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Memento Mori: What the Romans Can Tell Us About Old Age Death
In this revealing and entertaining guide to how the Romans confronted their own mortality, Peter Jones shows us that all the problems associated with old age and death that so transfix us today were already dealt with by our ancient ancestors 2,000 years ago. Romans inhabited a world where people, knowing nothing about hygiene let alone disease, had no defenses against nature. Death was everywhere. Half of all Roman children were dead by the age of five. Only 8% of the population made it over 60. One bizarre result was that half the population consisted of teenagers. From the elites' philosophical take on the brevity of life to the epitaphs left by butchers, bakers and buffoons, Memento Mori ("Remember you die") shows how the Romans faced up to this world and attempted to take the sting out of death.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
49 people are currently reading
537 people want to read
About the author
Peter V. Jones
292 books39 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Jones (sometimes credited as Peter V. Jones) is a former lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, a writer and journalist. Jones has regularly written on Classics for major newspapers, and was awarded the MBE in 1983. He is a Cambridge graduate.
Jones' popular work has been focused on introducing new generations to Ancient Rome and Greece, from newspaper columns to crossword collections, popular non-fiction, and charitable organisations devoted to helping keep Classics subjects in schools.
Peter Jones (sometimes credited as Peter V. Jones) is a former lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, a writer and journalist. Jones has regularly written on Classics for major newspapers, and was awarded the MBE in 1983. He is a Cambridge graduate.
Jones' popular work has been focused on introducing new generations to Ancient Rome and Greece, from newspaper columns to crossword collections, popular non-fiction, and charitable organisations devoted to helping keep Classics subjects in schools.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
September 25, 2021
I'm actually really disappointed in this one. My expectations were quite academic, and as a result I've been holding off on it for a while, only to find that it's full of sarcasm and quick, blasé little brush-offs as Jones races through various deaths of the classical world (despite the title, this book does not especially focus on the Romans. The Greek philosophers are also fair game.)
There's a lot of information here, but not much is really considered. It's slapdashed together with a couple of witticisms and called good.
There's a lot of information here, but not much is really considered. It's slapdashed together with a couple of witticisms and called good.
January 20, 2023
The content was interesting but the format was clunky and rough and made it hard to read and stay focused. I would have preferred if it was formatted in a more 'academic' way instead of just blocks of texts with primary sources thrown in.
March 4, 2024
Interesting wee book. Romans hold such an interest even 2000 years later.
January 15, 2020
If you're looking for a quick overview of ancient sources discussing death and old age, this is it. However, I felt the commentary rather lacking until towards the end. I expected greater contrast with the modern Western world, however it was not sufficiently built upon for my taste. I also did not find this work particularly cohesive. On the other hand, it's a quick read and as I said, might be ideal for those wanting to quote ancient sources regarding death and age.
January 12, 2026
RATING: 1*
COMPLETED: DNF @ 60+%
FORMAT: Physical Book
My book literally fell apart as I was reading it.
This was my sign from whatever gods there may be, to give up, and use the pages for something better than this book.
It was interesting and insightful at times, but this was more a compilation of opinion pieces, judging the work and stories of ancient philosophers. I wanted to read something legitimately academic.
I also HATED the way this book was laid out / formatted.. TERRIBLE.
COMPLETED: DNF @ 60+%
FORMAT: Physical Book
My book literally fell apart as I was reading it.
This was my sign from whatever gods there may be, to give up, and use the pages for something better than this book.
It was interesting and insightful at times, but this was more a compilation of opinion pieces, judging the work and stories of ancient philosophers. I wanted to read something legitimately academic.
I also HATED the way this book was laid out / formatted.. TERRIBLE.
March 14, 2021
A mishmash of ideas and very little analysis. I would love to read a more comprehensive book on this topic.
April 18, 2021
for it makes a great deal of difference whether a man is lengthening his life or his death - seneca
this was to the point, understandable, and nicely laid out in easy to read segments (unlike a lot of non-fiction books). it was really good!
we must go, i to death and you to life; but which of us is going to the better fate is known to none - socrates
a cute story:
baucis and philemon, so pleasing to the gods that they were granted any wish they liked. they asked to die together. and so it happened. one day they suddenly saw each other sprouting twigs and leaves. calling simultaneously, “farewell, my beloved,” they turned, together, into two trees, both growing from a single trunk.
this was to the point, understandable, and nicely laid out in easy to read segments (unlike a lot of non-fiction books). it was really good!
we must go, i to death and you to life; but which of us is going to the better fate is known to none - socrates
a cute story:
baucis and philemon, so pleasing to the gods that they were granted any wish they liked. they asked to die together. and so it happened. one day they suddenly saw each other sprouting twigs and leaves. calling simultaneously, “farewell, my beloved,” they turned, together, into two trees, both growing from a single trunk.
May 9, 2021
Romans never imagined they could 'fight' death. They dealt with it by facing the facts of the real world. Modern man tries to escape them.
This is such a fun book! The writing style and language makes it very accessible. And my oh my, you would not expect it from a book about death, but it is so funny at times.
I do wish it would go more in to depth at some points like the handeling of the actual bodies is something that is quite glossed over. But that is just a small point of personal critique.
This is such a fun book! The writing style and language makes it very accessible. And my oh my, you would not expect it from a book about death, but it is so funny at times.
I do wish it would go more in to depth at some points like the handeling of the actual bodies is something that is quite glossed over. But that is just a small point of personal critique.
January 10, 2022
Cato the elder is a hunk of ancient spice cake but don't forget about Pliney. Book made me excited for death in a good way
March 18, 2024
Not what I expected. Random facts summed up, no clue of what I actually read.
June 4, 2024
2.5 stars
This one feels quite slapdash, but I did gain some basic info I needed for a project, so that at least is something.
This one feels quite slapdash, but I did gain some basic info I needed for a project, so that at least is something.
April 27, 2025
Ik had m leuker verwacht. :((
September 25, 2019
3.5 stars. If you’re into both ancient Rome and death then this is right up your street. Memento Mori was enjoyable to read although a little disjointed - it reads sort of like a collection of semi related quotes and facts that haven’t been fully integrated yet to tell a cohesive story. Still, I polished it off in 48 hours so it must have done something right
December 6, 2018
[2.5-3] - Interesting little primer but reads a little disjointed, which makes it difficult to gather a general impression of Roman attitudes to death, despite a vast array of well-researched sources.
March 2, 2019
This has some interesting insights but is not what it claims to be. its anecdotal, fragmented style can't convey a coherent picture of its subject matter.
February 10, 2022
Perfect for someone in an existential crisis
September 19, 2025
In this brief book, Jones explores the cultural, symbolic, emotional, and economic nature of youth, aging, old age, and death in the ancient Roman world. He provides a plethora of sources, including a number of primary sources from the biggest names in Roman literacy, such as Cicero and Virgil, as well as the Greek thinkers that inspired the Roman mindset on these issues. Likewise, he acknowledges the limitations of their perspectives given the fact that their archeological information is what remains, likely excluding the everyday Roman's experience.
The writing of the book is engaging and friendly to both the layperson and the individual who wants to dive deeper into this subject area. For the latter, there is also a fairly ample bibliography from which one can gather further reading and sources for more exploration. Overall, the writing style is very clear and not bogged down at all by jargon (the limited amount that is in the book is amply explained by Jones). Jones also sprinkles in some British humor throughout, though it doesn't always land as well as it might with an American/non-British audience as it does with a British one.
I really enjoyed the various ways in which Jones explored aging and death in this book - from the philosophical discussions by the ancients on getting old, to the descriptions of the "good" and "bad" deaths that some historical figures faced. He also blended social, economic, and gender issues throughout this book and how they all related to death and gave a unique flavor and meaning to that experience.
