hardcover, 352 pages
Published March 9, 2021 by Abrams Press.
The surprising insight of this book is how much “murder” is a social construct. This is shown with a Roman state that, with very few exceptions, avoided to get involved in the prosecution of homicides.
I wish that all my history classes had been taught by Emma Southon or someone who has her talent for highlighting the absurd and revivifying long-dead people. Even though A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is all about death and the gruesome ways that it found people during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, Southon’s gift for discussing Roman foibles really brought the historic figures to life in a way that just talking about their triumphs can’t. Books like this one feed my love of history and I plan to recommend it highly to anyone who expresses even the slightest interest in ancient Rome in my proximity...
Read the rest of my review at abookishtype.wordpress.com
