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A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome
An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in Ancient Rome from author Emma Southon, cohost of the History is Sexy podcast.
“I love this funny, scholarly, erudite, irreverent book.� —Sarah Perry, national bestselling author of The Essex Serpent
In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered.
But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome’s darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.
“I love this funny, scholarly, erudite, irreverent book.� —Sarah Perry, national bestselling author of The Essex Serpent
In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered.
But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome’s darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2020
752 people are currently reading
15455 people want to read
About the author
Emma Southon
6books532followersDr. 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 973 reviews
December 18, 2022
Why I chose to listen to this audiobook:
1. the title caught my eye a while back when I was perusing ŷ; and,
2. May 2022 is "Nonfiction Month" for me.
Praises:
1. very early in the book, author defines the difference between "homicide" and "murder". I found this information most interesting and helpful;
2. various deaths from Roman historical records are detailed here, including those involving the imperial court, parricide (the killing of one's parent), spouses, children, and slaves;
3. Southon explains the role of gladiators - who they were, where they were from and the particulars of how they actually fought and died in the arena;
4. various chapters include the methods of death imposed upon some people (e.g. poison, fearsome beasts, crucifixion, etc.); and,
5. something to think about - why some murderous deaths were considered entertainment and why some were considered tasteless; why some murderers were punished publicly yet others were dealt with privately by the family.
Niggles:
1. sometimes the tone just sounded too flippant for the theme of this book; and,
2. I enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor, but the profanity throughout the book really threw me and sounded incredibly crass, especially while being narrated by a woman with a proper British accent. I'm no prude, but vulgarity seems out-of-place in a nonfiction book about death.
If you are into Roman history and don't mind the sporadic F-bomb, then check this book out!
1. the title caught my eye a while back when I was perusing ŷ; and,
2. May 2022 is "Nonfiction Month" for me.
Praises:
1. very early in the book, author defines the difference between "homicide" and "murder". I found this information most interesting and helpful;
2. various deaths from Roman historical records are detailed here, including those involving the imperial court, parricide (the killing of one's parent), spouses, children, and slaves;
3. Southon explains the role of gladiators - who they were, where they were from and the particulars of how they actually fought and died in the arena;
4. various chapters include the methods of death imposed upon some people (e.g. poison, fearsome beasts, crucifixion, etc.); and,
5. something to think about - why some murderous deaths were considered entertainment and why some were considered tasteless; why some murderers were punished publicly yet others were dealt with privately by the family.
Niggles:
1. sometimes the tone just sounded too flippant for the theme of this book; and,
2. I enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor, but the profanity throughout the book really threw me and sounded incredibly crass, especially while being narrated by a woman with a proper British accent. I'm no prude, but vulgarity seems out-of-place in a nonfiction book about death.
If you are into Roman history and don't mind the sporadic F-bomb, then check this book out!
May 2, 2022
My thanks to Abrams press, Emma Southon and Netgalley. I'm always interested in those scheming Romans! They accomplished so much yet are thoroughly repugnant. Emma Southon did a fantastic job with her research. I was actually kind of amazed at how she made this book relatable to an average Josephine like me! Also, she is funny. She has this quiet and gentle sarcasm. She had me grinning often with her quiet asides. Unfortunately, the murders and unproved deaths eventually became tedious. I would still recommend this book. I made it to around 60%. All the murder of slaves was awful. Kill the 1%! But then blame it on a witch or a female poisoner.
February 6, 2025
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a deliciously wicked look at the interesting topic of murder in Ancient Rome. Emma Southon is an ancient history academic with an engaging, often irreverent style.
Once we get the difference between homicide and murder out of the way, Southon takes us through chapters such as:
Murder in the Senate - such as Julius Caesar’s demise. The most infamous example of murder in antiquity. There was a great deal of blood shed in the senate over the centuries.
Roman Law - interestingly, was a bit quiet on murder as a crime. It wasn’t until Hadrian when it was mentioned in law (117 � 138 CE). The author described Rome’s attitude to those in the lower classes, the lowest of the low � like slaves. They were already considered ‘dead.� Like a chair. Actors, prostitutes, barkeepers and the like, only marginally above slaves, didn’t fare much better. The rich could hack away at these people as much as they wanted, the state just did not care.
Murder in the Family - A punishment for patricide included the offender being beaten with blood-coloured rods, then put into a sack with a dog, a monkey, a cockerel (that’s the scariest thing for me) and a snake. Wow, what an effort. The Romans were creative to be sure.
Murder in the Imperial House - this was one of my favourite chapters. As history was written by men, rich men, the senatorial class � these cases are well documented. Livia (Augustus’s wife) � stars here. She is accused of killing Marcellus, her step-grandchildren Lucius and Gaius Ceasar, Augustus (yes, him), and another step-grandchild, Agrippa Posthumus. All this to clear the way for her son, the deviant, drab, dour, drongo, Tiberius, to become Emperor. Remember, history was written by rich men � it would be wonderful to learn Livia’s account.
Anyway � that’s a small snapshot of the chapters available here. There’s plenty, plenty more. We learn about the Roman fascination with torture. Publicly visible torture is a deterrent of course.
The Roman State killed people on a truly industrial scale.
Herodes Atticus, a rich, of Greek origin, master builder, writer, well connected, consul, cruel, avaricious, violent, wicked, worthless, disloyal son, tyrannical leader, and a murderer.
Atticus was responsible for the murder of Regilla, his wife. This occurred during her sixth pregnancy, after sixteen years of marriage. The poor woman was beaten and kicked to death, for some ‘small slight,� the kick caused her to go into labour when she dies horribly and slowly, in pain, blood, and humiliation. These monsters were everywhere � killing without personal consequence.
Something that surprised me - If a slave was found to have killed his or her master/owner. They were put to death, cruelly. But unbelievably every other slave in the household was also put to death � including children. One story quoted in this book � involved a slave owner being killed by a slave, he had four hundred slaves, all of them had to pay the price.