There is not much in the way of critiques, with only two major things that came to my mind. First, there are a few headings and elements of the book's organization that seem superfluous and break up the text in a slightly distracting way. Second, I think that Jones missed an opportunity to explore how death and dying may have changed throughout the Empire's long history - from early Republic, to late Imperial, and even all the way to Byzantine, if one were to consider that as "Roman." This could even including teasing at how Medieval Europe made meaning of death, dying, and aging in the shadow of the fallen Western Empire.
Getting into the end of the book, Jones explores a pretty poignant thesis about how our modern world views and experiences death and how that is different from the Roman experience - namely, the fact that we so ardently seek to delay and "conquer" death by technology, makeup, and medical advancements. In the end, I think Jones is accurate in arguing that perhaps we need to heed the Romans in more fully accepting the experience of death and dying. From there, we may truly begin living.
The writing of the book is engaging and friendly to both the layperson and the individual who wants to dive deeper into this subject area. For the latter, there is also a fairly ample bibliography from which one can gather further reading and sources for more exploration. Overall, the writing style is very clear and not bogged down at all by jargon (the limited amount that is in the book is amply explained by Jones). Jones also sprinkles in some British humor throughout, though it doesn't always land as well as it might with an American/non-British audience as it does with a British one.
I really enjoyed the various ways in which Jones explored aging and death in this book - from the philosophical discussions by the ancients on getting old, to the descriptions of the "good" and "bad" deaths that some historical figures faced. He also blended social, economic, and gender issues throughout this book and how they all related to death and gave a unique flavor and meaning to that experience.
There is not much in the way of critiques, with only two major things that came to my mind. First, there are a few headings and elements of the book's organization that seem superfluous and break up the text in a slightly distracting way. Second, I think that Jones missed an opportunity to explore how death and dying may have changed throughout the Empire's long history - from early Republic, to late Imperial, and even all the way to Byzantine, if one were to consider that as "Roman." This could even including teasing at how Medieval Europe made meaning of death, dying, and aging in the shadow of the fallen Western Empire.
Getting into the end of the book, Jones explores a pretty poignant thesis about how our modern world views and experiences death and how that is different from the Roman experience - namely, the fact that we so ardently seek to delay and "conquer" death by technology, makeup, and medical advancements. In the end, I think Jones is accurate in arguing that perhaps we need to heed the Romans in more fully accepting the experience of death and dying. From there, we may truly begin living.
May 26, 2025
This book was as delightful an exploration of aging and dying in a particular culture at a particular time as is possible, I think. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Yes, it's breezy and episodic and not an academic treatment of the topic - which makes it an easy, fun read. But, don't think that there is not a point to the book: Dr. Jones makes some pretty cogent distinctions between our current post-Christian Western culture's absolute refusal to engage meaningfully with aging and death and the pre-Christian ancients' practical ways of dealing with the inevitability of their own mortality. Spoiler: the current culture's take comes across as sniveling cowardice after the generally noble approach of the pagan Romans.
Probably my two favorite chapters were Chapter Six, "Exemplary and Ignominious Deaths" and Chapter Nine, "Epitaphs and the Afterlife." In Chapter Six, we're treated to sketches of three men and three women whose deaths either ennobled their earthly lives or shrouded them in pusillanimity. Fun, especially, since by this time, even if you hadn't read Tacitus' Annals , you know of his murderous sprees against far more admirable souls, was to read of Nero's whimpering and whining way toward oblivion. A good har-har there.
Chapter Nine's epitaphs, though, will truly put the face of humanity on all the of Romans' reputed reserve and staid stoicism. Husbands remembering wives, wives remembering husbands, the ache of a father memorializing his daughter, the ruins of glory attached to the honored dead ... humor and pathos rule together in this selection given from tombs littering the roads into the Eternal City. What a treasure! And how interesting to see the hope of Christianity poking through the garb of paganism toward the final epitaphs.
In the end, this book left me grateful to be a Catholic Christian, beholden not to the gods of modernity nor to the gods of the ancients, but rather holding fast to the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. Though I should die, I shall live. I believe this.
