destinies.
With humor, wit, and expertise, Emma Southon invites us into the absurdity of Roman life and completely upends our idea of the Roman empire.
When Julius Caesar conquered Gaul he boasted that he killed a million Gauls and enslaved a million more. This is the truth about the Roman Rome could not function without slavery as it underpinned every single part of their economy. Without the millions of people snatched from their homes in the aftermath of war, kidnapped from the streets, sold into slavery as punishment, or born into it as “home bred slaves”, the Roman empire’s great aqueducts and temples could never have been built. There would be no coins or tiles to find in fields, no limitless manpower for the army and navy that conquered the Mediterranean, no marble palaces or underfloor heating, and certainly no life of unimaginable luxury for the one percent who didn’t even tie their own shoes. For the first time, Not Built in a Day tells their stories.
Not Built in a Day takes readers into the invisible spaces of the Roman empire, where the millions of enslaved lives perpetuated the excesses of the empire that owned them. From the fields of wheat required to give every Roman his daily bread, to the actors and gladiators who provided their circuses; from the guards who kept the streets of Rome safe and the mines which kept Rome a city of gold and marble, to the builders who placed every brick in the Colosseum. It traces how people entered, experienced, and left slavery, covering the little known story of slave revolts and the complex realities of enslaved people who themselves owned enslaved people. Not Built in a Dayalso explores the lives of those freed from slavery, finally able to choose their own destinies.
With humor, wit, and expertise, Emma Southon invites us into the absurdity of Roman life and completely upends our idea of the Roman empire.
Audible Audio
First published May 21, 2026
About the author
Emma Southon
8 books790 followersDr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham.
After a few years teaching Ancient and Medieval history, followed by some years teaching academic writing, she quit academia because it is grim and started writing for her own enjoyment.
She co-hosts a history/comedy podcast with Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy.
After a few years teaching Ancient and Medieval history, followed by some years teaching academic writing, she quit academia because it is grim and started writing for her own enjoyment.
She co-hosts a history/comedy podcast with Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 10, 2026
My most anticipated history book release of the year. Read this with my History Sickos Book Club and we are all loving it. Emma Southon is brilliant, witty, and treats this heavy topic with the humanity and curiosity it demands. Another certified banger to add to her elite catalog.
June 21, 2026
A sharp, readable, thorough book. Emma Southon writes in a colloquial, jesting manner, which to me proved occasionally annoying, but I do imagine it could be very fun for others.
(Not included in the above criticism are tangents about how Cato the Elder is a whiny injurious bitch.
All my homies love dunking on Cato.)
Southon also makes liberal use of Ancient Roman fiction as a source to supplement a cultural history of Roman slavery — which is a gainful approach, and not one I've often seen applied to such an extent. (Historiographical guesswork explicit in the text.)
What permeates the tone and sets the thesis of Servus is firm, unflinchingly denunciatory attitude to slavery, here and there filling in the inevitable aporias of historical record through the testimony of descendants/survivors of the transatlantic slave trade. Which may be both just and refreshing and needful, so far, so good—
But in Southon's moralistic asides—which are many, like so much nails driven into a coffin lid to keep the undead from haunting the living— I feel, Servus is at its weakest and downright annoying: for performed outrage either takes away from concrete human suffering to make it about you (the writer, the reader) or cheapens it, smooth it over. If everything is unspeakable, unutterable, a violent truth past the relativisations of language (indeed, Elaine Scarry, teaches us, all pain is), nothing is. The job of laying out the probable facts of daily subsistence have either been laid out well or they haven't, and if they have been, they are already self-evident. Belabouring can only take away – or, worse, drive us to reaction, or to think that there is such a thing as a uniquely evil mysterious Roman soul where darkness lodges. A contextual toxicological note.
Note: This review was based of a digital advanced review provided by Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley. Bias is not disownable.
(Not included in the above criticism are tangents about how Cato the Elder is a whiny injurious bitch.
Mosr famously, Cato the Elder [...] liked to keep his household in constant fight with one another so that they couldn't plot against him, because he was an unbearable prick.
All my homies love dunking on Cato.)
Southon also makes liberal use of Ancient Roman fiction as a source to supplement a cultural history of Roman slavery — which is a gainful approach, and not one I've often seen applied to such an extent. (Historiographical guesswork explicit in the text.)
What permeates the tone and sets the thesis of Servus is firm, unflinchingly denunciatory attitude to slavery, here and there filling in the inevitable aporias of historical record through the testimony of descendants/survivors of the transatlantic slave trade. Which may be both just and refreshing and needful, so far, so good—
But in Southon's moralistic asides—which are many, like so much nails driven into a coffin lid to keep the undead from haunting the living— I feel, Servus is at its weakest and downright annoying: for performed outrage either takes away from concrete human suffering to make it about you (the writer, the reader) or cheapens it, smooth it over. If everything is unspeakable, unutterable, a violent truth past the relativisations of language (indeed, Elaine Scarry, teaches us, all pain is), nothing is. The job of laying out the probable facts of daily subsistence have either been laid out well or they haven't, and if they have been, they are already self-evident. Belabouring can only take away – or, worse, drive us to reaction, or to think that there is such a thing as a uniquely evil mysterious Roman soul where darkness lodges. A contextual toxicological note.
Note: This review was based of a digital advanced review provided by Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley. Bias is not disownable.
April 18, 2026
This is a book which is replete with details and insights on the practice of slavery in the Roman Empire. This despite the relative dearth of evidence from the victims of slavery themselves (which is a well established challenge faced by historians). So any reader with little or no knowledge of the subject will find the book enlightening. My principal difficulty with the book was the authorial tone which throughout was foul mouthed, sarcastic, sneering, smug and overly idiomatic (sometimes resulting in my utter incomprehension of what the author was trying to say).
Initially the author tells us how she thinks slavery was really bad and everyone who practiced it was totally evil. There is a longstanding debate on whether it is appropriate to apply contemporary morals and judgements to ancient societies. This author clearly thinks that it is appropriate and it’s completely within her rights for her to hold that view. But I really couldn’t understand why, throughout the book, she constantly needed to say how each aspect or example or experience of slavery was so appalling and totally shocking to her.
She is also someone who loves to express her outrage through foul language which also peppers this book. I don’t know all the rules of the various sites where I am posting this review so I won’t quote any of the swearing here but suffice it to say that like many foul mouthed people this author doesn’t have a very broad swearing vocabulary so there is one swearword that turns up for the vast majority of time so the reader doesn’t even have the relief of variety.