Southon’s style is not only well informed, but also irreverent � at some times I must admit, I felt a little conflicted about some of the humour here � after all we are talking about murder and mass killings in some instances. But, once I understood this is Southon’s style, and what she had to say is incredibly important, interesting too � I strapped in for the ride and learned a lot and enjoyed this very much.
5 Stars
Once we get the difference between homicide and murder out of the way, Southon takes us through chapters such as:
Murder in the Senate - such as Julius Caesar’s demise. The most infamous example of murder in antiquity. There was a great deal of blood shed in the senate over the centuries.
Roman Law - interestingly, was a bit quiet on murder as a crime. It wasn’t until Hadrian when it was mentioned in law (117 � 138 CE). The author described Rome’s attitude to those in the lower classes, the lowest of the low � like slaves. They were already considered ‘dead.� Like a chair. Actors, prostitutes, barkeepers and the like, only marginally above slaves, didn’t fare much better. The rich could hack away at these people as much as they wanted, the state just did not care.
Murder in the Family - A punishment for patricide included the offender being beaten with blood-coloured rods, then put into a sack with a dog, a monkey, a cockerel (that’s the scariest thing for me) and a snake. Wow, what an effort. The Romans were creative to be sure.
Murder in the Imperial House - this was one of my favourite chapters. As history was written by men, rich men, the senatorial class � these cases are well documented. Livia (Augustus’s wife) � stars here. She is accused of killing Marcellus, her step-grandchildren Lucius and Gaius Ceasar, Augustus (yes, him), and another step-grandchild, Agrippa Posthumus. All this to clear the way for her son, the deviant, drab, dour, drongo, Tiberius, to become Emperor. Remember, history was written by rich men � it would be wonderful to learn Livia’s account.
Anyway � that’s a small snapshot of the chapters available here. There’s plenty, plenty more. We learn about the Roman fascination with torture. Publicly visible torture is a deterrent of course.
The Roman State killed people on a truly industrial scale.
Herodes Atticus, a rich, of Greek origin, master builder, writer, well connected, consul, cruel, avaricious, violent, wicked, worthless, disloyal son, tyrannical leader, and a murderer.
Atticus was responsible for the murder of Regilla, his wife. This occurred during her sixth pregnancy, after sixteen years of marriage. The poor woman was beaten and kicked to death, for some ‘small slight,� the kick caused her to go into labour when she dies horribly and slowly, in pain, blood, and humiliation. These monsters were everywhere � killing without personal consequence.
Something that surprised me - If a slave was found to have killed his or her master/owner. They were put to death, cruelly. But unbelievably every other slave in the household was also put to death � including children. One story quoted in this book � involved a slave owner being killed by a slave, he had four hundred slaves, all of them had to pay the price.
Southon’s style is not only well informed, but also irreverent � at some times I must admit, I felt a little conflicted about some of the humour here � after all we are talking about murder and mass killings in some instances. But, once I understood this is Southon’s style, and what she had to say is incredibly important, interesting too � I strapped in for the ride and learned a lot and enjoyed this very much.
5 Stars
February 28, 2021
I worried from the title and first few pages that this might prove too flippant and shallow from me, but I was wrong to worry. I quickly settled into it, and it’s obvious that Southon knows her stuff, takes deep joy in it, and knows where she can skimp on explanations a bit in order to get to the meat of things. She gives a lot of context without getting too bogged down in it, while telegraphing that the point is coming; if you really hate comments like “bear with me, we’re getting to the good stuff�, then it won’t work for you� but mostly, I thought she did a really good job.
The idea of a book about murder in Rome gave me a bit of pause, since I didn’t think they really had such a concept� and indeed, I was right, and Southon acknowledges that it’s a very modern way to interrogate these sources, and that in many of the cases described, no one batted an eyelid (the murder of slaves, particularly). As she says, though, the deaths and the attitudes to those deaths still tell us a lot about Roman society and the place of various people within it.
I was intrigued by the topic, but didn’t expect to find it a pageturner; that it was says something about how engaging Southon’s writing was. I found it deeply enjoyable � particularly as it was one of those books that had me turning to my wife to delightedly ask ‘did you know?� and read bits out or wave my hands excitedly as I connected up bits and shared the fun.
The idea of a book about murder in Rome gave me a bit of pause, since I didn’t think they really had such a concept� and indeed, I was right, and Southon acknowledges that it’s a very modern way to interrogate these sources, and that in many of the cases described, no one batted an eyelid (the murder of slaves, particularly). As she says, though, the deaths and the attitudes to those deaths still tell us a lot about Roman society and the place of various people within it.
I was intrigued by the topic, but didn’t expect to find it a pageturner; that it was says something about how engaging Southon’s writing was. I found it deeply enjoyable � particularly as it was one of those books that had me turning to my wife to delightedly ask ‘did you know?� and read bits out or wave my hands excitedly as I connected up bits and shared the fun.
May 4, 2021
Two points or three? Not normally a question I face with this type of book.
Emma Southon has a PhD in history and works in a bookstore, for reasons that become obvious very quickly. Her combination of snark, sarcasm, and superiority don't really sit very well with me, and I doubt they'd sit very well in a university history department.
The subject is a good one, and she generally keeps it interesting, but after half the book has passed the death and sniggering start to get increasingly tedious. Too much of it is not history: it's her opinions. I'm as left wing as anyone - probably farther to the left than Southon - but this is the kind of book even I think of as way, way too "woke," to use the hideous modern term so beloved of the fascist right. You're not writing about Trump or BoJo, Emma, you're writing about Tiberius. Her continuous use of her favorite phrases - "swivel eyed" recurs constantly - heaps on irritation.
Maybe it's just not my style. I picked up her book on Agrippina a year ago and put it right back down because it just grated. I think she can do better than this just by toning it down a little.
Emma Southon has a PhD in history and works in a bookstore, for reasons that become obvious very quickly. Her combination of snark, sarcasm, and superiority don't really sit very well with me, and I doubt they'd sit very well in a university history department.
The subject is a good one, and she generally keeps it interesting, but after half the book has passed the death and sniggering start to get increasingly tedious. Too much of it is not history: it's her opinions. I'm as left wing as anyone - probably farther to the left than Southon - but this is the kind of book even I think of as way, way too "woke," to use the hideous modern term so beloved of the fascist right. You're not writing about Trump or BoJo, Emma, you're writing about Tiberius. Her continuous use of her favorite phrases - "swivel eyed" recurs constantly - heaps on irritation.