Yes, it's breezy and episodic and not an academic treatment of the topic - which makes it an easy, fun read. But, don't think that there is not a point to the book: Dr. Jones makes some pretty cogent distinctions between our current post-Christian Western culture's absolute refusal to engage meaningfully with aging and death and the pre-Christian ancients' practical ways of dealing with the inevitability of their own mortality. Spoiler: the current culture's take comes across as sniveling cowardice after the generally noble approach of the pagan Romans.
Probably my two favorite chapters were Chapter Six, "Exemplary and Ignominious Deaths" and Chapter Nine, "Epitaphs and the Afterlife." In Chapter Six, we're treated to sketches of three men and three women whose deaths either ennobled their earthly lives or shrouded them in pusillanimity. Fun, especially, since by this time, even if you hadn't read Tacitus' Annals , you know of his murderous sprees against far more admirable souls, was to read of Nero's whimpering and whining way toward oblivion. A good har-har there.
Chapter Nine's epitaphs, though, will truly put the face of humanity on all the of Romans' reputed reserve and staid stoicism. Husbands remembering wives, wives remembering husbands, the ache of a father memorializing his daughter, the ruins of glory attached to the honored dead ... humor and pathos rule together in this selection given from tombs littering the roads into the Eternal City. What a treasure! And how interesting to see the hope of Christianity poking through the garb of paganism toward the final epitaphs.
In the end, this book left me grateful to be a Catholic Christian, beholden not to the gods of modernity nor to the gods of the ancients, but rather holding fast to the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. Though I should die, I shall live. I believe this.
November 15, 2024
“Herein lies the main difference between today’s world and the Romans: Romans never imagined they could ‘fight’ death. They dealt with it by facing the hard facts of the real world. Modern man tries to escape them.”
Peter Jones’s Memento Mori provides a wellspring of information about the ancient world’s approach to death. While fascinating, this book feels more like a collection of historical facts than an argumentative history. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Jones’s approach, but it leans more conversational—upbeat and easy to digest—than academic.
Jones explores ancient perspectives on youth, old age, death, and the philosophical differences that emerged in the Greco-Roman world. Although the book claims to focus on Roman culture, there is inevitable overlap with Greek thought, which feels natural rather than distracting.
I particularly enjoyed Jones’s commentary on Roman philosophies of death and how he categorized them, though I found his analysis somewhat lacking in depth. That said, his use of primary sources—tomb markers, ancient texts, poems, epics, and more—adds texture and compensates for the book’s lack of a strong historical argument.
Ultimately, Memento Mori seems designed to prompt the reader to reflect on death and aging. If that was Jones’s goal, he executed it perfectly.
Peter Jones’s Memento Mori provides a wellspring of information about the ancient world’s approach to death. While fascinating, this book feels more like a collection of historical facts than an argumentative history. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Jones’s approach, but it leans more conversational—upbeat and easy to digest—than academic.
Jones explores ancient perspectives on youth, old age, death, and the philosophical differences that emerged in the Greco-Roman world. Although the book claims to focus on Roman culture, there is inevitable overlap with Greek thought, which feels natural rather than distracting.
I particularly enjoyed Jones’s commentary on Roman philosophies of death and how he categorized them, though I found his analysis somewhat lacking in depth. That said, his use of primary sources—tomb markers, ancient texts, poems, epics, and more—adds texture and compensates for the book’s lack of a strong historical argument.
Ultimately, Memento Mori seems designed to prompt the reader to reflect on death and aging. If that was Jones’s goal, he executed it perfectly.
March 30, 2021
Memento Mori (lit. "remember you die") is a small book in terms of trim size and number of pages, but it offers valuable advice and insight into aging and dying. Author Peter Jones includes the Greek thinkers and poets as well as Roman ones, and a generous selection of Roman epitaphs. The epitaphs fall into two main groups, those addressed to travelers or passersby, with pleas to remember the deceased or warnings that they will suffer the same fate, and those that memorialize a wife. I found the latter quite touching -- the wife is invariably described as faithful, chaste, a good homemaker and hard worker. One can feel the husband's love and appreciation in these epitaphs.
