Reviewed by Michael Brandon
We all have those kinds
of books. You know, those books. The easy-reference books that
you quote out of at a party or meeting, which you hope will come
across as interesting or humorous (and usually does). They are easy
to read, easy to enjoy and easy to remember. From books filled with
gut-busting funny jokes to fascinating facts about the world around
us, there is a reference book for probably everybody out there. For
the dedicated Classicist, Classical Compendium is a strong
choice for such a read.
Classical Compendium is
a miscellany on various facts and stories originating from ancient
Greece and ancient Rome, arguably the two most important Classical
civilizations. The book is near 200 pages long and is filled with
quotes, stories and facts, ranging from believable to wacky, within
multiple sections such as “Odd Jobs”, “Bizarre Beliefs” and
“The Gossip Column”.
Written by Philip
Matyszak, the author of titles such as Chronicles Of the Roman
Republic (2003), a doctorate in Roman history from Oxford book
gives confidence that many of these facts present in the book are
well-researched and believable. This especially comes across in the
writing and presentation of the book, which is well-ordered and
includes a section on acknowledgements (which credits Frontinus and
the younger Pliny for much of the gossip). The subtitles and bullet
points help divide the information into bite-sized chunks that is
easy to understand and absorb, making it particularly easy to
remember and therefore quote at your next Classics society meeting.
Humour is the main
trump card of Compendium, showing that Matyszak has an eye for
picking out the parts of history that seem most bizarre and
preposterous to a modern world. Just looking at the blurb gives you a
good impression of this. “A Roman suffering illness could be cured
by being rubbed with puppies”. “Julius Caesar’s horse had toes
instead of hooves”. “Hannibal won a naval battle using exploding
clay pots filled with poisonous snakes”. If you didn’t at least
raise an eyebrow at those examples, then this book is still worth a
gander, for there are many more stories and anecdotes that may make
you smile.
While
humour is certainly present in Compendium, it is by no means
the only value the book has; it is pretty educational too, as you’d
expect. From basic Classical facts such as the different types of
Roman Gladiators (from the Secutores to the Laquerii) to the names of
different second-hand Roman vehicles (from the Arcera to the
Postellum) to the detailed list of Roman Emperors, dated and all, you
can pick up a lot about Rome…and Greece too! We also have profiles
for many famous classical individuals such as Socrates and Sappho,
which is particularly useful to those that are only just starting out
with Classical knowledge and want to get onto an even keel with
classics-loving pals. And of course, there are all the quotes too.
Great to read and great
to quote too, Classical Compendium is not a bad purchase for
the aspiring Classicist at all. For those already greatly familiar
with Classics, this is still a good pickup. But the greatest
beneficiary of this book would be anyone who has a rough, basic
knowledge of Classics who wish to further their knowledge by filling
in missing holes, all the while enjoying themselves along the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment