A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum cover art

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Murder in Ancient Rome

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A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

By: Emma Southon
Narrated by: Sophie Ward
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About this listen

An entertaining and informative look at the unique culture of crime, punishment, and killing in ancient Rome

In 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 50-year period, 26 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.

©2021 Emma Southon. Published in 2021 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing Ancient Crime Rome Ancient History
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This book is very enjoyable. What could have been a trite rendition of the greatest hits of Roman murders, as the author sort-of puts it, is instead a truly engrossing exploration of the romans as a culture fundamentally different to our own. On the way the author entertains, educates and ultimately reverses the focus of so much of scholarly writing on Ancient Rome. In the end, the author leaves you feeling a little more empathy for the victims in ancient Roman society and a little less for our own cultural conceits.

Also, it’s funny.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

Great read - well written, well researched and funny!

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This book provides a unique and thought provoking recount of roman history in such a way that it’s changed how i personally think about the roman empire.

Never thought about it like that

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An informarive, engaging and amusing history designed for the modern audience, bloody togas included. I sniggered my way through it in two days. If you are too delicate to handle occasional f-bombs, you should move along to a more staid tome.

A raucous ride

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Loved it. If you love ancient history this is just the thing, well researched and easy to follow. Entertaining!

Great fun

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The author is very engaging, funny, and deeply researched - it's a brilliant book. The narrator delivers a deadpan performance that highlights the humour in the book. It's a must listen!

Hilarious and interesting

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Loved it and highly recommend. Heads up though it has swearing in it so just be aware.

Hilarious

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Definitely not a book for anyone who can't tolerate (frequent) four-letter words or (less frequent) graphic descriptions of murder and torture with a bit of (somewhat less frequent) sex thrown in. Those potential readers apart, the book is rollicking good fun: it's witty and very clever. For anyone new to the history of Republican and Imperial Rome it's a great introduction to the highlights and lowlights, and for those familiar with the history it's a great way to brush up or take another look. Far from the usual po-faced presentation by traditional Historians, this book is by an Historian with a new take - a breath of fresh air to ruffle establishment feathers and gain a new audience for this fascinating period. The focus on murder gives wide scope for examining judicial and extra-judicial killing in their political and social context. As Emma Southon says, it's a chance to look at the ways in which people change and the ways in which they stay the same. Sophie Ward, as always, is a pleasure to listen to.

Hilarious History

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This book was incredibly informative and so engaging. I genuinely laughed so much more than I thought I would in a book about murder.

Informative, depressing, funny

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For those who enjoy ancient history, I’d advise you to find something better researched and written. The author’s use of constant obscenities is the only thing that makes this work memorable - and not in a good way. For example: “He built a fleet to fu*k up the Carthaginian navy…” And so it goes on, and on.
I would understand if this approach was sparingly utilised for emphasis, or as a direct quote of extant texts, but no, it is used throughout the narration as a ‘quirk’, and gets tiresome fast - you quickly realise it is actually being employed to mask the author’s lack of skill.

Amateurish

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