Maybe it's just not my style. I picked up her book on Agrippina a year ago and put it right back down because it just grated. I think she can do better than this just by toning it down a little.
Read
July 9, 2023I just love picking up niche nonfictions.
This one in particular was educational, witty, and equally horrifying to read about ancient murders in senate rooms, the streets of Rome, and households between relatives or their slaves.
It not only taught me about the plethora of murders between politicians but also the gruesome punishments enacted against women for having affairs or being accused of being a witch. Each chapter highlighted different types of murders and were incredibly insightful and jaw-dropping to realize how cruel it was to live in Rome back then. Truly no one was safe from the crimes that were committed in broad daylight.
Told through sarcastic and a conversational tone, this accessible read opened my eyes to how unstable and violent Roman society was and how it isn’t surprising that it eventually met its downfall.
This one in particular was educational, witty, and equally horrifying to read about ancient murders in senate rooms, the streets of Rome, and households between relatives or their slaves.
It not only taught me about the plethora of murders between politicians but also the gruesome punishments enacted against women for having affairs or being accused of being a witch. Each chapter highlighted different types of murders and were incredibly insightful and jaw-dropping to realize how cruel it was to live in Rome back then. Truly no one was safe from the crimes that were committed in broad daylight.
Told through sarcastic and a conversational tone, this accessible read opened my eyes to how unstable and violent Roman society was and how it isn’t surprising that it eventually met its downfall.
December 18, 2021
“Fܳ�
“Yada yada yada�
“I just googled it�
“It was boring�
“And they were, absolutely, the bad guys.�
“Fuck with the senate�
“The bad guys were winning and loving it�
“Went full Shaggy�
“Best friends forever�
“Unprecedented and ballsy as fuck�
“Fuck with Cicero�
”pretty big fucking deal�
“Which is laugh out loud hilarious�
“Pretty baller response�
In addition to her basic Twitter vocabulary (referencing Mean Girls, etc) that the previous examples are evidence of, she felt the need to remind us that women and slaves were treated badly in Ancient Rome quite frequently. WHO KNEW?!
This should not have been published. Imagine actually writing a book about an ancient civilization and unironically projecting your 21st century morality on them, calling personas the “bad guys� and criticizing the biases of ancient historians while using their histories to project your own [idiotic] biases. Yes, this book was solely made to capitalize on the commercial success of true crime (she was explicit about this in the beginning of the book), but it’s an insult to one’s intelligence. Embarrassingly so.
Recommended solely for people who enjoy reality television and have no interest in understanding the past.
“Yada yada yada�
“I just googled it�
“It was boring�
“And they were, absolutely, the bad guys.�
“Fuck with the senate�
“The bad guys were winning and loving it�
“Went full Shaggy�
“Best friends forever�
“Unprecedented and ballsy as fuck�
“Fuck with Cicero�
”pretty big fucking deal�
“Which is laugh out loud hilarious�
“Pretty baller response�
In addition to her basic Twitter vocabulary (referencing Mean Girls, etc) that the previous examples are evidence of, she felt the need to remind us that women and slaves were treated badly in Ancient Rome quite frequently. WHO KNEW?!
This should not have been published. Imagine actually writing a book about an ancient civilization and unironically projecting your 21st century morality on them, calling personas the “bad guys� and criticizing the biases of ancient historians while using their histories to project your own [idiotic] biases. Yes, this book was solely made to capitalize on the commercial success of true crime (she was explicit about this in the beginning of the book), but it’s an insult to one’s intelligence. Embarrassingly so.
Recommended solely for people who enjoy reality television and have no interest in understanding the past.
June 20, 2022
This was a fun read, very interesting, and travels through law and order under the Romans, but also much more. Be ready for a few four letter words along the way if they offend! The narrator is just perfect, and handles the humour and the prose well. I really enjoyed it.
June 2, 2021
A conversational, humorous history of murder in ancient Rome. Given the breadth of the topic, the book remains anecdotal, but still interesting. In tone, it reminds me of listening to one of your funnier friends who is deeply passionate about a special interest who is telling some story after a few glasses of wine and peppers in more than a few TV references and says fuck every so often to emphasize their point. I don't understand all of the TV references, I admit, and they may age worse than the Roman history - but that is a minor point to make.
What Southon emphasizes here is that the Romans, while still vaguely imitated in their architecture and referenced in many words in the English language - held wildly different belief systems and customs than most of us today. These were people who crucified dogs and had patricides sewn up in a sack and thrown in the river. This was also a society with an alien, perhaps unrecognizable - view on the value or lack of value of human life. They had emotions and passions, but our liberty is not theirs. That can be why classical antiquity, broadly defined, can be so fascinating - and Southon hits the nail on the head. Or hands and feet.
What Southon emphasizes here is that the Romans, while still vaguely imitated in their architecture and referenced in many words in the English language - held wildly different belief systems and customs than most of us today. These were people who crucified dogs and had patricides sewn up in a sack and thrown in the river. This was also a society with an alien, perhaps unrecognizable - view on the value or lack of value of human life. They had emotions and passions, but our liberty is not theirs. That can be why classical antiquity, broadly defined, can be so fascinating - and Southon hits the nail on the head. Or hands and feet.
May 27, 2021
I would love to 4 star this book, unfortunately this book is filled with unfunny, uninsightful, bland humor attempts. I am reading this book about history for history, writings such as " Today's lesson: don't fuck with the sacred chickens." and " I'm sorry but it involves a lot of politics and chat about land reform policies and its awful. We can get through this together; I believe in us." Break up the pace of the book as well as breaks my immersion. I don't know if she's pandering to people with low attention spans or is just trying to be funny but it fails, I bought this book specifically to learn about Roman politics seeing as how she states multiple times its an important factor. I love the parts where she's not trying to be funny or whatever that is, its very informative and interesting to read. Without these attempts at comedy id give it 4 stars but I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't say it genuinely does take away from the experience.
