BOOK REVIEW: 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There, by Philip Matyszak

Review by Brenna J. Corbit, Technical Services Librarian

Too many history books are, in my opinion, dry facts of political events, military invasions, and lives of the rich and famous. So what about a history of the ordinary folks who went about their daily lives in the backdrop of these events? Well, this is exactly what author Philip Matyszak does in his very accessible and entertaining social history. 

The gist of the book is just that, 24 Hours in Ancient Rome, early September 137 A.D., to be precise. Written and researched within context of larger Roman political history, you will meet 24 fictitious citizens of the great city in each consecutive hour of the day. A sampling of them are a slave rushing in the wee hours of the morning to cook breakfast for her demanding household, a tavern keeper dealing with a boisterous and often inebriated lunchtime crowd, and a gladiator performing his martial prowess before an evening dinner party. The first hour is 12 am, with each hour/chapter averaging ten pages. Matyszak also peppers each chapter with contemporary quotes of the period, which never distracts, but breathes extra life into each fictionalized individual.

Matyszak succeeds in bringing a people’s life from an otherwise dusty past of almost 2000 years ago to the present, making readers realize the Romans were not much different than we are today. He does this by making us understand that while “Rome might be the greatest city on earth, but for those living here still need to navigate the traffic, get on with the neighbours and find good, reasonably priced food in the markets” (p.7). We face the same daily struggles in our great civilization. And within this daily struggle, the surroundings, such as the streets and businesses, and everyday objects, such as clocks and tablets, will be quite familiar to readers.

Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford, teaches ancient history at Cambridge University, and has written more than a dozen books on Greek and Roman history, so he certainly knows his stuff. The only negative is that although you meet 24 citizens of all walks of life, one only wishes to have met many others, such as a librarian. And Rome did have its libraries and appointed librarians!