On pp. 134-5, the author distills Greco-Roman advice on a happier old age: have a sense of purpose; keep working on things that have interested you; exercise the brain (reading, writing); learn new things; converse regularly with friends; moderate exercise, food and drink; accept your limitations; acknowledge it is good that death awaits you. We who are close to or already in old age today would do well to follow it.
On pp. 134-5, the author distills Greco-Roman advice on a happier old age: have a sense of purpose; keep working on things that have interested you; exercise the brain (reading, writing); learn new things; converse regularly with friends; moderate exercise, food and drink; accept your limitations; acknowledge it is good that death awaits you. We who are close to or already in old age today would do well to follow it.
September 25, 2020
This book has got a bit of a hectic structure, but I enjoyed short sections which were always straight to the point. Excellent were also informed guesses about the structure of Roman population and the multitude of aspects of death in the Roman Empire (culture, funerals, beliefs, afterlife, good vs bad death, etc.)
Fun fact 1:
Romans did not adopt babies, but they adopted grown-up males if they felt that the family would benefit from it. It happened most often when there were no sons, or the existing sons did not have successful careers.
Fun fact 2:
Ancient Rome was a paradise for ancient conmen who could go legacy-hunting. They were seeking old, rich, and childless and were convincing them to give them their wealth after death.
Fun fact 3:
The ancients perceived life as a stage, and one could put on and take off many masks during one's lifetime. The word 'person' derives from Latin persona: 'stage mask, character in a play'.
Fun fact 1:
Romans did not adopt babies, but they adopted grown-up males if they felt that the family would benefit from it. It happened most often when there were no sons, or the existing sons did not have successful careers.
Fun fact 2:
Ancient Rome was a paradise for ancient conmen who could go legacy-hunting. They were seeking old, rich, and childless and were convincing them to give them their wealth after death.
Fun fact 3:
The ancients perceived life as a stage, and one could put on and take off many masks during one's lifetime. The word 'person' derives from Latin persona: 'stage mask, character in a play'.
December 28, 2025
This felt like the kind of book that you buy for someone having a milestone birthday, i.e., "Congrats, you're turning 50, here's something you can peruse while you're on the toilet, old man!" Every (and I mean every) paragraph has a header. Many paragraphs have bullet points. The book is under 200 pages, and it seems the author struggled to fill even that, with the amount of dead space on every page.
It's a shame, because a lot of the content is very interesting! The chapter on Cicero's Cato Maior de Senectute convinced me that I need to go read the whole thing. I also enjoyed the chapter on epitaphs, many of which were quite witty (e.g., I lived as I wanted. Why I am dead, I have no idea). I would really love to read a book that approaches this subject from a more academic standpoint versus whatever this is (I'm still not sure of the target audience here).
It's a shame, because a lot of the content is very interesting! The chapter on Cicero's Cato Maior de Senectute convinced me that I need to go read the whole thing. I also enjoyed the chapter on epitaphs, many of which were quite witty (e.g., I lived as I wanted. Why I am dead, I have no idea). I would really love to read a book that approaches this subject from a more academic standpoint versus whatever this is (I'm still not sure of the target audience here).
December 24, 2024
There's a couple of problems with this book:
- what is this trying to be? For a popular historical nonfiction it lacks context, for a more scientific approach it lacks, well... A scientific approach.
- no footnotes anywhere, but statements such as "One scholar states..." or "It is said that..." Who's saying these things? I want to verify where the information comes from, but I can't. The book does contain a bibliography, but without footnotes, I still can't easily verify the information.
- this book is so chopped up and full of separate segments it might as well be a blog. It lacks an overall coherent narrative, doubles back on itself, repeats information and overall... It really lacks depth.
I'm disappointed... this could have been very interesting!
