A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to ..., Emma Southon
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to ..., Emma Southon
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A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Murder in Ancient Rome

Author: Emma Southon

Narrator: Sophie Ward

Unabridged: 11 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/09/2021

Synopsis

An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in ancient RomeIn 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 fifty-year period, twenty-six 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 and death and what it means to be human.

About Emma Southon

Dr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham. Her thesis on the family in Western Europe after the “fall” of Rome was published as Marriage, Sex, and Death: The Family and the Fall of the Roman West by Amsterdam University Press in 2017, and she has published academic articles and chapters on historical reception, ancient Rome in the modern imagination, and the family in the postclassical West. Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore was her first book for nonacademic audiences. She cohosts a history podcast with writer Janina Matthewson called History Is Sexy and works full-time as an expert fiction bookseller at Waterstones in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

About Sophie Ward

Sophie Ward is an English actor, known for Book of Blood, Young Sherlock Holmes, and Jane Eyre. Her acting career also includes recurring roles in Heartbeat and The Nanny.

Reviews

Goodreads review by LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" on May 02, 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......more

Goodreads review by Mark on February 06, 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......more

Goodreads review by Nicky on 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 me......more

Goodreads review by Chrissie on 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.......more

Goodreads review by Cole on 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......more

Quotes

“Her writing gives the impression that she’s having the time of her life and wants to bring us, her besties, along for the ride.” Wall Street Journal

“Southon brings some great and little-known murder stories to light, reveling in the bizarre and the macabre.” BBC History

“Southon’s highly entertaining saga of murder and mayhem in ancient Rome is a guide to a society with a completely different concept of killing than our own.” CrimeReads

“Provides not only humor but a sense of relevance to today’s world…Brutal, graphic, amusing, and enthralling, this work is a must-read for true crime fans as well as history lovers.” Booklist 

“A brilliant idea, brilliantly executed.” Tom Holland, author of Rubicon

“Blood, guts, murder, emperors, and a sprinkling of uplifting Latin. A wonderful book on the Roman way of death. Mirabile dictu!” Harry Mount, author of Carpe Diem

“I love this funny, scholarly, erudite, irreverent book…Reading it is like seeing a classical statue not remote and austere on a pedestal, but painted in all its original bright colors.” Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent

Awards

  • CrimeReads Pick
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