Read
October 24, 2021I sadly did not get to finish this book as it had to be sent back to the library :( I was especially interested in the women murderers and poisoners (or “witches� they were sometimes termed).
What I was able to read of this book was very interesting, suffused with facts and witty remarks, and might have to order my own copy instead !
What I was able to read of this book was very interesting, suffused with facts and witty remarks, and might have to order my own copy instead !
Read
June 1, 2023so this was the first nonfiction book that i’ve picked up that wasn’t a memoir since, well, school. and I won’t lie, it was tough for me, just because I think i’m still learning how to enjoy nonfiction for myself.
but this was a really amazing book, and one I highly recommend. the author’s voice was fun and conversational and made the overwhelming chaos of ancient rome feel approachable. a good thing to note, however, is that this isn’t a great intro to ancient rome. it definitely expects you to have at least a general idea of some of the more well-known names and their history.
also it’s not organized by timeline, but by topic. and the timeline and family connections of the emperors was something we were either expected to know or to pick up on quickly during its brief mentions. and with the way MY brain works, I struggled a bit with this element and definitely could’ve used a visual timeline resource in the front or back.
but overall, this book was so much fun. I absolutely want to read more of this author’s work, and as long as you’re not an absolute beginner to the world of ancient rome, I definitely recommend giving this book a go.
but this was a really amazing book, and one I highly recommend. the author’s voice was fun and conversational and made the overwhelming chaos of ancient rome feel approachable. a good thing to note, however, is that this isn’t a great intro to ancient rome. it definitely expects you to have at least a general idea of some of the more well-known names and their history.
also it’s not organized by timeline, but by topic. and the timeline and family connections of the emperors was something we were either expected to know or to pick up on quickly during its brief mentions. and with the way MY brain works, I struggled a bit with this element and definitely could’ve used a visual timeline resource in the front or back.
but overall, this book was so much fun. I absolutely want to read more of this author’s work, and as long as you’re not an absolute beginner to the world of ancient rome, I definitely recommend giving this book a go.
December 13, 2021
Sensationalised garbage by a brainpoisoned true crime fan—somewhat surprised to learn Southon has a PhD (even if only from a British university), not at all that she has a podcast.
Many of the basic facts of most of her anecdotes, when they describe actual events and aren't just fictions presented as fact, are basically correct—her pop culture-soaked writing style is so insufferable they feel wrong anyway, and for every misconception she purports to correct there are a dozen more she happily perpetuates, either implicitly or explicitly. Political assassinations didn't begin with Tiberius Gracchus, Roman conceptions of purity weren't meaningfully concerned with female virginity outside of some very specific religious contexts, Socrates (not a Roman, admittedly) was not executed for saying there are no gods, Christian persecution was not an especially big feature of any era of the Roman Empire and was never about their monotheism, crucifixion did not happen like that, and, most importantly, there is no good reason to believe Rome was an especially murdery place, no matter how many lurid anecdotes you quirkily fancast.
Roman exceptionalism and the true crime fandom's confirmation biases don't combine to make good scholarship.
(Southon is one of those people who refuse to use the term "slave", always using "enslaved person" or similar. Once you become aware of it it becomes surprisingly grating very quickly, but not nearly as grating as the Harry Potter references.)
Many of the basic facts of most of her anecdotes, when they describe actual events and aren't just fictions presented as fact, are basically correct—her pop culture-soaked writing style is so insufferable they feel wrong anyway, and for every misconception she purports to correct there are a dozen more she happily perpetuates, either implicitly or explicitly. Political assassinations didn't begin with Tiberius Gracchus, Roman conceptions of purity weren't meaningfully concerned with female virginity outside of some very specific religious contexts, Socrates (not a Roman, admittedly) was not executed for saying there are no gods, Christian persecution was not an especially big feature of any era of the Roman Empire and was never about their monotheism, crucifixion did not happen like that, and, most importantly, there is no good reason to believe Rome was an especially murdery place, no matter how many lurid anecdotes you quirkily fancast.
Roman exceptionalism and the true crime fandom's confirmation biases don't combine to make good scholarship.
(Southon is one of those people who refuse to use the term "slave", always using "enslaved person" or similar. Once you become aware of it it becomes surprisingly grating very quickly, but not nearly as grating as the Harry Potter references.)
August 2, 2021
Maybe it's just not for me, but I found the writing and humor style in this book very obnoxious. The constant asides for jokes were distracting and in my opinion, very unfunny...it felt like the author was trying to show off how quirky she was.
I was also very annoyed by how often the author would, herself, in her own book, describe things as boring? Like there were moments where she would legitimately just gloss over background while talking about how it was all "blah blah very boring"....I picked up this book because I'm interested? Clearly I want to hear about it, or if it's so boring just don't put it in your book, but don't put it in and TALK about the fact that it's boring.
Anyway. Different strokes for different folks, don't let me talk you out of this book if you're interested in the subject. I'm sure for a lot of people this is a very good and entertaining book! Honestly, the writing was so annoying to me I didn't even finish it.
I was also very annoyed by how often the author would, herself, in her own book, describe things as boring? Like there were moments where she would legitimately just gloss over background while talking about how it was all "blah blah very boring"....I picked up this book because I'm interested? Clearly I want to hear about it, or if it's so boring just don't put it in your book, but don't put it in and TALK about the fact that it's boring.
Anyway. Different strokes for different folks, don't let me talk you out of this book if you're interested in the subject. I'm sure for a lot of people this is a very good and entertaining book! Honestly, the writing was so annoying to me I didn't even finish it.
January 29, 2024
Vienādās daļās izglītojoši, izklaidējoši un šokējoši. Zem spožās Romas republikas un impērijas virskārtas, aiz dižām statujām un iespaidīgās arhitektūras slēpjas asiņains slānis ar visu veidu slepkavībām. Mēs, protams, varam uzzināt vai nojaust tikai par tām, kuras bija īpaši neparastas vai skāra īpašus Romas pilsoņus. Autore ir paveikusi pamatīgu darbu, to visu pētot un pasniedzot lasītājiem noziegumus atšķaidītus ar sarkastisku humoru.
