About the Author

Dr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham. The author of Marriage, Sex and Death: the Family and the Fall of Rome and Agrippina, she co-hosts a history podcast with writer Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy and works full time as a bookseller at Waterstones Belfast.

Reviews

"A brilliant idea, brilliantly executed."
-- "Tom Holland, author of Rubicon, Dynasty and Dominion"

"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: How to Become a Latin Lover"

"I love this funny, scholarly, erudite, irreverent book."
-- "Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent"

"Emma Southon has found a most rewarding path by focusing on real-life murders of the era to illustrate how Romans saw life, death, and themselves. Julius Caesar, of course, earns a chapter, but the author presents an astonishing docket of cases that bring vividly alive (with a dash of wit) what Romans feared the most."
-- "Air Mail"

"Along the way, Southon works in intriguing history lessons about Roman law, politics, marriage, and sport, and makes breezy yet enlightening analogies...This colorful chronicle of ancient Rome has an appealingly modern sensibility."
-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Ms. Southon...has a rare gift for immersing herself in the world of the Romans and embracing its strangeness while keeping the door of critical distance ajar...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... At a moment when the study of classics struggles to escape its starchy, imperialist legacy, Ms. Southon's cheeky enthusiasm feels like the path of salvation."
-- "Wall Street Journal"

"This narrative style 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"