Not Built in a Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire by Emma SouthonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This must have been an extremely difficult book to write. Emma Southon’s affection for ancient Rome is evident in all her books. But here she undertakes 350 pages of unflinching discussion of the essential underpinning of Roman society: an unspeakably brutal system of slavery. And I do mean “unspeakable.” Despite her tireless scholarship, extensive vocabulary and brilliant wit, the author frequently finds herself at a loss when trying to express her feelings about just how cruel the Romans were to enslaved people. Nonetheless, she does her job as a historian. The result is an excellent account of the various forms of slavery in the republican and imperial eras, described in detail with a constant care for viewing things from the perspective of the enslaved.
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