Voices of Ancient Greece and Rome: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life(Voices of an Era)

Collecting documents culled from the writings of ancient Greek and Roman authors, this book provides a glimpse of what life was like in ancient times and illustrates the relevance of these long-ago civilizations to modern life. Voices of Ancient Greece and Rome: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life sheds light on various aspects of Greek and Roman daily life by examining excerpts from the works of ancient authors who wrote about these topics. Written to help readers truly understand what life within an ancient civilization was like, each entry is preceded by background information and followed by thought-provoking questions. This book covers fascinating topics such as domestic life, employment, housing, food and clothing, sports and games, public safety, education, health care, politics, and religion. Each chapter contains several relevant documents excerpted from the writings of ancient authors accompanied by background information, reading and thought questions, bibliographical data, and suggestions for further reading. An introductory essay to the volume, a guide for evaluating original sources, and bio-notes on the ancient authors are also included. As with other volumes in the Greenwood Voices of an Era series, this book contains much more than just a series of documents: it provides the information and tools that will promote critical thinking and support the research process.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chronology Domestic Life 1. Growing Up in Sparta Was No Picnic 2. A Failure to Launch, in an Athenian Family 3. Even in Ancient Rome, the Dog Was Man's—and Woman's—Best Friend 4. A Prearranged Marriage 5. An Extremely Devoted Wife Education 6. Plutarch's Prescription for a Child's Education 7. Socrates and Protagoras Discuss Issues in Education 8. Funding for Roman Schools 9. Spare the Rod, and Other Educational Precepts of Quintilian Employment 10. Pay It Back! Apollodorus and His Day in Court 11. Workers Needed for Building the Parthenon 12. Cicero Advises His Son on a Right and Proper Career 13. The Sky Is No Longer the Limit: Diocletian's Cap on Wages and Prices Food and Clothing 14. Plutarch and Friends Talk Dirty (Laundry) 15. After a Long Day of Marching or Fighting, What Did the Homeric Heroes Eat? 16. Spinning Thread and Making Clothing 17. Controlling Appetite and Curbing Weight Gain Health Care 18. Hippocrates and the Ethics of the Medical Profession 19. A Medical Miracle Man Who Declined to Give an Encore Performance 20. How to Obtain Good Health, and Keep It 21. How the Mind Can Heal the Body Housing 22. Vitruvius's Description of an Elegant Home 23. A Husband and Wife Discuss Their Domicile: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place 24. You Take Your Life in Your Hands if You Live in Rome 25. Ah! At Last I Can Live Like a Human Being! Intellectual Life 26. An Intellectual on Trial 27. An Intellectual Who Invented Many Ingenious Devices 28. An Intellectual Defends the Study of Literature 29. An Intellectual Pays Tribute to His Uncle's Literary Output Politics 30. Out with Him! An Athenian Method of Ridding the City of Tiresome Politicians 31. Women in Politics? In Ancient Athens? 32. Homegrown Terrorism? 33. The Women of Rome Refuse to Back Down Religion 34. Squabbling among the Gods Was a Major Headache for Zeus 35. King Croesus Consults—and Bribes?—the Delphic Oracle 36. Julius Caesar Becomes a God 37. Job Description for a Vestal Virgin Safety 38. A Case of Assault and Battery 39. Women? Taking Over the Acropolis? 40. A Tribune Speaks, a Riot Ensues 41. Everybody Talks about the Weather, but No One Does Anything about It Sports and Games 42. The Goddess Was on His Side 43. The (Ancient) World's Greatest Athlete 44. "Put Me In, Coach": A Famous Athletic Trainer 45. The Resume of Ancient Rome's Superstar Charioteer Biographical Sketches of Important Individuals Mentioned in Text Glossary Bibliography Index

About the Author :
David Matz is professor of classical languages at St. Bonaventure University, NY. He has authored six books on Greek and Roman history and culture.

Review :
This volume, using excerpts from ancient primary documents, brings the people of ancient Greece and Rome to life. This volume will well serve students taking introductory classics courses. It will be a fun addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in Greek and Roman history.