Philip Matyszak

Walk a day in a Roman's sandals. What was it like to live in one of the ancient world's most powerful and bustling cities--one that was eight times more densely populated than modern day New York? In this entertaining and enlightening guide, historian Philip Matyszak introduces us to the people who lived and worked there. In each hour of the day we meet a new character--from emperor to slave girl, gladiator to astrologer, medicine woman to water-clock maker--and discover the fascinating details of their daily lives.

A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There

24 Hours in Ancient Rome

An introduction to the Greek and Roman myths and tales that lie at the heart of Western culture includes intriguing facts and stories, including the labors of Hercules and the voyage of Odysseus.

A Guide to the Classical Stories

The Greek and Roman Myths

A chronicle of forty forgotten ancient civilizations which highlights the important contributions that each has made to modern society.

Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World

An accessible historical exploration of the methods and motivations behind using magic in ancient Greece and Rome.

A Practical Guide to Spells, Potions, and Power

Ancient Magic

An assessment of the rise and fall of the Roman empire, told from the perspectives of the civilizations that were vanquished by Rome, argues that such groups as the Celts, Hebrews, and Phoenicians were civilizations in their own right in spite of beliefs about Roman superiority and examines the impact of leadership ambition, political choices, and rivalry on the empire's downfall.

From Hannibal to Attila the Hun

The Enemies of Rome

An accessible historical exploration of the methods and motivations behind using magic in ancient Greece and Rome. In the ancient world, magic was everywhere. The supernatural abounded, turning flowers into fruit and caterpillars into butterflies. In a time before scientists studied weather patterns and figured out what caused the Earth’s most mysterious phenomena, it was magic that packed a cloud full of energy until it exploded with thunderbolts. It was everyday magic, but it was still magical. In Ancient Magic, author Philip Matyszak ushers readers into that world, showing how ancient Greeks and Romans concocted love potions and cast curses, how they talked to the dead and protected themselves from evil spirits. He takes readers to a world where gods interacted with humans and where people could not only talk to spirits and deities, but could themselves become divine. Ancient Magic presents us with a new understanding of the role of magic, combining a classical historiography with a practical how-to guide. Using a wide array of sources and lavish illustrations, this book offers an engaging and accessible way into the supernatural for all.

Ancient Magic: A Practitioner's Guide to the Supernatural in Greece and Rome

Get to know the real Rome during a compelling 24 hours in the lives of the people who lived there.

Experience a remarkable year among the real people of ancient Greece, as they prepare for the most important event in their calendar. It is 248 BC, the year of the 133rd Olympic Games. At this time the Hellenistic world is at its peak, with Greek settlements spread across the Middle East, Egypt and Spain. As ever, the world is politically troubled, with Rome locked in a war with Carthage and a major conflict brewing between Egypt and Syria. However, ordinary people are still preoccupied with the crops, household affairs - and in some cases, with winning an Olympic crown. Starting at the autumn equinox, in this imagined account of a year in the life of eight fascinating characters, Philip Matyszak reveals what life was really like at this time. Rather than focusing on the kings and generals from the histories of Thucydides and Polybius, we are invited into the homes of ordinary Greek citizens. From the diplomat who is using the Games as a cover to engage in political skulduggery to the sprinter who dreams of glory, A Year in the Life of Ancient Greece takes us through a dramatic twelve months to reveal the opportunities and the perils of everyday life during this period.

The Real Lives of the People Who Lived There

A Year in the Life of Ancient Greece

Entrez dans la peau de 8 citoyens de la Grèce antique le temps d'une année pour découvrir la vie quotidenne de l'époque !
Nous sommes en 248 avant J.-C., soixante-quinze ans après la mort d'Alexandre le Grand. Le monde hellénistique s'étend de l'Italie à l'Afghanistan, de l'Égypte à la Bulgarie, et comprend toute la Turquie.
Le quotidien des Grecs de cette époque varie donc énormément. Ils ne vénèrent pas toujours les mêmes dieux, les uns vivent en démocratie, les autres en monarchie, et, régulièrement, des guerres éclatent entre les différents peuples. Mais, tous les quatre ans, lors des Jeux olympiques, une trêve est déclarée et des Grecs des quatre coins du monde hellénistique se rendent à Olympie pour assister à des prouesses sportives, artistiques et faire la fête.
Cette année-là, Iphita, l'agricultrice ; Persaios, le diplomate ; Thratta, l'esclave ; Symilos de Naples, le sprinteur ; Apphia, la future mariée ; Méton, le constructeur de temple ; Sakion, le marchand ; Kallia, la joueuse de lyre, s'y rendent et s'y rencontrent.
Mois après mois, découvrez les parcours de ces huit personnages, racontés comme dans un roman, et plongez dans la vie quotidienne des Grecs de l'Antiquité, reconstituée grâce aux dernières découvertes archéologiques.

Plongez dans la vie quotidienne des habitants de la Grèce antique

Une année en Grèce antique

The author of Sparta: Rise of a Warrior Nation continues his revealing history of the Ancient Greek city-state in this chronicle of its decline and defeat. Universally admired in 479 BC, the Spartans became masters of the Greek world by 402 BC, only for their state to collapse in the next generation. What went wrong? Was the fall of Sparta inevitable? In Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation, Philip Matyszak examines the political blunders and failures of leadership which combined with unresolved social issues to bring down the nation—even as its warriors remained invincible on the battlefield. The Spartans believed their society was above the changes sweeping their world. And by resisting change, they were doomed to be overwhelmed by it. But the Spartans refused to accept total defeat, and for many years their city exercised influence far beyond its size and population. This is a chronicle of political failure—one rich in heroes, villains, epic battles and political skullduggery. But it is also a lesson in how to go down fighting. Even with the Roman legions set to overwhelm their city, the Spartans never gave up

Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation

het dagelijks leven van de Atheners

24 uur in het oude Athene

Your emperor needs you for the Roman army! The year is 100 CE and Rome stands supreme and unconquerable from the desert sands of Mesopotamia to the misty highlands of Caledonia. Yet the might of Rome rests completely on the armored shoulders of the legionaries who hold back the barbarian hordes and push forward the frontiers of the empire. This carefully researched yet entertainingly nonacademic book tells you how to join the Roman legions, the best places to serve, and how to keep your armor from getting rusty. Learn to march under the eagles of Rome from training, campaigns, and battle to the glory of a Roman triumph and retirement with a pension plan. Every aspect of army life is discussed, from drill to diet, with handy tips on topics such as how to select the best footwear or how to avoid being skewered by enemy spears. Combining the latest archaeological discoveries with the written records of those who actually saw the Roman legions in action, this book provides a vivid picture of what it meant to be a Roman legionary.

The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual

Legionary

Here is an informative and entertaining guide to everything that any tourist needs for a journey back in time to ancient Rome in AD 200. You need only pack your imagination and a toothbrush - this guide provides the rest, describing all the best places to stay and shop, what to do, and what to avoid. Brought to life with wonderful computergenerated reconstructions of ancient Rome, this highly original, witty book will appeal to tourists, armchair travellers and history buffs.

Ancient Rome in 5 Denarii

We are accustomed to think of the late Republic as a period in which Rome enjoyed almost uninterrupted military success against foreign enemies. Yet at the start of the first century BC, Rome, outnumbered and out-generalled, faced a hostile army less than a week's march from the Capitol. It is probable that only a swift surrender prevented the city from being attacked and sacked. Before that point, three Roman consuls had died in battle, and two Roman armies had been soundly defeated - not in some foreign field, but in the heartland of Italy. ?So who were this enemy who so comprehensively knocked Rome to its knees? What army could successfully challenge the legions which had been undefeated from Spain to the Euphrates? And why is that success almost unknown today??These questions are answered in this book, a military and political history of the Social War of 90-88BC. This tells the story of the revolt of Rome's Italian allies (socii in Latin - hence the name of the war). Because these Italian allies had the arms, training and military systems of the Roman army which they usually fought alongside, all Rome's usual military advantages were nullified. This brought the war down to a clash of generals, with the Roman rivals Gaius Marius and Cornelius Sulla spending almost as much time in political intrigue as combat with the enemy. The Italian leaders had to manage an equally fractious coalition of peoples. Some tribes sought negotiation with Rome, and others would settle for nothing less than the total extermination of the city and its people.?The interplay of personalities (the young Cicero, Cato, and Pompey were also protagonists); high-stakes politics and full-scale warfare combine with assassination; personal sacrifice and desperate measures (such as raising an army of freed slaves) to make for a taut, fast-paced tale.

The Forgotten War That Almost Destroyed Rome

Cataclysm 90 BC

The story of one of the most colorful dynasties in history, from Caesar's rise to power in the first century BC to Nero's death in AD 68. This engaging new study reviews the long history of the Julian and Claudian families in the Roman Republic and the social and political background of Rome. At the heart of the account are the lives of six menJulius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Neromen who mastered Rome and then changed it from a democracy to a personal possession. It was no easy task: Caesar and Caligula were assassinated, Nero committed suicide, and Claudius was poisoned. Only Augustus and Tiberius died natural deathsand even that is uncertain. The Julio-Claudian saga has a host of other intriguing characters, from Cicero, the last great statesman of the Republic, to Livia, matriarch of the Empire; the passionate Mark Antony and the scheming Sejanus; and Agrippina, mother of Nero and sister of Caligula, who probably murdered her husband and was in turn killed by her son. Set against a background of foreign wars and domestic intrigue, the story of Rome's greatest dynasty is also the story of the birth of an imperial system that shaped the Europe of today. 80 illustrations.