Diverse sources are cited in the book and the author appears to give them equal weight. Again I know that there is debate as to whether, for example, Martial’s satires provide totally accurate descriptions of daily life. Clearly the contemporary Roman audience would need to recognise the world portrayed in these works but given that they were produced for entertainment, would there not have been some exaggeration for effect? So some assessment of the relative validity of these sources would have been helpful.
Of course the author does make clear her contempt for Martial (and Juvenal and others) because they make jokes about slavery that she thinks are not funny at all. I have some sympathy with that perspective having read some Classical comedies and - quite frankly - not realising that they were even supposed to be funny. But I think it’s a bit rich for this author to criticise the ancients when her sense of humour is essentially puerile: graffiti about someone excreting is, she thinks, funny; Clutorius Priscus is a funny name because Clutorius sounds a bit like clitoris; and the Lex Fufia Canina is a funny law because it sounds a bit like a swearword. How I laughed. Not.
I also found much of her idiomatic mode of expression rather jarring. Agrippa was Augustus’ “bestie”. Polybius thought that the Romans were a “great bunch of lads”. I was confused by how she was able to “go by vibes” to work out the modern values of Roman currency. And as for Onesimus whose being a slave didn’t seem to “have harshed his vibe”. Well I have no idea on what that means.
Now I suspect that that there may well be an audience that finds this authorial tone to be refreshingly different and to them I’d have no hesitation in recommending this book. But if you are someone who maybe thought that plentiful swearing was big and clever when you were seven but you’ve now got over that, you’ll probably want to skip it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this review copy.
Initially the author tells us how she thinks slavery was really bad and everyone who practiced it was totally evil. There is a longstanding debate on whether it is appropriate to apply contemporary morals and judgements to ancient societies. This author clearly thinks that it is appropriate and it’s completely within her rights for her to hold that view. But I really couldn’t understand why, throughout the book, she constantly needed to say how each aspect or example or experience of slavery was so appalling and totally shocking to her.
She is also someone who loves to express her outrage through foul language which also peppers this book. I don’t know all the rules of the various sites where I am posting this review so I won’t quote any of the swearing here but suffice it to say that like many foul mouthed people this author doesn’t have a very broad swearing vocabulary so there is one swearword that turns up for the vast majority of time so the reader doesn’t even have the relief of variety.
Diverse sources are cited in the book and the author appears to give them equal weight. Again I know that there is debate as to whether, for example, Martial’s satires provide totally accurate descriptions of daily life. Clearly the contemporary Roman audience would need to recognise the world portrayed in these works but given that they were produced for entertainment, would there not have been some exaggeration for effect? So some assessment of the relative validity of these sources would have been helpful.
Of course the author does make clear her contempt for Martial (and Juvenal and others) because they make jokes about slavery that she thinks are not funny at all. I have some sympathy with that perspective having read some Classical comedies and - quite frankly - not realising that they were even supposed to be funny. But I think it’s a bit rich for this author to criticise the ancients when her sense of humour is essentially puerile: graffiti about someone excreting is, she thinks, funny; Clutorius Priscus is a funny name because Clutorius sounds a bit like clitoris; and the Lex Fufia Canina is a funny law because it sounds a bit like a swearword. How I laughed. Not.
I also found much of her idiomatic mode of expression rather jarring. Agrippa was Augustus’ “bestie”. Polybius thought that the Romans were a “great bunch of lads”. I was confused by how she was able to “go by vibes” to work out the modern values of Roman currency. And as for Onesimus whose being a slave didn’t seem to “have harshed his vibe”. Well I have no idea on what that means.
Now I suspect that that there may well be an audience that finds this authorial tone to be refreshingly different and to them I’d have no hesitation in recommending this book. But if you are someone who maybe thought that plentiful swearing was big and clever when you were seven but you’ve now got over that, you’ll probably want to skip it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this review copy.
June 25, 2026
Four years of Latin plus reading the entire Aeneid in that language and then watching too many 50s’movies like The Robe, Quo Vadis, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Ben Hur (and later a college roommate who majored in Latin and waxed eloquent over Catullus’ poetry) helped turn me into a Roman history nerd. I just gravitate toward that period and whenever a book comes out that harkens back to my nerdiness, I must give it a read.
This was Servus for me! First, the title which translates into servant which I would pronounce as “serve us” is a dead giveaway as to where the direction this book is going - Indeed that’s what the enslaved population of Rome did. Second, I was intrigued by the topic of slavery in Rome. Since most of my past readings have been about the famous people who ruled and conquered, how the minutiae of Roman society worked especially down to the everyday level wasn’t a big part of those books. I knew the Romans subsisted on a slave culture but not to the extent that is revealed in this book or to the cruelty and horror that those enslaved peoples endured.
Romans like American slave holders viewed an enslaved person as an nonperson. In a society where pecking order was everything, enslaved people were really down on the totem pole especially depending on what kind of job or responsibilities an enslaved person had. The average enslaved person - more often than not a captive taken in conquest - had some abilities to manage estates, represent the empire or dominus (owner), save money (enslaved people had the ability to buy their freedom after 30 years) - rather different from their American counterparts. But they were still enslaved, subject to the dominus’ whims (a minor infraction could lead to cruel whipping or death). To the Romans enslaved people represented wealth - more to mourn at the owner’s and show off - and status. But overall, Romans were cruel and hypocritical when it came to enslavement - no surprise; we humans are a strange lot.
These are some of the topics about enslavement that are revealed in this fascinating and fun read. The author examines the various roles enslaved people had which would give the impression slavery was more benign in Rome than it really was. Some of the stories of the cruelty are not pretty. Jokes about slaves were the running fare in plays and written things - not very kindly either. And as the author points out we know of the Roman celebrities (my term) but not about the people who cared for them and made their lives easier - because the enslaved didn’t matter.
I enjoyed the book. It’s well researched and examines a topic in a way that should put to rest the justification for enslavement I’ve sometimes heard: it’s in the Bible! Yes but what about the enslaved person - the Bible or history should never be rationalized to remove consideration of the enslaved person in statements such as these.
I loved how easy this book was to read. In the chapter on slavery in the city, for example, the author takes us on an imaginary walk through a section of Rome to illustrate life and point out how most of it was run by slaves. I found whenever the author did this or posited hypotheticals, I was allowed to give greater consideration to the topic. She is also snarky and profane - which may turn some readers off - but I found this refreshing and often gave me a good laugh.
This is definitely a book of lovers of Roman history or readers who want to understand better the ramifications of enslavement.
I gave this book five stars for the subject it tackled and its importance - enslavement is wrong and should not be forgotten; for its incredible storytelling and for remembering the unsung voices of history. Highly recommend. .
