Description

‘You will love Harry Sidebottom’s magnificent, blood-drenched study of the life of a gladiator … Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.’ Dominic Sandbrook, The Times

‘Grippingly original’ Tom Holland

***A TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR***

In ancient Rome, a single day could decide a gladiator’s fate. Follow in their footsteps with bestselling author Harry Sidebottom.

Take a seat at the feast on the eve of the games and watch as the men marked for combat enjoy their final meal.

At dawn, Roman citizens rush to the Colosseum to see the spectacles: wild-beast hunts, public executions and carefully choreographed violence – all part of a good day’s entertainment.

Watch as the gladiators enter the arena – armour gleaming, shields locked, they step into the light, fighting not just for survival but for the favour of the crowd.

Gripping, immersive and grounded in ancient sources, A Day in the Life of a Gladiator illuminates the reality of Roman life and death in all its glory. This is history as it happened – not in the marble halls of emperors, but on the blood-darkened sand of the arena.

Previously published in hardback as Those Who Are About to Die.

Publisher Review

Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was. * Dominic Sandbrook, Times Books of the Year * Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read. * Literary Review * Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses. * The Times * Vivid [and] gripping… a detailed chronicle of what a gladiator’s life was actually like. * Economist * A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible. * Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History and Sunday Times bestselling author of Rubicon * Harry Sidebottom manages to break out of a crowded field… a vivid portrayal of the mindscape that created these fighting entertainers. * Times Literary Supplement * A most enjoyable book. Ingeniously, Sidebottom uses twenty-four hours in the life of a gladiator as a springboard for a fascinating exploration of Roman ways and the Roman mind. * Matthew Kneale, Sunday Times bestselling author of Rome: A History in Seven Sackings * Prepare yourselves to enter the arena! Once again, Sidebottom brings the ancient world vividly and dazzlingly to life. A thrilling book… every page sizzles. * Alice Loxton, Sunday Times bestselling author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives * Packed with wit, scholarship and gripping storytelling. * Aspects of History * This book is two splendid things at once. It is the most readable and up-to-date scholarly account of the ancient Roman gladiatorial games, and it is also a fine introduction to Roman culture in general. * Ronald Hutton, author of Oliver Cromwell *