(Audio)Book Review: ’24 Hours in Ancient Rome’ by Philip Matyszak

I love an Audible bargain and this is one of my best purchases of recent times!

The book covers 24 hours in the life of Ancient Rome, with each ‘hour’ focusing on a different person who lives in the city. We see a diverse selection of people over the course of the day, as well as learn a lot about how the inhabitants of Rome lived. This is clever and entertaining social history.

I loved that this brought to the fore the humanity of the ancient figures. Too often, history books focus on events rather than the (relatable and timeless) emotions of people of the past. Not this one though. Here, we sense the anxiety of a Roman mother nursing her sick child in the early hours, set against information about infant mortality at the time. We see a young girl breaking up with her boyfriend, the insecurities unleashed by planning a dinner party, a man complaining of the noise from the local baths, the thoughts of a Vestal Virgin musing retirement – it’s all very human, very engaging and often humorous.

Over the course of the day, we are introduced to lots of facets of Roman life without it ever feeling like a history lecture. Snippets of information are drip-fed into the narrative – from how the stonemason repairs statues to the rules of the Roman baths, from the technicalities of creating water clocks to the meals allowed to be served in the local tavern. It’s really interesting stuff!

What’s lovely is that the book shifts its focus so often – the reader is given a glimpse into the daily life of a range of people. Each of the chapters are separate, but there are nice touches that link the different stories – for example, one character walks past another or notices the next person who will be the focus.

Although the social history is lightly delivered, it is evident that a lot of research sits behind the book. It’s also interspersed with extracts of Roman texts (obviously translated!) which are often enlightening or amusing or root the narrative back in historical evidence.

The audiobook is narrated well by John Telfer and is just over 7 hours long – I found that I rattled through it and was keen to find out which bit of Ancient Rome would come under inspection next.

This is highly recommended for those who like their history books lively and engaging. You’ll be caught up in the lives of the people of Rome as they go about their daily lives and definitely learn something along the way.

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Header photo by tommao wang on Unsplash