This was Servus for me! First, the title which translates into servant which I would pronounce as “serve us” is a dead giveaway as to where the direction this book is going - Indeed that’s what the enslaved population of Rome did. Second, I was intrigued by the topic of slavery in Rome. Since most of my past readings have been about the famous people who ruled and conquered, how the minutiae of Roman society worked especially down to the everyday level wasn’t a big part of those books. I knew the Romans subsisted on a slave culture but not to the extent that is revealed in this book or to the cruelty and horror that those enslaved peoples endured.
Romans like American slave holders viewed an enslaved person as an nonperson. In a society where pecking order was everything, enslaved people were really down on the totem pole especially depending on what kind of job or responsibilities an enslaved person had. The average enslaved person - more often than not a captive taken in conquest - had some abilities to manage estates, represent the empire or dominus (owner), save money (enslaved people had the ability to buy their freedom after 30 years) - rather different from their American counterparts. But they were still enslaved, subject to the dominus’ whims (a minor infraction could lead to cruel whipping or death). To the Romans enslaved people represented wealth - more to mourn at the owner’s and show off - and status. But overall, Romans were cruel and hypocritical when it came to enslavement - no surprise; we humans are a strange lot.
These are some of the topics about enslavement that are revealed in this fascinating and fun read. The author examines the various roles enslaved people had which would give the impression slavery was more benign in Rome than it really was. Some of the stories of the cruelty are not pretty. Jokes about slaves were the running fare in plays and written things - not very kindly either. And as the author points out we know of the Roman celebrities (my term) but not about the people who cared for them and made their lives easier - because the enslaved didn’t matter.
I enjoyed the book. It’s well researched and examines a topic in a way that should put to rest the justification for enslavement I’ve sometimes heard: it’s in the Bible! Yes but what about the enslaved person - the Bible or history should never be rationalized to remove consideration of the enslaved person in statements such as these.
I loved how easy this book was to read. In the chapter on slavery in the city, for example, the author takes us on an imaginary walk through a section of Rome to illustrate life and point out how most of it was run by slaves. I found whenever the author did this or posited hypotheticals, I was allowed to give greater consideration to the topic. She is also snarky and profane - which may turn some readers off - but I found this refreshing and often gave me a good laugh.
This is definitely a book of lovers of Roman history or readers who want to understand better the ramifications of enslavement.
I gave this book five stars for the subject it tackled and its importance - enslavement is wrong and should not be forgotten; for its incredible storytelling and for remembering the unsung voices of history. Highly recommend. .
May 30, 2026
You know a book has got you when you keep lifting your head to say “guess what” to whoever’s nearest. Emma Southon’s Servus did that to me on almost every page.
Southon’s voice is emblematic of a new wave of non-fiction - a ditching of dry academic tone in favour of a book that feels like a chat with your favourite cool lecturer - opinions, side eye and swear words included - but still totally bursting with primary sources and serious research.
Southon’s dedication to finding the lost voices in history has resulted in the exploration of a fascinating array of sources that not only touch on what slavery was in Ancient Rome but also the thoughts, feelings and experiences of enslaved people wherever possible.
Take Amica and Detfri - two enslaved women in a household tasked with making clay roof tiles, who had imprinted their feet into the wet clay and signed the tile with their names and where they came from just for their own amusement and sense of self.
This book is a must for more fully understanding Roman society & culture, and bringing to life the people who made it possible for Roman civilisation to be so “great”.
Thanks to @hodderpress and @emmasouthon for a #gifted advanced copy of Servus for review, which is out now!
Are you a fan of this new wave of accessible, opinionated popular history? Who are your favourite writers doing it well?
Southon’s voice is emblematic of a new wave of non-fiction - a ditching of dry academic tone in favour of a book that feels like a chat with your favourite cool lecturer - opinions, side eye and swear words included - but still totally bursting with primary sources and serious research.
Southon’s dedication to finding the lost voices in history has resulted in the exploration of a fascinating array of sources that not only touch on what slavery was in Ancient Rome but also the thoughts, feelings and experiences of enslaved people wherever possible.
Take Amica and Detfri - two enslaved women in a household tasked with making clay roof tiles, who had imprinted their feet into the wet clay and signed the tile with their names and where they came from just for their own amusement and sense of self.
This book is a must for more fully understanding Roman society & culture, and bringing to life the people who made it possible for Roman civilisation to be so “great”.
Thanks to @hodderpress and @emmasouthon for a #gifted advanced copy of Servus for review, which is out now!
Are you a fan of this new wave of accessible, opinionated popular history? Who are your favourite writers doing it well?
May 23, 2026
4.5 stars. Interesting.
June 10, 2026
LOVE Emma Southon and LOVED this book.
March 1, 2026
Thank you so much for the proof copy!
This book is absolutely great! It’s a perfect handbook to the world of Roman slavery, from sex slaves to slaves working in mines to gladiators. Emma Southon fills the book with examples from written sources that truly paints the picture of the world of slavery.
If you enjoy reading about Roman history then this book is a must!
This book is absolutely great! It’s a perfect handbook to the world of Roman slavery, from sex slaves to slaves working in mines to gladiators. Emma Southon fills the book with examples from written sources that truly paints the picture of the world of slavery.
If you enjoy reading about Roman history then this book is a must!
July 4, 2026
Wowza, did I learn a lot!
This was a great in-depth account into how the Roman Empire was fueled and heavily relied on slavery. It was so eye opening and incredibly saddening to know how absolutely wretched the Romans were to people they deemed beneath them. It’s incredibly well researched and has some jests to make reading a bit more manageable and interesting.
Southon does a great job in dissecting how slavery was managed and the roles that a person played when enslaved. Breaking up the different roles was very easy and manageable to read and also gave a lot of insight into the horrors that they faced on an everyday basis. Truly so wild and horrific to see how much they went through and how it was all so normalized, just as in the United States.
Overall, Stanton is an incredible storyteller that keeps the reader informed but intrigued.
This was a great in-depth account into how the Roman Empire was fueled and heavily relied on slavery. It was so eye opening and incredibly saddening to know how absolutely wretched the Romans were to people they deemed beneath them. It’s incredibly well researched and has some jests to make reading a bit more manageable and interesting.
Southon does a great job in dissecting how slavery was managed and the roles that a person played when enslaved. Breaking up the different roles was very easy and manageable to read and also gave a lot of insight into the horrors that they faced on an everyday basis. Truly so wild and horrific to see how much they went through and how it was all so normalized, just as in the United States.
Overall, Stanton is an incredible storyteller that keeps the reader informed but intrigued.
May 31, 2026
"What did the Romans ever do for us?" eh. Well unfortunately they took plenty of slaves from throughout the empire & this book gives a voice to the marginalised who rarely feature in the official Roman histories. As there is precious little evidence left from those enslaved by the Romans, the experiences of some of those sold into the Transatlantic slave trade are used as a comparison to give some idea of how they may have felt.
From those taken as war booty, sold into slavery as punishment, or those who were born into slavery, & from the uprisings (including the most famous one led by Spartacus) to those who kept their heads down & tried to earn their freedom, Southon shows just how much the entire structure of Roman society depended on these people being kept in their place. It does also point out how those slaves could occasionally get their own small 'wins'.
From farm workers to those running street-side eateries (thermopolia), from gladiators to sex workers, from the lowest mill worker to the slaves of the Emperor himself, "millions of enslaved lives were unwillingly dedicated to the perpetuation of the empire that owned them". The Romans became the masters of 'divide & conquer' by fostering a sense of competition & hierarchy even amongst the enslaved & whilst many were kept in place by fear of punishment, others with more perks & the opportunity to earn manumission (freedom) looked down on those who were unable to do so.
This is extremely well written in a style that is packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn't a slog to get through. I will warn you now that the tone & dryly irreverent humour is possibly an acquired taste along with the strong language, but I absolutely loved it. It's a book I will probably re-read at some point.
SUMMARY:
Research: Excellent - Packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn’t a slog to get through.
Writing Style: Excellent - Tone & humour is probably an acquired taste, but I loved it.
Enjoyment Level: High - Absolutely loved reading this. If you don’t mind dryly irreverent humour & strong language, then give this a try.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
From those taken as war booty, sold into slavery as punishment, or those who were born into slavery, & from the uprisings (including the most famous one led by Spartacus) to those who kept their heads down & tried to earn their freedom, Southon shows just how much the entire structure of Roman society depended on these people being kept in their place. It does also point out how those slaves could occasionally get their own small 'wins'.
From farm workers to those running street-side eateries (thermopolia), from gladiators to sex workers, from the lowest mill worker to the slaves of the Emperor himself, "millions of enslaved lives were unwillingly dedicated to the perpetuation of the empire that owned them". The Romans became the masters of 'divide & conquer' by fostering a sense of competition & hierarchy even amongst the enslaved & whilst many were kept in place by fear of punishment, others with more perks & the opportunity to earn manumission (freedom) looked down on those who were unable to do so.
This is extremely well written in a style that is packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn't a slog to get through. I will warn you now that the tone & dryly irreverent humour is possibly an acquired taste along with the strong language, but I absolutely loved it. It's a book I will probably re-read at some point.
SUMMARY:
Research: Excellent - Packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn’t a slog to get through.
Writing Style: Excellent - Tone & humour is probably an acquired taste, but I loved it.
Enjoyment Level: High - Absolutely loved reading this. If you don’t mind dryly irreverent humour & strong language, then give this a try.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
June 21, 2026
3.75⭐️
A comprehensive book on the horrors slaves were subjected to during the Roman Republic and Post Augustus era. I particularly enjoyed the Servile wars section and how brave some of the slaves acted as a retaliation to this despicable system.
Most Roman History books don’t emphasise on how important slavery was to the entire system, or the perspectives of these marginalised groups. I felt this book was very good in outlining how difficult it was for slaves to actually earn their freedom with either purchasing, negotiating, meeting conditions such as birthing a number amount of children, and even when offered freedom, the senate would make it as difficult as possible for these freed slaves to obtain Roman Citizenship or the Dominus could even back out of the agreement last minute. Even after reading this, it’s difficult to contemplate how dreadful being a slave truly was, my 2026 brain cannot comprehend. I also enjoyed the humourous critique of the Roman Elites and system from the author throughout.
My issues with the book was at times certain points lacked direction, or ones that I found uninteresting dragged on for too long. I did enjoy the Servile Wars and Gladitorial sections the most, but felt these were rather short in comparison to other topics that I think could’ve occupied less of the book.
Overall very good book in which I have learned many new facts in which I previously was not aware of!
A comprehensive book on the horrors slaves were subjected to during the Roman Republic and Post Augustus era. I particularly enjoyed the Servile wars section and how brave some of the slaves acted as a retaliation to this despicable system.
Most Roman History books don’t emphasise on how important slavery was to the entire system, or the perspectives of these marginalised groups. I felt this book was very good in outlining how difficult it was for slaves to actually earn their freedom with either purchasing, negotiating, meeting conditions such as birthing a number amount of children, and even when offered freedom, the senate would make it as difficult as possible for these freed slaves to obtain Roman Citizenship or the Dominus could even back out of the agreement last minute. Even after reading this, it’s difficult to contemplate how dreadful being a slave truly was, my 2026 brain cannot comprehend. I also enjoyed the humourous critique of the Roman Elites and system from the author throughout.
My issues with the book was at times certain points lacked direction, or ones that I found uninteresting dragged on for too long. I did enjoy the Servile Wars and Gladitorial sections the most, but felt these were rather short in comparison to other topics that I think could’ve occupied less of the book.
Overall very good book in which I have learned many new facts in which I previously was not aware of!
May 15, 2026
Could not put this down…..best book on Ancient Rome I have read since SPQR….Emma Southon writes in such an accessible style with razor sharp wit, bringing the past to life
June 18, 2026
I really thought this was going to be a book highlighting how slavery made the Roman World. Showing how crucial it actually was, how the workforce was an enslaved people and how this overlooked people were finally getting the respect and dignity they deserved.
Instead we start with slavery bad, slavery evil, everyone who took part in it evil and wrong. Which is a very valid statement but does sort of leave us with nowhere to go. Context is king, and while we should absolutely acknowledge how messed up and evil slavery is, this is also a world where the author admits, slavery is as natural as breathing and how the world worked. It's not about right and wrong, its about what happened with it.
The poet Horace is mentioned frequently in this book, and always negatively, poking fun and disgust at his surviving writing which mentions slavery. Yet nowhere does the author mention that Horace is the son of a freedman, so the son of someone who was once a slave. This would surely influence his writing but then it also works against her apparent theme that anything positive could possibly arise from the Roman World. I think the fact Horace is the son of a freedman makes for an interesting debate and topic. Yet we can't go down that route.
It's also weird that maybe the most famous Roman slave of all isn't mentioned, Sporus. He was horrifically abused by Emperors no less, and his life is one of real spine chilling cruelty that seemed to know no bounds. He would have been perfect for this book, so I don't know why he wasn't used as an example of how evil slavery really was.