January 4, 2025
Okej, to takie tanie ploteczki ze starożytnego Rzymu, które stylem zasługują raczej na dwie gwiazdki, ale podoba mi się analiza społeczna i podkreślenie luźnej interpretacji znalezisk. To uświadamia, że wciąż niewiele wiemy i nie powinniśmy ufać wszystkiemu. I że historię zbyt długo pisali mężczyźni.
Read
January 10, 2024This was both informative and entertaining.
It was written in a very contemporary, conversational voice that served to liven up what could have been a very dull book, but could also feel crude and childish to some. Personally, I didn't mind it - finding it amusing at times, a bit Buzzfeed-y at others. I do believe it's something important to note before you pick this up.
If you don't think that would bother you, I definitely recommend this, especially for someone trying to get into non-fiction. It's super quick and easy to read, touching on a variety of information in a concise and interesting manner.
Not rating this because I don't rate non-fiction.
It was written in a very contemporary, conversational voice that served to liven up what could have been a very dull book, but could also feel crude and childish to some. Personally, I didn't mind it - finding it amusing at times, a bit Buzzfeed-y at others. I do believe it's something important to note before you pick this up.
If you don't think that would bother you, I definitely recommend this, especially for someone trying to get into non-fiction. It's super quick and easy to read, touching on a variety of information in a concise and interesting manner.
Not rating this because I don't rate non-fiction.
July 14, 2024
Serious scholar of ancient history + dry, acidulous, and punning sense of humor + narrator perfectly in tune with the work. But that word "serious" is crucial, because although Southon cracks a lot of jokes at the expense of upper-class Romans, she's got plenty to say about the sheer savagery of Roman civilization. I might not have thought there was a system of slavery worse than US chattel slavery, for example -- especially because freedmen were more of a thing in ancient Rome -- but wow was I wrong about that. Consider that when a US enslaver was killed by one of the people he enslaved, it was not the practice to crucify all of the people "owned" by that enslaver. Yes, crucify. Yes, all.
One of Southon's throughlines is that in the view of upper-class Romans, most people (slaves, actors, sex workers, bakers, basically anyone who wasn't one of them) had no special right to life, or more specifically to not be killed, and furthermore to not be killed in the cruelest way possible. Hence not only crucifixion but also gladiatorial "games," the killing of criminals by hungry and/or terrified beasts, and reenactments of famous battles staged for entertainment, death of combatants not optional. The portions of "A Fatal Thing" in which Southon discusses the kinds of killing that arose from elite Romans' understanding of what made a homicide murder rather than justified retribution or simple entertainment are horrific. No cracking of jokes here.
I fear that the above may make "A Fatal Thing" sound like nothing more than bloodthirsty recitation of Roman crimes. No. First of all, there's that throughline considering how murder is defined and what justifies any kind of killing, under what circumstances. Second, upper-class Romans have successfully seeded a popular image of themselves as dignified, upright, in many ways admirable and virtuous.
Think of Cicero: it's pretty well known that he had not only a talent for oratory but also a gigantic ego; now how does it affect our image of him to remember that he attended and apparently enjoyed gladiatorial spectacles and beast killings? The ever so respectable (and also radically right-wing) Cato Institute is named for, as Southon puts it, "a man so dreadful even the Romans barely liked him." Here's a quotation from a public-domain translation of his De agri cultura: "Sell worn-out oxen, blemished cattle, blemished sheep, wool, hides, an old wagon, old tools, an old slave, a sickly slave, and whatever else is superfluous." Also, when slaves are sick their rations should be cut back. What an admirable dude.
A terrific book, sharp, insightful, often appalling, excellent material to aim at anyone in danger of feeling too much esteem for those legendary "classical virtues."
One of Southon's throughlines is that in the view of upper-class Romans, most people (slaves, actors, sex workers, bakers, basically anyone who wasn't one of them) had no special right to life, or more specifically to not be killed, and furthermore to not be killed in the cruelest way possible. Hence not only crucifixion but also gladiatorial "games," the killing of criminals by hungry and/or terrified beasts, and reenactments of famous battles staged for entertainment, death of combatants not optional. The portions of "A Fatal Thing" in which Southon discusses the kinds of killing that arose from elite Romans' understanding of what made a homicide murder rather than justified retribution or simple entertainment are horrific. No cracking of jokes here.
I fear that the above may make "A Fatal Thing" sound like nothing more than bloodthirsty recitation of Roman crimes. No. First of all, there's that throughline considering how murder is defined and what justifies any kind of killing, under what circumstances. Second, upper-class Romans have successfully seeded a popular image of themselves as dignified, upright, in many ways admirable and virtuous.
Think of Cicero: it's pretty well known that he had not only a talent for oratory but also a gigantic ego; now how does it affect our image of him to remember that he attended and apparently enjoyed gladiatorial spectacles and beast killings? The ever so respectable (and also radically right-wing) Cato Institute is named for, as Southon puts it, "a man so dreadful even the Romans barely liked him." Here's a quotation from a public-domain translation of his De agri cultura: "Sell worn-out oxen, blemished cattle, blemished sheep, wool, hides, an old wagon, old tools, an old slave, a sickly slave, and whatever else is superfluous." Also, when slaves are sick their rations should be cut back. What an admirable dude.
A terrific book, sharp, insightful, often appalling, excellent material to aim at anyone in danger of feeling too much esteem for those legendary "classical virtues."
June 19, 2022
this book follows murder in ancient rome and how it was handled in various contexts, such as within marriage, on the senate floor, and more. it provided a lot to think about, especially regarding rome’s treatment of women and slaves. i enjoyed how this book wasn’t strictly academic and had more casual language. because of this, some of the tension regarding the book’s subject was eased and it wasn’t like a typical nonfiction book. though this is about ancient rome, there were also some connections made to present-day topics which made it more relatable.
i highly recommend this book!
i highly recommend this book!
October 11, 2021
Summary: An interesting monograph on the topic of murder in the Roman Republic and Empire, but marred by the very large ax the author has to grind. Recommended with reservations.
