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adamsw216's review against another edition
4.0
This book is essentially a collection of interesting and fun facts about Ancient Greek and Roman history assembled into a Q&A format (What kind of pets did they have? How dangerous were their cities? Did they travel for pleasure? Was the Oracle of Delphi high on fumes? etc.). Condensing a topic as complicated as Ancient Greek and Roman history, politics, culture, society, art, and religion down to bite-sized pieces is a difficult task. However, I think that Garrett Ryan did an admirable job at distilling things into fairly straight-forward sounding answers to the questions which he poses. Naturally, almost every sentence in this book belies an interesting anecdote or glosses over a massive amount of information, but going into all that would defeat the purpose of this book. That being said, even in a more simplified form, the sheer volume of facts presented without in-depth context make it difficult to imagine many readers being able to recall a great many of them after finishing the book.
This is a sort of pop-history book with fun information about Ancient Greeks and Romans that would likely appeal to someone who has not had much exposure to Classical Antiquity, and I think it accomplishes that task fairly well.
This is a sort of pop-history book with fun information about Ancient Greeks and Romans that would likely appeal to someone who has not had much exposure to Classical Antiquity, and I think it accomplishes that task fairly well.
dani_el's review against another edition
4.0
Fun facts but in a book plus some history. A recipe for guaranteed success
andclay's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I definitely enjoyed this book. Each chapter was succinct, interesting, and written in a very approachable and informative style. Despite each chapter reading very quickly, it took me a while to get through this book— for me, once I had read two or so chapters in a single sitting, I could feel myself start to glaze over at the historical names. So I would recommend reading this in single chapter bursts. I especially liked the (very abbreviated) history of the Classical World, which I think is worth picking up the book for in of itself.
miguelf's review against another edition
4.0
Fun little book including various vignettes regarding Greek / Roman history and social structure. Been a subscriber to ‘Told in Stone’ for a while, so it’s very much in a similar vein.
megblak's review against another edition
5.0
Clever and humorous. Ryan combines fast facts with witty anecdotes to keep the reader laughing, all while feeling informed without becoming overwhelmed.
This was a fun one! If you like quirky, short excerpts about history, this is perfect for you. Chapters are relatively short and focused on one topic such as “Was the Oracle of Delphi High on Fumes?” and “Why Didn’t They Wear Pants?”
It’s written in a very humorous and casual style, with lots of footnotes to add information. Ryan is clearly well informed on the topic, but knows how to pare down the story to what we are really interested in: all the crazy sh*t and scandalous bits. I think would appeal to a wide audience and would be enjoyable to people who don’t typically read history as well!
This was a fun one! If you like quirky, short excerpts about history, this is perfect for you. Chapters are relatively short and focused on one topic such as “Was the Oracle of Delphi High on Fumes?” and “Why Didn’t They Wear Pants?”
It’s written in a very humorous and casual style, with lots of footnotes to add information. Ryan is clearly well informed on the topic, but knows how to pare down the story to what we are really interested in: all the crazy sh*t and scandalous bits. I think would appeal to a wide audience and would be enjoyable to people who don’t typically read history as well!
excavatingmytbr's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a fun snapshot of history. I truly enjoyed these questions and their answers. As an Archaeology Professor I’ve actually received some of these questions! I can’t wait to suggest this to my students.
amyiw's review against another edition
5.0
A history that is not quite a history. At the end, he does have a wrap up timeline history told just about as short as you can with covering the main points but... the main part of the books is going over the question that some have, like togas and why no pants, did they really use elephants and what where the consequences, it even goes to some sticky subjects of the man boy relationships that happened and how they were seen, then gladiators and muscles and whether they all died (no), what happened to the statues?, etc... it was like highlighting points that are interesting of thoughts and life in the Ancient Greek and Roman times. I thoroughly enjoyed the tidbits of information and the way they were presents with all the ideas and backgrounds, possible and known.
thehappylittleelf's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
Fun and informative, this book is a very accessible intro to Roman history. It may not go as in depth as some history buffs prefer, but I think this works amazingly as a springboard into deeper research. It’s written in a way that’s both entertaining and informational.