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Roman Life: 100 BC to AD 200
Roman Life vividly re-creates the lives and experiences of people living in the Roman Empire—not only the super-rich emperors and senators, but also ordinary citizens, merchants, slaves, and freedmen. Lavish, full-color illustrations, many made especially for this volume, invite the reader to explore all aspects of life as seen through Roman eyes, from religion, work, and the military to banqueting, funerals, and public architecture. An interactive CD-ROM provides a virtual exploration of the famous House of the Vettii—the most popular tourist attraction at Pompeii—that allows the user to experience its paintings, sculptures, and gardens as a slave, a client, a guest, or a family member, providing a deeper understanding of the complex culture of the Roman house.
No other book has gone so far in bringing the ancient Romans to life in terms the 21st century reader can understand. It turns out that the Romans were both like us and quite different. Roman Life offers a fresh look—straight on—at the many facets of this important world culture, miraculously preserved in its beautiful art and architecture.
No other book has gone so far in bringing the ancient Romans to life in terms the 21st century reader can understand. It turns out that the Romans were both like us and quite different. Roman Life offers a fresh look—straight on—at the many facets of this important world culture, miraculously preserved in its beautiful art and architecture.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
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130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 16, 2016
A history of art, politics, war, peace, architecture and daily life all swirled into one gorgeous and engrossing book that examines artifacts of the ancient Roman Empire in very present terms, delving into the very full and fascinating lives of the people we get a brief glimpse of in these relics of stone and paint.
September 2, 2014
This is a beautifully illustrated book about life in various cities in Imperial Rome (first two centuries C.E.). The author approaches the data in a way that reads more like a novel and that draws the reader into the lives of the people highlighted. It is highly readable and enjoyable, and imparts information in a painless manner. In addition, the included DVD is wonderful.
However, I could not give it five stars because of a few issues I had with the book. For example:
1. Some house plans appear in the book with each room labeled with a letter. However, there are no legends with the plans so that the reader can understand the layout of the rooms and their functions. (Pgs. 46, 105.)
2. The author labels a painting of two men in a tavern as being of gay men (p. 92). He does not provide substantial supporting information to single out these men as being gay while others in the adjacent panels are not so labelled. Without providing proof, he should simply have stated that they were two men intimidated by the "robust" bar maid.
All in all, this is a wonderful book to gain a feel for what life was like in ancient Rome. It is a great read for both a newcomer to ancient Rome and for those quite familiar with the era.
However, I could not give it five stars because of a few issues I had with the book. For example:
1. Some house plans appear in the book with each room labeled with a letter. However, there are no legends with the plans so that the reader can understand the layout of the rooms and their functions. (Pgs. 46, 105.)
2. The author labels a painting of two men in a tavern as being of gay men (p. 92). He does not provide substantial supporting information to single out these men as being gay while others in the adjacent panels are not so labelled. Without providing proof, he should simply have stated that they were two men intimidated by the "robust" bar maid.
All in all, this is a wonderful book to gain a feel for what life was like in ancient Rome. It is a great read for both a newcomer to ancient Rome and for those quite familiar with the era.
August 12, 2011
More of an Art than History book, this book might work well on a coffee table for any fan of Rome and their art. While the art and pictures are high quality, I feel like the actual information in this book is either not very useful or slightly on the dull side. There's something about the tone of the writing that did not quite sit well with me either. Overall, I liked it and found some sections to be interesting. For the cost of the book, I would definitely suggest taking a good hard look at this one before you purchase it because you can breeze through it very quickly.
June 1, 2008
Classical historian John Clarke uses well-preserved wall paintings and other artifacts to recreate the daily life of Romans and slaves in Ostia and Pompeii. I didn't care much for the vignettes he used to portray Roman life, but the images and the background information are fascinating.
April 5, 2010
Vignettes: interesting.
Pictures: good. And there were a lot of them. (This book is pretty thoroughly illustrated.)
CD-Rom: needed more instructions about how to navigate it. Interesting, however.
Final rating probably about 3.5 stars.
Pictures: good. And there were a lot of them. (This book is pretty thoroughly illustrated.)
CD-Rom: needed more instructions about how to navigate it. Interesting, however.
Final rating probably about 3.5 stars.
March 27, 2008
A nifty sourcebook on daily life in ancient Rome. Comes with a CD-ROM "virtual tour" of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii. Definitely for use in the classroom.
September 18, 2022
told in an imaginary tale about how it would have been in rome during the time of chirst. the ways of worship, work, (birth process), soldiers, sports/theater, bars, toilets/bath houses, dinner parties, and more. artwork and relics. rip. also a cd-rom.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews