A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Murder in Ancient Rome

By: Emma Southon

Narrated by: Sophie Ward

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

Not a run of the mill history of Rome

Leave it to a British author to make the history of murders in Rome a hoot. Very informative, kept my interest, even laughed out loud several times. Highly recommend this book.

best history book ever

hilariously delivered, what a joy, I want more, great history of Rome and murder!

Excellent

Excellent and entertaining history of murder in Ancient Rome. Really enjoyed the narration. Subtly funny.

Roman history without gloss

Fantastic! The author writes in unabashedly frank language about the topic. The reader (woman, oh how I could kiss you for your performance) intones the perfect pitch, tenor, pronunciations, and marvelously understated matter-of-fact that makes this audio book shimmer.

This one was fun!

Murder, the Roman Empire, wit and humor… a wonderful mix that created a great experience.