A Day in the Life of a Gladiator
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A Day in the Life of a Gladiator: An Alternative History of Ancient Rome

A Day in the Life of a Gladiator: An Alternative History of Ancient Rome


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About the Book

Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the life of the most iconic figure of the ancient world: the Roman gladiator

Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword, the Roman gladiator is the most iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now, he was in his own time a deeply controversial character, by turns hated and idealized – and always at the heart of Roman culture. But what did he really mean to the Romans? What did they see in the gladiator and the spectacle of the games? And what does he reveal to us today about the Roman way of life?

Brilliantly written and meticulously researched, this book tells the stories of the gladiators and those who observed them – from grand emperors to lowly slaves – illuminating and analysing the all-consuming passion of the Roman Empire for the spectacle of mortal combat. In doing so, it reveals Roman ideas about everything from freedom and servitude to sex and desire, from courage and cowardice to death and the afterlife.

Taking readers on an unforgettable twenty-four-hour adventure – beginning the night before the games and ending the evening after – A Day in the Life of a Gladiator gives a blow-by-blow account of what life was really like in the brutally unforgiving arena of the ancient world.

'Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses'
The Times
'Grippingly original' Tom Holland, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dominion
'Thrilling... every page sizzles' Alice Loxton, Sunday Times bestselling author of Eighteen
'Fascinating' Matthew Kneale, Sunday Times bestselling author of Rome

Previously published as Those Who Are About To Die

© Harry Sidebottom 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026



About the Author :
Harry Sidebottom teaches classical history at Oxford University, and is the bestselling author of fifteen novels. His debut trade non-fiction book, The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome, was published in 2022 and was a Book of the Year in the Spectator, the Financial Times and BBC History.

Review :
Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was. Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read. Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses. Vivid [and] gripping... a detailed chronicle of what a gladiator's life was actually like. A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible. Harry Sidebottom manages to break out of a crowded field... a vivid portrayal of the mindscape that created these fighting entertainers. A most enjoyable book. Ingeniously, Sidebottom uses twenty-four hours in the life of a gladiator as a springboard for a fascinating exploration of Roman ways and the Roman mind. Prepare yourselves to enter the arena! Once again, Sidebottom brings the ancient world vividly and dazzlingly to life. A thrilling book... every page sizzles. Packed with wit, scholarship and gripping storytelling. This book is two splendid things at once. It is the most readable and up-to-date scholarly account of the ancient Roman gladiatorial games, and it is also a fine introduction to Roman culture in general.


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781804963968
  • Publisher: Cornerstone
  • Publisher Imprint: Penguin (Cornerstone)
  • Edition: Unabridged edition
  • Sub Title: An Alternative History of Ancient Rome
  • ISBN-10: 1804963968
  • Publisher Date: 11 Jun 2026
  • Binding: Downloadable audio file
  • Language: English


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