- what is this trying to be? For a popular historical nonfiction it lacks context, for a more scientific approach it lacks, well... A scientific approach.
- no footnotes anywhere, but statements such as "One scholar states..." or "It is said that..." Who's saying these things? I want to verify where the information comes from, but I can't. The book does contain a bibliography, but without footnotes, I still can't easily verify the information.
- this book is so chopped up and full of separate segments it might as well be a blog. It lacks an overall coherent narrative, doubles back on itself, repeats information and overall... It really lacks depth.
I'm disappointed... this could have been very interesting!
January 6, 2024
Gives a glimpse into the life of the Romans. I would have liked more analysis from the author about the snippets provided from many different sources. Each source snippet was interesting but as someone with very little knowledge of the period some more context would have really benefited me.
Felt more like a book that you would read on the loo with each page being independent of any other page.
My favourite snippets:
‘Are you lengthening your life - or your death?’ - Seneca (65 AD)
‘If we were never going to die, I might not hug you quite as often, or as tight’ - Wendy Cope (To my Husband)
Felt more like a book that you would read on the loo with each page being independent of any other page.
My favourite snippets:
‘Are you lengthening your life - or your death?’ - Seneca (65 AD)
‘If we were never going to die, I might not hug you quite as often, or as tight’ - Wendy Cope (To my Husband)
March 13, 2023
3.5/5 ⭐
This book was very fun and unique, and covered some great themes. The ideas about Roman epitaphs, religion and myth, and people's views of old age were all really well done. However, because of the books "subheading" structure, it also felt incredibly disjointed: some sections, a paragraph long, just felt shoehorned in, while others went on for way too long and strayed off topic. It disrupted the flow of each chapter and made it really hard to keep track of things.
Overall, an interesting book, but felt for the most part very muddled.
This book was very fun and unique, and covered some great themes. The ideas about Roman epitaphs, religion and myth, and people's views of old age were all really well done. However, because of the books "subheading" structure, it also felt incredibly disjointed: some sections, a paragraph long, just felt shoehorned in, while others went on for way too long and strayed off topic. It disrupted the flow of each chapter and made it really hard to keep track of things.
Overall, an interesting book, but felt for the most part very muddled.
February 7, 2024
As others have said it is formatted somewhat unusually, but I didn’t actually mind this, I found it broke up the information quite well as long paragraphs wouldn’t have been needed on certain sections. What let me down somewhat is the actual information; while some is very useful and factual, there were other bits such as his mention of Caesar which don’t hold up with current academic theories or evidence, which surprised me coming from Dr. Jones. In addition, his humour started off pleasant but quickly became repetitive and unprofessional in a tiresome way. Overall still worth a read.
April 18, 2019
I choose this book because I'm in a reading challenge program. I needed a book with an ugly cover. This was the closet I could get to with a text that I thought I could appreciate. It was much more fascinating than I would have guessed. There were some strong women mentioned that supported their husbands one way or another, their were wimpy guys afraid of death and strong men that took old age and death in their stride. It was an easy read and I'm glad that I found it.
April 8, 2025
Broken into many pieces, sometimes does not make for the best continuous reading. Brings in many ideas, and sources surrounding the theme of death which I liked.
I found the start to not really motivate me to read, but as I read more and more I started enjoying it more.
I would recommend reading this, but perseverance is key. Though it's not a like must read, it's a read if you are lost for ideas in a sense.
4(3.5)/5
I found the start to not really motivate me to read, but as I read more and more I started enjoying it more.
I would recommend reading this, but perseverance is key. Though it's not a like must read, it's a read if you are lost for ideas in a sense.
4(3.5)/5
June 1, 2025
I read this book because my beloved cat passed away and I needed something on this topic to help understand the world. This particular book was mediocre, in a general sense regarding the topic. Not much depth, but some interesting bits. Relatively quick read, since the chapters are pretty short and digestible. I would not necessarily recommend it to many people, but if you would like to try it skim the first chapter and see if it is something you would like to stick with in the long term.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews