Autorentext

Garrett Ryan holds a PhD in Greek and Roman history from the University of Michigan. When he isn’t writing books about the classical world, he runs Toldinstone, the largest Roman history channel on YouTube. He lives in Chicago.

Klappentext

Could a Roman bridge carry a modern freight train? How much would it cost to build the Colosseum today? What if the Romans had grown potatoes?

In a series of fast-paced essays, Leaky Aqueducts, Battle Pigeons, and Mystery Cults answers questions that historian Garrett Ryan has been asked in the classroom and through his popular YouTube channel Toldinstone.

Discover the answers to:

• Were there pigeons on the streets of Rome?
• Were spectators ever harmed in the Colosseum?
• What did gladiators do after they retired?
• How did the Romans forget hieroglyphs?
• Did mosquitoes and rats cause the fall of Rome?

Inhalt

Preface

Part I. The City of Rome

1. Were there pigeons on the streets of Rome?

2. Were apartments expensive?

3. What were the bars like?

4. Were there garbage dumps?

5. Were there bookstores?

6. How was free bread distributed?

7. How bad did it smell?
   Part II. Wonders of Engineering

8. How were Roman baths heated?

9. How were Greek temples built?

10. How was the Pantheon built?

11. How much weight could a Roman bridge carry?

12. What did Roman military engineers design?

13. Did the Colosseum cost more than St. Peter’s Basilica?

14. Could the Romans have built the Egyptian pyramids?

15. What happened to the Wonders of the Ancient World?
    Part III. Soldiers and Gladiators

16. How did the Romans arm their soldiers?

17. Why didn’t the Romans conquer Parthia?

18. What did gladiators do after they retired?

19. Were spectators ever harmed in the Colosseum?

20. Was there a secret tunnel into the Colosseum?
    Part IV. Daily Life

21. Was there a middle class?

22. How did the rich spend their money?

23. How expensive was purple clothing?

24. How did elections work?

25. How did they pay taxes?

26. How did they cope with natural disasters?

27. What do their tombstones tell us?
    Part V. Beliefs and Controversies

28. How different were the Greek and Roman gods?

29. Did the Romans believe that their emperors were divine?

30. Why did the Romans persecute the Christians?

31. How “Good” were Rome’s Five Good Emperors?

32. Did mosquitoes and rats cause the fall of Rome?
    Part VI. Legacies

33. How did Roman cities get their modern names?

34. How did the Romans forget hieroglyphs?

35. Did the early Christians destroy pagan temples?

36. What happened to the Colosseum after Rome fell?

37. Are there Roman ruins under Vatican City?

38. Why were so many ancient cities abandoned?

39. Does any country still use Roman law?

40. Have Roman beliefs survived in Italian folklore?

41. How much has Latin influenced English?

42. How Roman is the Times New Roman font?
    Part VII. What if?

43. Could potatoes have saved the Roman Empire?

44. What languages would Europeans speak if Latin never existed?

45. What would a time traveler need to survive in ancient Rome?