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In The Daily Life Of The Ancient Romans
This exciting new series explores ancient life by examining the traditions and religious beliefs of each culture. Through photographs, illustrations, and cut-away, detailed diagrams, each book considers the way religious beliefs affected everything from food, drink, and entertainment to rituals surrounding birth and death.
Paperback
First published February 9, 2001
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October 13, 2025
I do like reading children's non-fiction. Like others this is bright, easy to remember, covers a lot of topics in a short space of time and is written in a way that is accessible to anyone.
However, I can see why this book is generally rated three stars. First of all it focuses hugely on God & Goddesses - which is kind of the point of the series - but it then switches to regular Roman life and some Emperors of Rome. I'll be honest, if I'd not been super into history at the moment and done a deep dive into Rome, I wouldn't have cared about any of the Roman leaders because the information is too scant (even for a children's book)
Also, it kind of ends abruptly and savagely. Imagine reading this to your kid at night time and it ends with Christians being ripped apart by lions in the coliseum. Poor child would have nightmares. Personally, I would have reminded them about the fanciful gods that started the whole thing.
Overall: a decent introduction into the inner workings of the Roman empire. Simplistic to understand, artistic so it makes the information stick. I found the Roman baths the most interesting bit, how slaves would scrape dirt off their masters naked bodies with a dull curved blade and they would often bathe with others. They obviously didn't fuss over nudity like we do.
But it was a weird choice to end with torture and it avoided talking about the more interesting lives of Roman Leaders.
However, I can see why this book is generally rated three stars. First of all it focuses hugely on God & Goddesses - which is kind of the point of the series - but it then switches to regular Roman life and some Emperors of Rome. I'll be honest, if I'd not been super into history at the moment and done a deep dive into Rome, I wouldn't have cared about any of the Roman leaders because the information is too scant (even for a children's book)
Also, it kind of ends abruptly and savagely. Imagine reading this to your kid at night time and it ends with Christians being ripped apart by lions in the coliseum. Poor child would have nightmares. Personally, I would have reminded them about the fanciful gods that started the whole thing.
Overall: a decent introduction into the inner workings of the Roman empire. Simplistic to understand, artistic so it makes the information stick. I found the Roman baths the most interesting bit, how slaves would scrape dirt off their masters naked bodies with a dull curved blade and they would often bathe with others. They obviously didn't fuss over nudity like we do.
But it was a weird choice to end with torture and it avoided talking about the more interesting lives of Roman Leaders.
Displaying 1 of 1 review