{"product_id":"those-who-are-about-to-die-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roman-gladiator","title":"Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE ECONOMIST\u003c\/i\u003e'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 • See ancient Rome through the eyes of a gladiator—from the evening before the games at the Colosseum to the evening after\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible.\" —Tom Holland, co-host of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rest is History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat did a gladiator feel when he stepped out onto the sand of the Colosseum, his life in the balance? What ran through the minds of the masses there to witness his likely execution? And how did this bloodthirsty ritual come to exist in the first place?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThose Who Are About to Die,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Harry Sidebottom pulls us into the arena, and into the homes and forums of ancient Rome, taking the reader on an eye-opening, twenty-four-hour tour through Roman life at the height of the gladiatorial games, from the first century BC to the second century AD.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe follow the gladiators through the schools (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eludi\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e) where they trained, watch in awe as the massive event unfolds—from the gambling at the pre-festival dinner, to the dawn rush to get a seat in the arena, to the resounding music, the elaborate stage sets, and, yes, the public executions that served as lunch-break entertainment—and we unlearn all the bogus movie tropes (gladiators did not have ripped bods; they were kept fleshy so they’d bleed more).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBroken down by time of day—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eVesper, Prima Vigilia, Secunda Vigilia,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e up through the following sunset (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSolis Occasus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThose Who Are About to Die\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e offers illuminating insights into every aspect of Roman life and thought: their social mores and hierarchies, their feelings about death and sex and violence, and the myths and dreams that fueled the spectacle of the Games.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52029684646168,"sku":"9780593801765","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0824\/2852\/6872\/files\/9780593801765_ed7c8.jpg?v=1778015729","url":"https:\/\/www.clearysbookstore.com\/products\/those-who-are-about-to-die-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roman-gladiator","provider":"Cleary's Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}