Every chapter just feels like an orgy of horror, as if by beating us over the head with the viciousness of an enslaved existence, we can just all blanket hate the Roman Empire.
It's also weird that aside from a couple of comments we don't really touch on Christian Roman Empire. This is too wide a title and really the majority of the book covers the late Republic/early Empire periods.
Also apparently every single historian ever before her thought Roman Slavery actually okay? I don't deny that plenty of male historians from earlier periods probably justified it, just as they did modern slavery, but I do think historian views are maybe more nuanced these days.
I did find some useful facts in here and to get an overview of just how engrained slavery was within the ancient world - because every nation practised it, but lets save our horror for the Romans alone.
And finally, swearing funny, Latin names that sound like rude words funny, ha ha ha? Remember that bit about respect and dignity at the start of this review? Yeah.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
Instead we start with slavery bad, slavery evil, everyone who took part in it evil and wrong. Which is a very valid statement but does sort of leave us with nowhere to go. Context is king, and while we should absolutely acknowledge how messed up and evil slavery is, this is also a world where the author admits, slavery is as natural as breathing and how the world worked. It's not about right and wrong, its about what happened with it.
The poet Horace is mentioned frequently in this book, and always negatively, poking fun and disgust at his surviving writing which mentions slavery. Yet nowhere does the author mention that Horace is the son of a freedman, so the son of someone who was once a slave. This would surely influence his writing but then it also works against her apparent theme that anything positive could possibly arise from the Roman World. I think the fact Horace is the son of a freedman makes for an interesting debate and topic. Yet we can't go down that route.
It's also weird that maybe the most famous Roman slave of all isn't mentioned, Sporus. He was horrifically abused by Emperors no less, and his life is one of real spine chilling cruelty that seemed to know no bounds. He would have been perfect for this book, so I don't know why he wasn't used as an example of how evil slavery really was.
Every chapter just feels like an orgy of horror, as if by beating us over the head with the viciousness of an enslaved existence, we can just all blanket hate the Roman Empire.
It's also weird that aside from a couple of comments we don't really touch on Christian Roman Empire. This is too wide a title and really the majority of the book covers the late Republic/early Empire periods.
Also apparently every single historian ever before her thought Roman Slavery actually okay? I don't deny that plenty of male historians from earlier periods probably justified it, just as they did modern slavery, but I do think historian views are maybe more nuanced these days.
I did find some useful facts in here and to get an overview of just how engrained slavery was within the ancient world - because every nation practised it, but lets save our horror for the Romans alone.
And finally, swearing funny, Latin names that sound like rude words funny, ha ha ha? Remember that bit about respect and dignity at the start of this review? Yeah.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
June 15, 2026
Emma Southon's Servus begins, with a simple, uncomfortable question: what was Roman slavery really like? Not the version in the films, the shows, the gentle novels. Rome! the Republic first, the Empire after, was built on the backs of millions of people treated as furniture. Chattel slavery: objects, not persons. You were born into it in your mother's womb, or you were made one: in war, snatched off the street, sold, condemned. And there is no single story of slavery: there are millions. People displayed for a "different" body, distant ancestors of the court jester; children and teenagers forced into sexual servitude (Tiberius on Capri isn't a spicy legend it's the abuse of enslaved minors) and the vast, nameless rest. It struck me on every page how unfair it is that only the rich stay carved into memory, like an inscription. Southon tries to give a place back even to those whose names are gone. The brilliant, terrible thing is that the cruelty comes in disguise. The masters wrote the records, so we got the Saturnalia, when for one day a slave "played" at being free (while people were handed around as gifts), and the comforting lie that "it wasn't that bad." Runaways? The lowest of the low: to flee was to break the order of the world. And those who took their own lives were strays, beasts who had "removed themselves from human affairs." Goods, never people. A few stories won't leave me. Caesar held by pirates, a fortune paid in ransom (history's little irony). The enslaved boy Augustus "saved" from Vedius Pollio and his lampreys... yet Southon never lets us call it mercy. And Constantine the "reformer": no more tattooing faces... just iron collars engraved instead. Verdict: Southon's writing is light on its feet, never walled-off academic, and now and then it makes you smile! Then you feel guilty, because irony about this is a blade. A book that takes away the alibi of "well, surely it wasn't...".
July 3, 2026
I'm a huge fan of historian Emma Southon. She's on my short list of must-buy historians when she has a new book coming out. She questions sources, she gets into the cracks of what archaeology and literature and laws have left us and works out what life would have been like for those who have been left out of so many re-tellings of history with a big H: women (A Rome of One's Own), and in Not Build in a Day, the enslaved population of the Roman Empire. And she does it all with a delightful snarky, irreverent sense of humor.
As horrifying as Roman slavery was, the layers of complexity thanks to frankly weird laws that meant the empire literally could not survive without a massive enslaved population were fascinting. I had no idea about some of the financial and legal hoops Romans built for themselves. While I knew this was a civilization that was focused on status, I'm not sure I had absorbed just what that meant about daily life: your status had status and could change depending on so many things. This included people in slavery. Enslaved people, freed people and citizens, all had so many levels of status depending on who was involved with what that it must have been exhausting.
The book breaks down into where people are enslaved (the imperial house, the city, the country, etc.) and the kind of work they are required to do, because that has massive impacts on the experience of the individual.
I can't tell you how much I think this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Roman history. Read it along side all the other histories that look at the big pictures and the big names and forget to tell you about what a Roman's daily life was like. Because this, this was daily life in Rome. You were on one side of the whip or the other, but every single person experienced this in some form every day.
Wonderfully researched, well written, another triumph for Emma Southon. I can't wait to see where she takes us next.
As horrifying as Roman slavery was, the layers of complexity thanks to frankly weird laws that meant the empire literally could not survive without a massive enslaved population were fascinting. I had no idea about some of the financial and legal hoops Romans built for themselves. While I knew this was a civilization that was focused on status, I'm not sure I had absorbed just what that meant about daily life: your status had status and could change depending on so many things. This included people in slavery. Enslaved people, freed people and citizens, all had so many levels of status depending on who was involved with what that it must have been exhausting.
The book breaks down into where people are enslaved (the imperial house, the city, the country, etc.) and the kind of work they are required to do, because that has massive impacts on the experience of the individual.
I can't tell you how much I think this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Roman history. Read it along side all the other histories that look at the big pictures and the big names and forget to tell you about what a Roman's daily life was like. Because this, this was daily life in Rome. You were on one side of the whip or the other, but every single person experienced this in some form every day.