Imperial Rome's First Dynasty

The Sons of Caesar

In 48 BC the armies of Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great fought a decisive battle at Pharsalus in Greece. Pompey was comprehensively defeated and fled to the last power in the Mediterranean world that was independent of Rome, Ptolemaic Egypt. Caesar pursued Pompey and was presented with his severed head, which the Egyptians hoped would make Caesar leave them in peace. Instead, Caesar – as if he did not have enough to do already – plunged gleefully into the world of Egyptian palace politics, riven by dynastic dispute. He quickly sided with the beguiling Queen Cleopatra (after her famous carpet trick), despite having little more than a bodyguard with him. Most of his army was still in Greece, leaving him massively outnumbered by the Egyptian forces. The Romans were besieged in Alexandria for seven months before reinforcements could get through to them. Julius Caesar in Egypt is a true story of double-cross, assassination and intrigue accompanied by lively battles, daring escapes, disastrous fires (the Great Library of Alexandria was largely destroyed in one fracas) and, if not a love story, at least a tale of sex and power as Caesar and Cleopatra’s relationship shaped these world-changing events.

Cleopatra and the War in Alexandria

Julius Caesar in Egypt

The biography of a 1st century Imperial Roman officer whose colorful life and remarkable career spans many of the era’s major events. Few Imperial Romans below the level of emperor left a historic imprint as complete or as fascinating as that of Petilius Cerealis. From Boudicca’s rebellion in Britannia to the infamous “year of the four emperors” in Rome, Cerealis had a knack for getting caught up in some of the most significant and dangerous episodes of his time—and somehow emerging unscathed. This lively biography offers a rare glimpse into the life of an Imperial Roman officer during the Principate. As a Legion Commander in Roman Britain, Cerealis was in charge of quashing the revolt led by Queen Boudicca of the Iceni. In 69 CE, the year after Emperor Nero’s suicide, Cerealis was in Rome while his uncle Vespasian was preparing to seize the empire. In danger of losing his life as a traitor, Cerealis fled to join his uncle as he charged the capital. Later, while commanding a force on the Rhine, Cerealis escaped the Batavian mutiny because he was in a local woman’s bed rather than his own tent.

The Remarkable Career of Petellius Cerialis

Imperial General

This thrillingly vivid history recounts a pivotal battle of the Peloponnesian War, bringing the drama and personalities of the Sicilian Expedition to life. The Athenian expedition to conquer Sicily was one of the most significant military events of the classical period. At the time, Athens was locked in a decades-long struggle with Sparta for mastery of the Greek world. The expedition to Sicily was intended to win Athens the extra money and resources needed to crush the Spartans. With the aid of new archaeological discoveries, Expedition to Disaster reconstructs the mission, and the ensuing siege, in greater detail than ever before. The cast of characters includes Alcibiades, the flamboyant, charismatic young aristocrat; Nicias, the ageing, reluctant commander of the ill-fated expedition, and Gylippus, the grim Spartan general sent to command the defense of Syracuse. It was he who turned the tables on the Athenian invaders. They were surrounded, besieged, and forced to ask for mercy from a man who had none. Philip Matyszak's combination of thorough research and gripping narrative presents an episode of ancient history packed with colorful characters and dramatic tension.

The Athenian Mission to Sicily 415 BC

Expedition to Disaster

This is the story of one of the most powerful dynasties in history. At the heart of it are the lives of six men - Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius Caligula, Claudius and Nero - men who mastered ancient Rome, and changed it from a democracy to a personal possession. Set against a background of foreign wars and domestic intrigue, the story of Rome's greatest dynasty is also the story of the birth of an imperial system which shaped the Europe of today. Octavian recreated himself as the emperor Augustus and allied the Julian clan with the Claudians. The principate which he created lasted for centuries, but the strain on his family resulted in personal tragedy, murder and assassination.

Combining the latest archaeological discoveries with modern-day reconstructions, this book (written by a leading expert, the author of 'Chronicle of the Roman Republic', 'The Enemies of Rome', 'The Sons of Caesar' and 'Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day') provides a vivid picture of what it meant to be a Roman Legionary. How to be accepted into the legions and which legion is for you; What to wear - and what not to wear - while on campaign; Who's Who in the Roman army, and how to tell a Berber from a Pict: How to wield a gladius and fire a catapult; How to storm a city and survive; How to act when Rome is honouring your legion with a triumph. "A very interesting, original and well structured work for anyone who enjoys Roman military themes ... a fun and easy read" - Ancient Warfare

Philip Matyszak

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