The Ancient Romans: People of the Ancient World

by Allison Lassieur

This attractive, thorough, and comprehensible book, part of the People of the Ancient World series, offers a stellar introduction to life in ancient Rome. Each section covers a different aspect of Roman life.

The first and most complex section describes the often-volatile Roman government as it evolved over several centuries, piecing together enough details about specific emperors and senate bodies to sketch a clear picture of its early rule. Later sections concentrate on Rome's impressive achievements in philosophy, writing, art, and architecture and then cover life for all different strata of the social system, from the aristocratic patricians down to the slaves.

Special attention is given to cultural attitudes and how they differ from current perceptions. Several sections go to great lengths to extract from minimal archaeological and literary clues information on women in the culture, even citing one find proving there were female gladiators. Grades 6-8 · Softcover.