What survives from the Roman Empire is largely the words and lives of the rich and powerful: emperors; philosophers; senators. Yet the privilege and decadence often associated with the Roman elite was underpinned by the toils and tribulations of the common citizens. Here; the eminent historian Robert Knapp brings those invisible inhabitants of Rome and its vast empire to light. He seeks out the ordinary folk laboring men; housewives; prostitutes; freedmen; slaves; soldiers; and gladiators who formed the backbone of the ancient Roman world; and the outlaws and pirates who lay beyond it. He finds their traces in the nooks and crannies of the histories; treatises; plays; and poetry created by the elite. Everyday people come alive through original sources as varied as graffiti; incantations; magical texts; proverbs; fables; astrological writings; and even the New Testament. Knapp offers a glimpse into a world far removed from our own; but one that resonates through history. "Invisible Romans" allows us to see how Romans sought on a daily basis to survive and thrive under the afflictions of disease; war; and violence; and to control their fates before powers that variously oppressed and ignored them.
#3495986 in Books Berghahn Books 2011-01-30 2010-12-30Original language:English 9.25 x 6.25 x 1.00l; 1.45 #File Name: 1845457587324 pages
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