Wonderfully researched, well written, another triumph for Emma Southon. I can't wait to see where she takes us next.
May 24, 2026
Been meaning to read an Emma Southon book for a long, long while. I'm glad I finally did! She brings a really refreshing voice to the table, she's very easy to follow, and makes for a great introduction to Ancient Roman topics, especially one as engrained into Ancient Rome and yet rarely talked about with enough weight: slavery.
A lot of people will percieve Roman slavery as "not that bad", in part because the accounts of enslaved people we have are of educated ones who were able to crawl up to the ranks of freedmen. But Servus outlines various ways in which Roman slavery was worse than we thought — of people stratified by sex and class and age, who experienced entire lifes that were so different from each other. It was really fascinating to read about how the enslaved experience wasn't a monolith, but all had their bodily autonomy stripped from them. This book captured the magnitude of slavery, how it was so tied with the economy that Ancient Romans thought it as so normal of a fact of life. At the same time, it showed how humans still aimed to live full lives with the humanity that they did have, having marriages and children and friends and finding humour and even going out drinking.
This book seems intended to be pop history with the tone employed, so anyone looking for a "serious" "academic" text should be warned of that. I personally enjoyed her style, and feel like it'd make it easier for me to recommend her books to friends who are not as invested in Ancient Rome as they'd be more likely to read through it.
So much of history writing is about "Great Men" (and Rich Women). Ancient Rome would be empty without its enslaved population, and I do feel like I have a better sense of that world after reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.
A lot of people will percieve Roman slavery as "not that bad", in part because the accounts of enslaved people we have are of educated ones who were able to crawl up to the ranks of freedmen. But Servus outlines various ways in which Roman slavery was worse than we thought — of people stratified by sex and class and age, who experienced entire lifes that were so different from each other. It was really fascinating to read about how the enslaved experience wasn't a monolith, but all had their bodily autonomy stripped from them. This book captured the magnitude of slavery, how it was so tied with the economy that Ancient Romans thought it as so normal of a fact of life. At the same time, it showed how humans still aimed to live full lives with the humanity that they did have, having marriages and children and friends and finding humour and even going out drinking.
This book seems intended to be pop history with the tone employed, so anyone looking for a "serious" "academic" text should be warned of that. I personally enjoyed her style, and feel like it'd make it easier for me to recommend her books to friends who are not as invested in Ancient Rome as they'd be more likely to read through it.
So much of history writing is about "Great Men" (and Rich Women). Ancient Rome would be empty without its enslaved population, and I do feel like I have a better sense of that world after reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve been meaning to read an Emma Southon book, so this has been a great opportunity to find my new favorite history author. I was on a five-hour plane ride and ate this book the entire time, it was that engrossing.
Not Built in a Day is informative, extremely well organized, and written in an accessible manner; it feels a bit like Southon is having a conversation with you. While the book can certainly be difficult to read at times, Southon finds time to poke at Roman enslavers and sneak in other moments of levity to balance out the bleakness of history. Even so, I appreciated that Southon didn’t sugarcoat or downplay anything. Her straightforward honesty on the uncomfortable and horrific topic of slavery in ancient Rome is effective at combating the problematically perpetual concept that Roman slavery “wasn’t so bad”.
There's obviously not much information from the enslaved themselves—any source that might have been written by them simply doesn't exist or survive. Still, Southon manages to bring these voices forward into the spotlight to share their perspectives and lives. She has written an empowering book about the millions of people across hundreds of years who never escaped their enslavement in a brutal society because they had no chance of it to begin with.
I highly recommend Not Built in a Day, and I will definitely be checking out Southon’s previous books centered on Roman topics.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC via NetGalley.
Not Built in a Day is informative, extremely well organized, and written in an accessible manner; it feels a bit like Southon is having a conversation with you. While the book can certainly be difficult to read at times, Southon finds time to poke at Roman enslavers and sneak in other moments of levity to balance out the bleakness of history. Even so, I appreciated that Southon didn’t sugarcoat or downplay anything. Her straightforward honesty on the uncomfortable and horrific topic of slavery in ancient Rome is effective at combating the problematically perpetual concept that Roman slavery “wasn’t so bad”.
There's obviously not much information from the enslaved themselves—any source that might have been written by them simply doesn't exist or survive. Still, Southon manages to bring these voices forward into the spotlight to share their perspectives and lives. She has written an empowering book about the millions of people across hundreds of years who never escaped their enslavement in a brutal society because they had no chance of it to begin with.
I highly recommend Not Built in a Day, and I will definitely be checking out Southon’s previous books centered on Roman topics.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC via NetGalley.
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April 28, 2026Copied received from NetGalley
Servus by Emma Southon, publishing in may 2026 is a detailed and explorative book discussing slavery within the Roman Empire. It tackles slavery in various settings from the home, to the farm or even imperial buildings and institutions. The book does well at illuminating the brutal world of slavery in Roman society at home and throughout the territories across the empire, whilst discussing how slavery operated to keep a steady flow of free labour and compliance. The book also discussed the servile wars, allowing us to see some of the limited examples of opposition to slavery at this time.
I found Servus to be a very interesting book which was very well researched both in general forms of slavery but also in terms of presenting individual examples of slaves, allowing them to feel all the more real. The books structure was logical and efficient, my only problem with the book really was the relaxed tone of the author. It was not a totally massive problem but I found it did partly come across as undermining the authors work and arguments. Overall, I found the book to be good, interesting and worth reading, especially if you have an interest in either the ancient world or slavery in general and are eager to learn the life behind the slave and not just how they worked within in system of slavery.
Servus by Emma Southon, publishing in may 2026 is a detailed and explorative book discussing slavery within the Roman Empire. It tackles slavery in various settings from the home, to the farm or even imperial buildings and institutions. The book does well at illuminating the brutal world of slavery in Roman society at home and throughout the territories across the empire, whilst discussing how slavery operated to keep a steady flow of free labour and compliance. The book also discussed the servile wars, allowing us to see some of the limited examples of opposition to slavery at this time.
I found Servus to be a very interesting book which was very well researched both in general forms of slavery but also in terms of presenting individual examples of slaves, allowing them to feel all the more real. The books structure was logical and efficient, my only problem with the book really was the relaxed tone of the author. It was not a totally massive problem but I found it did partly come across as undermining the authors work and arguments. Overall, I found the book to be good, interesting and worth reading, especially if you have an interest in either the ancient world or slavery in general and are eager to learn the life behind the slave and not just how they worked within in system of slavery.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I was unbelievably stoked when I saw Emma Southon had a new book coming out. I am a huge fan of her work, so I knew her book Not Built In A Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire would be something I would want to immediately dive into. Even though the subject matter felt a bit intense, I knew that Dr. Southon was the right person to dive into this less obvious aspect of Roman culture.
