|  home  |  contact info  |  policies  |  search  |  authors  |

|  copyright  |  email us  |  college stores  |

|  school stores  |  online store  |  International Orders  |

| Student online Resources |  desk/exam copies  |  Feedback Form  |

Roman Lives

Roman Lives

Ancient Roman Life as Illustrated by Latin Inscriptions

Brian K. Harvey

Kent State University

2004 • 1-58510-114-1 • paper • 188 pages •  6 x 9 • $18.95

|  About the Author  |  Contents  |  Preface  | Review  |

 Description                                            

Roman Lives, a new edition to the Focus Classical Sources library, is a sourcebook that explores ancient life in all strata of Roman society by examining the epitaphs and other inscriptions in Latin. For departments of Classics at the high school or college level which offer Roman Civilization, Epigraphy, or Roman culture courses.

 Author                                                  

Brian K. Harvey is an Assistant Professor of Classics at Kent State University.

 Table of Contents                                     

Preface
Reading Inscriptions
     Roman Epitaphs
     Career Inscriptions
     Sources of Inscriptions; Abbreviations
     The Roman Name
     Roman Emperors to AD 238
The Aristocracy
     The Senatorial Order
     The Equestrian Order
     Municipal Inscriptions
Religion
     The State Religion
     The Imperial Cult
     Foreign Cults
Military
     Soldiers in the Legions
     Soldiers in the Urban Garrison
     Soldiers in the Auxiliary Forces
     Noteworthy Deaths of Soldiers
     Military Officers
Slaves and Freedmen
     Household Slaves
     Public Slaves
     Freedmen and their Patrons
     Foreign Peoples at Rome
The Imperial Household
Roman Families
Roman Women
     Women’s Occupations
Children
The Games
     The Amphitheater
     The Theater
     The Circus
Men’s Occupations
Bibliography

     The current work collects a number of inscriptions that exemplify the people who inhabited the ancient Roman Empire during the first two centuries AD. The catalog of people and occupations is by no means complete, but is intended, rather, to reflect and represent the hundreds of thousands of inscriptions which have been discovered and published over the last several centuries. Inscriptions were chosen which tend to reflect the great diversity of Roman society. Most are tomb epitaphs, but a few examples of statue bases, building inscriptions and ancient graffiti are also included.

     The texts in this collection have been organized into some broad social categories. First are examples of members of the senatorial, equestrian, and municipal aristocracies. Texts illustrating various types of priests and religious attendants follow. The next chapter contains numerous examples of men in the military: common soldiers, non-citizen auxiliary soldiers, centurions, and equestrian officers. The next two chapters illustrate the institution of slavery through inscriptions of slaves and freedmen first from the aristocratic households and then from the household of the emperor. A tremendous number of people were required for the day-to-day running of the imperial palace and bureaucracy. The focus then turns to families and private citizens. First are given examples of Roman families celebrated on a single tombstone. Tombstones of children follow. The next chapter includes epitaphs and dedications exemplifying the virtues and occupations of women. The final two chapters illustrate occupations held by members of the lower classes. First there are inscriptions celebrating the lives of entertainers: gladiators, actors and charioteers, followed by texts demonstrating the types of occupations held by members of the lower classes.

“The translations are elegant, clear and generally superb…The selection of inscriptions, notes and introductions do an excellent job of creating a useful textbook…Dr. Harvey has put a great deal of thought into the book and what will illuminate aspects of Roman daily life.

-- Steven Tuck, Miami University in Ohio