Daily Life in the Roman City Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia

Subjects:

• History » Ancient History
• History » European History (General)
• History » Classical Studies

Reviews:

• This is the type of book I could have done with as a newly qualified teacher... Aldrete has written an extraordinarily compact book on Roman history and society. He has a gift for condensing a huge amount of information into an accessible, readable form... I recommend this book for classroom and library use in schools. Undergraduates embarking on classical studies would also find it useful, as would anyone about to teach Classical Civilization with little specific knowledge.
  —Journal of Classics Teaching 2005
• ^IDaily Life in the Roman City^R is a useful textbook for a Roman civilization course....It offers an introduction into the functionality and character of ancient cities and the main differences from their modern counterparts.
  —The Historian 2006
• [F]or high school to college collections....[c]overs life in Rome, Pompeii and Ostia, covering not just history but political and governmental structures, local culture, dangers and pleasures, and the arts. Students receive plenty of references and supporting documentation.
  —MBR Bookwatch June 2005
• "In addition to describing the physical buildings of the classical city of Rome, Aldrete (history and humanistic studies, U. of Wisconsin-Green Bay) explains how the city functioned, who lived there, and what the lives of inhabitants were like. His focus is on ordinary people, who might see the rich and famous pass by now and then, but mostly just went about their lives. Living and dying, dangers and pleasures, entertainment and religion, and the economy are among his topics. He also includes chapters on the industrial port city Ostia, and Pompeii as preserved by ash."
  —Reference & Research Book News May 2009

Table of Contents:

• Acknowledgments
  Introduction: Roman Cities
  History of Ancient Rome
  Infrastructure of Ancient Rome
  Government of Ancient Rome
  The People of Ancient Rome
  Living and Dying in Ancient Rome
  Dangers of Life in Ancient Rome
  Pleasures of Life in Ancient Rome
  Entertainment in Ancient Rome
  Religion in Ancient Rome
  The Emperors and Ancient Rome
  The Economy and Ancient Rome
  Ostia: An Industrial Port City
  Pompeii: A Time-Capsule of Roman Daily Life
  Conclusion: Three Visions of Roman Urbanism: Rome, Ostia, and Pompeii
  Appendix I: A Brief Guide to Understanding Roman Names
  Appendix II: A Brief Guide to Roman Timekeeping and the Calendar
  Appendix III: A Brief Guide to Roman Clothing and Appearance
  Appendix IV: A Brief Guide to Roman Construction Techniques
  Appendix V: The History of the City of Rome from Antiquity to Today
  Appendix VI: Timeline of Roman History
  Bibliography
  Primary Sources
  Secondary Sources