What I love most about this book is the author’s voice: Her writing feels like talking to your cool, smart friend who knows so much about so many things. She manages to write about history in a way that feels immediate and relatable without losing historical accuracy. In this book, she approaches a very challenging topic—the horrors of Roman (and, well, all) slavery—in a manner that is at times sobering and at other times irreverent. I don’t know how she manages to pull off this literary magic trick, but her voice makes this otherwise challenging read feel unputdownable.
I recommend this to anyone who is a lover of history, a fan of the underdog, or whose Roman Empire is the Roman Empire. We desperately need work like Dr. Southon’s to help us better understand the fullness of history, in all its raw humanity.
I was unbelievably stoked when I saw Emma Southon had a new book coming out. I am a huge fan of her work, so I knew her book Not Built In A Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire would be something I would want to immediately dive into. Even though the subject matter felt a bit intense, I knew that Dr. Southon was the right person to dive into this less obvious aspect of Roman culture.
What I love most about this book is the author’s voice: Her writing feels like talking to your cool, smart friend who knows so much about so many things. She manages to write about history in a way that feels immediate and relatable without losing historical accuracy. In this book, she approaches a very challenging topic—the horrors of Roman (and, well, all) slavery—in a manner that is at times sobering and at other times irreverent. I don’t know how she manages to pull off this literary magic trick, but her voice makes this otherwise challenging read feel unputdownable.
I recommend this to anyone who is a lover of history, a fan of the underdog, or whose Roman Empire is the Roman Empire. We desperately need work like Dr. Southon’s to help us better understand the fullness of history, in all its raw humanity.
July 2, 2026
I'm wavering between a 3 and a 4, but we'll keep it at a 4 for now.
I've liked (most) of Emma Southon's previous books, but this one didn't hit quite right. I think a critical look at Roman slavery in a pop history book IS needed and necessary, but Southon was really, really clumsy when she compared it to slavery in "the Americas" during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. First of all, if you want to say the "United States of America" just say it, don't hide it behind "the Americas" when you're mostly going to rely on examples of slavery from the USA with one or two examples from the Caribbean and Brazil thrown in. Just say it. I don't think using slave narratives is wrong for exploring the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of enslaved people, but I don't think these comparisons weren't as in-depth as I think they deserved to be. It's obvious Southon is an ancient historian, but her understanding of slavery in "the Americans" was kind of limited and it held back parts of the book. Maybe it's unfair of me, but kept waiting and waiting for her to discuss how Southern States often used slavery in Ancient Rome and Greece to *justify* slavery in the United States.
Also, like, I dunno... does everything need to be a joke and snarked on? It's an audiobook, not a podcast. Not all authors need to narrate their own audiobooks.
I've liked (most) of Emma Southon's previous books, but this one didn't hit quite right. I think a critical look at Roman slavery in a pop history book IS needed and necessary, but Southon was really, really clumsy when she compared it to slavery in "the Americas" during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. First of all, if you want to say the "United States of America" just say it, don't hide it behind "the Americas" when you're mostly going to rely on examples of slavery from the USA with one or two examples from the Caribbean and Brazil thrown in. Just say it. I don't think using slave narratives is wrong for exploring the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of enslaved people, but I don't think these comparisons weren't as in-depth as I think they deserved to be. It's obvious Southon is an ancient historian, but her understanding of slavery in "the Americans" was kind of limited and it held back parts of the book. Maybe it's unfair of me, but kept waiting and waiting for her to discuss how Southern States often used slavery in Ancient Rome and Greece to *justify* slavery in the United States.
Also, like, I dunno... does everything need to be a joke and snarked on? It's an audiobook, not a podcast. Not all authors need to narrate their own audiobooks.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
That was a really interesting book to read and I learned so much about the scale of slavery in the Roman empire (30% of the population would have been enslaved), and its diversity, not just in ethnicity (Syrian, Ethiopian, Bulgarian and British slaves all in the same household) but in status (captured slaves were seen as lesser than those who were born into slavery) and occupation (gladiators, soldiers, housekeeper but also miners, farm workers, hairdressers, accountants...) Emma Southon does a really good job showing a full picture of the reality of slavery, since the Romans liked to depict themselves as somewhat benevolent: mothers separated from their children, rape, torture, collective punishment, constant violence, backbreaking work...
It was really well researched and interesting which is why I am, like some others reviewers, puzzled by the very colloquial tone and writing. Why does an a academic like Emma Southon feel the need to write about "bad vibes" or that "it's giving" whatever... In the introduction she talks at length of her choice to refer to her subject as "enslaved people" rather than slaves, so why the jokey tone throughout? It read at times like subtitles from a TikTok video and it really undermined her great work for me.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
It was really well researched and interesting which is why I am, like some others reviewers, puzzled by the very colloquial tone and writing. Why does an a academic like Emma Southon feel the need to write about "bad vibes" or that "it's giving" whatever... In the introduction she talks at length of her choice to refer to her subject as "enslaved people" rather than slaves, so why the jokey tone throughout? It read at times like subtitles from a TikTok video and it really undermined her great work for me.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
June 30, 2026
I am never disappointed when it comes to a book by Emma Southon. She has this way of storytelling what could be a dry historical academic lecture and instead presents the subject in a witty style with comparisons throughout that relates to modern times. She doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind which makes her books all that more entertaining and thought provoking. Not Built in a Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire was a fantastic read of the dark side of the Roman Empire and how slavery became the whole way their economy functioned. Through lots of research and artifacts, Emma is able to guide the reader through the lives of many different slaves and slaveowners which was horrifying and interesting to see. Every slave revolt should have taught the Romans a thing or two but the lessons the Romans learned were not the ones they should have taken away. Even the development of the slave hierarchy was so interesting. I can’t imagine your only hopeful thought each day was to grow old and live long enough to be free upon your death. If you haven’t read a book by Emma Southon, you are missing out on so much. Make sure to read the footnotes, they offer so much insight.
Thank you, Emma Southon and Simon & Schuster for providing this e-ARC via NetGalley for review.
Thank you, Emma Southon and Simon & Schuster for providing this e-ARC via NetGalley for review.
July 2, 2026
Servus explores slavery in the roman empire in a way that is full of brutal truths and gruesome details. Southon writes about realities that will make your blood boil while tossing in wry humor and wit—though it seems wrong to say this makes a book about something as dark as slavery enjoyable, it goes a long way in making it more digestable.