A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome, by Emma Southon, should be of interest to the general student of Roman History and the history of law, because it explores an intriguing question: how did the Roman people and state view the deliberate killing of one person by another outside the context of war? In our time, murder, the unlawful killing of one person by another, is viewed as a grave crime warranting the intervention of the State through the police and courts. But how did the Romans, from whom we take many of our concepts of the Rule of Law, themselves see it?
Southon, who holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, over the course of nine chapters explores these differences, which can be striking. Looking at homicides ranging from the highest classes of Roman society, emperors and consuls, to the lowest � slaves, gladiators, and prostitutes � she looks at a fundamental question: whose deaths were, in the Roman perspective, even worth caring about? From there she goes on to “Okay, this person is dead. Now what?�
(It should be noted that Southon uses a very broad definition of murder, essentially equating it with homicide: “…I have used a very comprehensive definition of ‘murder� to include basically all killing. Rightness and wrongness are products of social space, where gender, status, race, location, means, time, wealth and infinite other variables shift and move and come together to create rightness and wrongness that are never static. Because of this, I have interpreted the concept of murder very (very) broadly.�)
In looking at these questions, Southon makes two valuable observations (at least, two that stick with me days after finishing the book). The first is that not all lives mattered. In our Judeo-Christian/Anglo-American ethics and jurisprudence, the ideal is that the murder of “someone important� is no different from the murder of a nobody: killing a homeless person is just as much a crime as killing a billionaire or a celebrity. Each is of equal worth as a person and each has an equal right to life.
Southon points out, I think rightly, that the Romans (and, I suspect, much of the Ancient World) would scratch their heads at that. Society was rigidly divided into those who came from powerful families and did important things and who had dignity, the honestiores, and those who didn’t, the infames (“infamous�) who were barely above animals. Romans and the Roman State simply didn’t see the killing of the latter as any big deal. Stab Julius Caesar, for example, and the civil war is on. Beat Publius the slave to death because he broke a vase and, oh well, you can always buy another slave.
She’s also right to point out the inferior and more vulnerable position of Roman women, though I think she errs by omission by failing to point out the status of women in, for example, in Classical Greece was far worse. In Rome, at least, women could own property and businesses. They were, however, still at the mercy of their husbands and fathers.
And this leads to another interesting observation Southon makes, that murder in Rome was not a crime against the sovereign (the Crown in the UK and the People in the US), but often a private family matter. Killings were often kept “in house� lest exposure cause scandal and a stain on the family reputation. If someone committed a crime worth killing for, such as plotting to poison dear old Pater to get his money, it was usually up to the family to deal with it themselves. There was no public prosecution as we think of it.
One could seek to take a killer to court in Rome, but this was again a matter of a family bringing its case to a court and hiring an advocate to speak for them. (Cicero being among the most famous) A variant on this lead to one of my favorite stories in the book, regarding how the Emperor Tiberius personally investigated the case of a woman found dead and determined her husband had murdered her. But, again, Southon’s point holds true: all of the actors in this story were Important People whose lives were considered to have worth. One doubts very much if the Emperor would have investigated the killing of a tavern keeper’s wife.
Southon, as I see it, approaches her topic from a leftist-feminist perspective, looking at class, gender, and power relationships. This itself I have no problem with, even if it’s not a perspective I share; different lenses or filters bring other facts into focus that can provide insight.
The problem as I see it, one that hurts an otherwise worthy book, is Southon’s tone and style. The book, and especially its notes, are written in a casual, even foul-mouthed style as if one were talking with a colleague in a bar over beers one evening. And there is plenty of “Can you believe they would do this shit?� anger on behalf of the victims throughout, as well as humorous references to modern pop culture. (Southon co-hosts a podcast called “History is Sexy,� so I gather this style is her metier.)
At first, I found this refreshing and enjoyable, but, after a couple of chapters, it became tiresome. I found myself thinking “Okay, I get it! The Romans were scum and they casually killed people in really horrible ways. The horse is dead, you can stop beating it now.� After a while, I was yearning for just a dollop of boring old scholarly objectivity. In short, the attempt to be relatable and casual with the reader wound up distracting from the message she was trying to get across.
Format note: I read “A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum� in Kindle format. The copy was clean, with no editing or formatting mistakes that I saw. Too often, Amazon tolerates these. I was happy to see the publishers took care with this book.
A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome, by Emma Southon, should be of interest to the general student of Roman History and the history of law, because it explores an intriguing question: how did the Roman people and state view the deliberate killing of one person by another outside the context of war? In our time, murder, the unlawful killing of one person by another, is viewed as a grave crime warranting the intervention of the State through the police and courts. But how did the Romans, from whom we take many of our concepts of the Rule of Law, themselves see it?
Southon, who holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, over the course of nine chapters explores these differences, which can be striking. Looking at homicides ranging from the highest classes of Roman society, emperors and consuls, to the lowest � slaves, gladiators, and prostitutes � she looks at a fundamental question: whose deaths were, in the Roman perspective, even worth caring about? From there she goes on to “Okay, this person is dead. Now what?�
(It should be noted that Southon uses a very broad definition of murder, essentially equating it with homicide: “…I have used a very comprehensive definition of ‘murder� to include basically all killing. Rightness and wrongness are products of social space, where gender, status, race, location, means, time, wealth and infinite other variables shift and move and come together to create rightness and wrongness that are never static. Because of this, I have interpreted the concept of murder very (very) broadly.�)
In looking at these questions, Southon makes two valuable observations (at least, two that stick with me days after finishing the book). The first is that not all lives mattered. In our Judeo-Christian/Anglo-American ethics and jurisprudence, the ideal is that the murder of “someone important� is no different from the murder of a nobody: killing a homeless person is just as much a crime as killing a billionaire or a celebrity. Each is of equal worth as a person and each has an equal right to life.
Southon points out, I think rightly, that the Romans (and, I suspect, much of the Ancient World) would scratch their heads at that. Society was rigidly divided into those who came from powerful families and did important things and who had dignity, the honestiores, and those who didn’t, the infames (“infamous�) who were barely above animals. Romans and the Roman State simply didn’t see the killing of the latter as any big deal. Stab Julius Caesar, for example, and the civil war is on. Beat Publius the slave to death because he broke a vase and, oh well, you can always buy another slave.
She’s also right to point out the inferior and more vulnerable position of Roman women, though I think she errs by omission by failing to point out the status of women in, for example, in Classical Greece was far worse. In Rome, at least, women could own property and businesses. They were, however, still at the mercy of their husbands and fathers.
And this leads to another interesting observation Southon makes, that murder in Rome was not a crime against the sovereign (the Crown in the UK and the People in the US), but often a private family matter. Killings were often kept “in house� lest exposure cause scandal and a stain on the family reputation. If someone committed a crime worth killing for, such as plotting to poison dear old Pater to get his money, it was usually up to the family to deal with it themselves. There was no public prosecution as we think of it.
One could seek to take a killer to court in Rome, but this was again a matter of a family bringing its case to a court and hiring an advocate to speak for them. (Cicero being among the most famous) A variant on this lead to one of my favorite stories in the book, regarding how the Emperor Tiberius personally investigated the case of a woman found dead and determined her husband had murdered her. But, again, Southon’s point holds true: all of the actors in this story were Important People whose lives were considered to have worth. One doubts very much if the Emperor would have investigated the killing of a tavern keeper’s wife.
Southon, as I see it, approaches her topic from a leftist-feminist perspective, looking at class, gender, and power relationships. This itself I have no problem with, even if it’s not a perspective I share; different lenses or filters bring other facts into focus that can provide insight.
The problem as I see it, one that hurts an otherwise worthy book, is Southon’s tone and style. The book, and especially its notes, are written in a casual, even foul-mouthed style as if one were talking with a colleague in a bar over beers one evening. And there is plenty of “Can you believe they would do this shit?� anger on behalf of the victims throughout, as well as humorous references to modern pop culture. (Southon co-hosts a podcast called “History is Sexy,� so I gather this style is her metier.)
At first, I found this refreshing and enjoyable, but, after a couple of chapters, it became tiresome. I found myself thinking “Okay, I get it! The Romans were scum and they casually killed people in really horrible ways. The horse is dead, you can stop beating it now.� After a while, I was yearning for just a dollop of boring old scholarly objectivity. In short, the attempt to be relatable and casual with the reader wound up distracting from the message she was trying to get across.
Format note: I read “A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum� in Kindle format. The copy was clean, with no editing or formatting mistakes that I saw. Too often, Amazon tolerates these. I was happy to see the publishers took care with this book.
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April 1, 2024
"Why should Caesar get to stomp around like a giant, while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet? What’s so great about Caesar? Hmm? Brutus is just as cute as Caesar. Brutus is just as smart as Caesar. People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar. And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh? Because that’s not what Rome is about. We should totally just stab Caesar!"
—Mean Girls
Probably a weird thing that a book about murder in Rome was the book my wife and I selected for our recent road trip, but um, here we are.
Lots of murder. Lots of bloodshed. And some really gory and gruesome ways to kill people and totally get away with it, because Rome wasn't too keen on the whole "human life is special" thing (unless you were a senator or patrician or someone male and important).
Anywho, this is written in a delightfully irreverent tone and I really enjoyed it, because I like dry humor and this is chock full of it.
—Mean Girls
Probably a weird thing that a book about murder in Rome was the book my wife and I selected for our recent road trip, but um, here we are.
Lots of murder. Lots of bloodshed. And some really gory and gruesome ways to kill people and totally get away with it, because Rome wasn't too keen on the whole "human life is special" thing (unless you were a senator or patrician or someone male and important).
Anywho, this is written in a delightfully irreverent tone and I really enjoyed it, because I like dry humor and this is chock full of it.
February 22, 2022
Another great book by Emma Southon. I loved her book on Agrippina the younger. And this one did not disappoint. She has such a fun way of writing and it's also so informative. I highly recommend her books. I can't wait for her next one. She is one of my top authors.
April 17, 2025
I read six of the nine chapters of this before finally giving up. Since I read this as an ebook without looking at the number of pages, I originally assumed this book was going to be a quick read- short, pithy, and witty. It...wasn't.
While there were some interesting anecdotes and I learned a few things, that was a small portion of my overall reading experience.
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum sort of reads like your foul-mouthed coworker cornered you to info-dump about ancient Roman murder, which doesn't sound so bad at first, until you realize what "unedited" really means. It was rambling and repetitive, and glib in a way that didn't exactly inspire confidence in its accuracy. The book gives off the vibe that it thinks it's witty because it's being informal and irreverent, when really it ends up feeling more like one of those "buckle up" twitter threads or tumblr posts that are then debunked three reblogs later. Also, despite the preface stating that what's right and wrong is dependent on society, the author certainly makes enough moral judgments of her own. These judgements basically boil down to, "yeah, the Romans were total superstitious idiots *eye roll*" Granted, that's true, but only in the way that so are we.
(Also, I have to admit the author's dogged refusal to use the word "slave" in a book about ANCIENT ROME was tiring. There's only so many times you can read the similar words "enslaved person" and "enslaver" repeatedly in a single paragraph before it becomes irritating, especially with how performative it feels: the flippant way she speaks of the Romans in general lacks any real respect towards them as people at all.)
I can't help but compare this book to my other current non-fiction read, The Black Count by Tom Reiss. Maybe that's an unfair comparison because that book won the Pulitzer, but it goes to prove that a non-fiction book written in a more traditional manner doesn't equal boring, just as one written like me giving a TEDtalk in my shower doesn't automatically equal interesting, either.
While there were some interesting anecdotes and I learned a few things, that was a small portion of my overall reading experience.
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum sort of reads like your foul-mouthed coworker cornered you to info-dump about ancient Roman murder, which doesn't sound so bad at first, until you realize what "unedited" really means. It was rambling and repetitive, and glib in a way that didn't exactly inspire confidence in its accuracy. The book gives off the vibe that it thinks it's witty because it's being informal and irreverent, when really it ends up feeling more like one of those "buckle up" twitter threads or tumblr posts that are then debunked three reblogs later. Also, despite the preface stating that what's right and wrong is dependent on society, the author certainly makes enough moral judgments of her own. These judgements basically boil down to, "yeah, the Romans were total superstitious idiots *eye roll*" Granted, that's true, but only in the way that so are we.