Most of the sources I've read that discuss slavery in the ancient world give the perspective of those in power—the emperors, the politicians, the land owners, the philosophers—but Southon makes it a point to amplify the voices of the people who history has silenced when possible. This is mainly through the epitaphs of freed men and women after their death, and even though these records are very formulaic and give little information about day to day life, they illustrate just how important freedom was. This book is something that will stick with me long after reading it.
This is the first Southon book I've read, so catch me hastily acquiring all the others because her writing style is superb.
Thank you to @hodderbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Most of the sources I've read that discuss slavery in the ancient world give the perspective of those in power—the emperors, the politicians, the land owners, the philosophers—but Southon makes it a point to amplify the voices of the people who history has silenced when possible. This is mainly through the epitaphs of freed men and women after their death, and even though these records are very formulaic and give little information about day to day life, they illustrate just how important freedom was. This book is something that will stick with me long after reading it.
This is the first Southon book I've read, so catch me hastily acquiring all the others because her writing style is superb.
Thank you to @hodderbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Servus is one of those books where the content is so strong you just wish the delivery would just get out of its own way. Southon's research is excellent - genuinely illuminating and very good at showing how Roman slavery operated as a lived, everyday system. I came away with a much clearer sense of the social mechanics behind it all.
But the overly casual tone didn't always work for me - it's fine in short bursts, but stretched across a whole book it starts to feel repetitive and grating. It's a shame, because the underlying material is fascinating and deserves a slightly tighter, more focused approach.
Still, if you're interested in Roman social history, there's a lot here worth reading - Servus is thoughtful, well‑researched, and often eye‑opening.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
But the overly casual tone didn't always work for me - it's fine in short bursts, but stretched across a whole book it starts to feel repetitive and grating. It's a shame, because the underlying material is fascinating and deserves a slightly tighter, more focused approach.
Still, if you're interested in Roman social history, there's a lot here worth reading - Servus is thoughtful, well‑researched, and often eye‑opening.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
May 21, 2026
It is refreshing to read a book about the Roman Empire that contains so many facts that I was not aware of. Slavery and the Roman Empire go hand in hand and for years I have not given to much thought to the mechanics of there system, this book told me everything I didn't know and lots of surprising facts that I needed to know about the slaves themselves. A must read for those that are interested in the Romans But be aware that you might like them even less after reading this. Comprehensive and well written even though the context of some of the authors language is a bit unusual for a history book, quite a bit of swearing and the use of the term Vibe and Besties as in best mates) Don't let that put you off though and you will be rewarded with knowledge that you probably will not find else-ware. I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder Press for the chance to review this title.
May 27, 2026
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hooder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.
Servus takes us into the dark world of Roman slavery. It takes us through the various slaves that existed, their roles and how life was for them.
This is a fairly lengthy and detailed book but it needed to be for the subject matter. At time it had the chance to get too heavy but the author has a way of keeping you reading and not getting lost. The occasional modern terms to explain things really helped break things up. This was a fascinating read and I was interested to learn about it all. It obviously covers some dark and triggering themes but you expect that with a book like this. The book is well written and clearly well researched. A great read for anyone who enjoys the darker side of history.
Servus takes us into the dark world of Roman slavery. It takes us through the various slaves that existed, their roles and how life was for them.
This is a fairly lengthy and detailed book but it needed to be for the subject matter. At time it had the chance to get too heavy but the author has a way of keeping you reading and not getting lost. The occasional modern terms to explain things really helped break things up. This was a fascinating read and I was interested to learn about it all. It obviously covers some dark and triggering themes but you expect that with a book like this. The book is well written and clearly well researched. A great read for anyone who enjoys the darker side of history.
June 10, 2026
This book offers a highly nuanced exploration of just how diverse, cruel and pervasive slavery in Ancient Rome was, while alsi highlighting the humanity of these countless and often nameless men, women and children. I was surprised, shocked and horrified, but I learnt lot about Roman society; many details that are usually glossed over in documentaries or podcasts.
Anyone familiar with Emma Southon' podcast (‘History is sexy’) or her other books will know that her narrating style is anything but dry. On the contrary: despite the dark subject matter, it is approachable, sharp, sarcastic and witty, yet without trivialising or ridiculing the topic of slavery. Therefore, I was super happy that the read the audiobook herself!
Highly recommended!
Anyone familiar with Emma Southon' podcast (‘History is sexy’) or her other books will know that her narrating style is anything but dry. On the contrary: despite the dark subject matter, it is approachable, sharp, sarcastic and witty, yet without trivialising or ridiculing the topic of slavery. Therefore, I was super happy that the read the audiobook herself!
Highly recommended!
July 10, 2026
Absolutely brilliant! Emma brings slavery to life with wit and down to earth sweary realness I adore. Being an enslaved person sucked donkey balls, regardless if your dominus was kind, the Emperor favoured you, or your tasks relatively easy compared to mining slaves’. It’s astonishing what humans did to one another to create advantage for some that drove the expansion and wealth generation of an empire for centuries.
I’d love a follow up that looks at the demise of the Roman Empire and it’s particular brand of slavery as well as how slavery manifests today.
Great book if you want to immerse yourself in day to day life as a Roman.
I’d love a follow up that looks at the demise of the Roman Empire and it’s particular brand of slavery as well as how slavery manifests today.
Great book if you want to immerse yourself in day to day life as a Roman.
May 28, 2026
Content wise, this is a fine well researched history into the place of slaves in Roman culture and the underlying horror that slavery entailed. A book of this quality which would normally get a five star review from me.
What spoils it for me is the casual, sarcastic, profanity ladened style the author uses. This would be fine in an Irvine Welsh novel, but not in a serious work of history. The style irritated me so much that I almost didn't finish it. The only thing that kept me reading was the undeniable quality of the content.
What spoils it for me is the casual, sarcastic, profanity ladened style the author uses. This would be fine in an Irvine Welsh novel, but not in a serious work of history. The style irritated me so much that I almost didn't finish it. The only thing that kept me reading was the undeniable quality of the content.
July 10, 2026
I don’t have a special interest in Roman history beyond the wreckage from the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius. However, I am a big fan of the way Emma Southon presents Roman history to her readers and “Not Built in a Day” is no exception. I appreciated the look into the practice of Roman slavery without the attempt to make it seem better or less bad than other instances of slavery through time. And I genuinely enjoyed the peek into the real lives of the people who functioned in the bottom rung of Roman society. I highly recommend this one and I enjoyed her narration, too.
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