(Also, I have to admit the author's dogged refusal to use the word "slave" in a book about ANCIENT ROME was tiring. There's only so many times you can read the similar words "enslaved person" and "enslaver" repeatedly in a single paragraph before it becomes irritating, especially with how performative it feels: the flippant way she speaks of the Romans in general lacks any real respect towards them as people at all.)
I can't help but compare this book to my other current non-fiction read, The Black Count by Tom Reiss. Maybe that's an unfair comparison because that book won the Pulitzer, but it goes to prove that a non-fiction book written in a more traditional manner doesn't equal boring, just as one written like me giving a TEDtalk in my shower doesn't automatically equal interesting, either.
February 16, 2024
This book covers murder in Ancient Rome in all its gory and multifaceted glory, examining how it was regarded when violence was so commonplace and little value placed on most lives.
This was a fascinating read that taught me as much about Ancient Rome as it did murder in it. The author writes in a dryly humorous style that engaged me well. The book covers murder in both the high and low social classes, which I appreciated as often history books focus on the high born.
This was a fascinating read that taught me as much about Ancient Rome as it did murder in it. The author writes in a dryly humorous style that engaged me well. The book covers murder in both the high and low social classes, which I appreciated as often history books focus on the high born.
September 23, 2020
An incredibly researched book that is far funnier that would expect given the subject matter, truly can not recommend it strongly enough for anyone with a interest in murder, as so many of us do these days, or in history.
You'll never look at cabbage the same way again
You'll never look at cabbage the same way again
July 17, 2024
how much you enjoy this book is probably directly correlated to whether you think ‘horrible histories for adults� sounds great or awful. and you can check my rating to find out where i, idiot with bad personality, land on that
March 17, 2022
This book felt like gossiping about Ancient Rome.
August 15, 2021
Me: *cackling*
My husband: What are you laughing at?
Me: Oh, this book about murder.
My husband: *quietly leaving the room*
But for real, I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud so often while reading something. This is an absolutely fantastic read. Not only is it hilarious, but Southon takes care to punch up. The humor is counterbalanced by a clear and deeply felt empathy for the everyday people and the victims of many of the murderers she writes about. It’s also thoroughly researched—I finished it feeling both entertained and smarter than when I started.
My husband: What are you laughing at?
Me: Oh, this book about murder.
My husband: *quietly leaving the room*
But for real, I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud so often while reading something. This is an absolutely fantastic read. Not only is it hilarious, but Southon takes care to punch up. The humor is counterbalanced by a clear and deeply felt empathy for the everyday people and the victims of many of the murderers she writes about. It’s also thoroughly researched—I finished it feeling both entertained and smarter than when I started.
June 20, 2023
„Wszystkie trupy prowadzą do Rzymu� Emmy Southon to jedna z tych popularnonaukowych książek, które idą w absolutnej kontrze do opowiadania o historii wzniosłym tonem i z grobową powagą (a najlepiej z muzealnymi kapciami na nogach). Southon wręcz przeciwnie � lekko i z humorem gawędzi o starożytnym Rzymie, odbrązawiając i uczłowieczające jednocześnie wszystkich, o których będziemy słuchać.
A posłuchamy o wszystkich, którzy byli mordowani i sami mordowali: o porywczych cesarzach i pozbawionych godności niewolnikach i gladiatorach; okrutnych mężach i systemowo wymazywanych żonach. Oprócz anegdot wspartych szeregiem przypisów, dostajemy też szeroki kontekst prawny i obyczajowy, co dla mnie było najcenniejsze. To z jednej strony wyciąganie (jak z rękawa!) ciekawostek o dziwactwach starożytnych Rzymian i okraszanie ich wiedzą o ich poglądach, zwyczajach i historii, a z drugiej konfrontacja z wiedzą obiegową i mitami (podobno Neron wcale nie podpalił Rzymu celowo�).
Ostatecznie zamknęłam „Wszystkie trupy…� w poczuciem zdziwienia. Zorientowałam się, że Southon jakimś cudem udało się zainteresować mnie prawem rzymskim (które przecież samo w sobie od zawsze uważałam za ogromne nudne i abstrakcyjne do cna) i tym zdaniem zamknę tę recenzję, pozostawiając Was (a przede wszystkim siebie) w wielkiej konsternacji.
A posłuchamy o wszystkich, którzy byli mordowani i sami mordowali: o porywczych cesarzach i pozbawionych godności niewolnikach i gladiatorach; okrutnych mężach i systemowo wymazywanych żonach. Oprócz anegdot wspartych szeregiem przypisów, dostajemy też szeroki kontekst prawny i obyczajowy, co dla mnie było najcenniejsze. To z jednej strony wyciąganie (jak z rękawa!) ciekawostek o dziwactwach starożytnych Rzymian i okraszanie ich wiedzą o ich poglądach, zwyczajach i historii, a z drugiej konfrontacja z wiedzą obiegową i mitami (podobno Neron wcale nie podpalił Rzymu celowo�).
Ostatecznie zamknęłam „Wszystkie trupy…� w poczuciem zdziwienia. Zorientowałam się, że Southon jakimś cudem udało się zainteresować mnie prawem rzymskim (które przecież samo w sobie od zawsze uważałam za ogromne nudne i abstrakcyjne do cna) i tym zdaniem zamknę tę recenzję, pozostawiając Was (a przede wszystkim siebie) w wielkiej konsternacji.
August 14, 2024
A fascinating look at how the Roman world viewed murder. The Gladiator chapter was probably my favorite and revealed a lot that I didn’t know about what took place in the theater of battle.
I enjoyed the style with which the author wrote, mixing in humor and sarcasm to point out the absurdity of just how normal death and murder became during the Roman Empire.
Warning: contains explicit language
I enjoyed the style with which the author wrote, mixing in humor and sarcasm to point out the absurdity of just how normal death and murder became during the Roman Empire.
Warning: contains explicit language
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