Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants

Frequently Asked Questions About the Ancient Greeks and Romans

By: Garrett Ryan

Narrated by: Stephen Graybill

Why didn't the ancient Greeks or Romans wear pants? How did they shave? How likely were they to drink fine wine, use birth control, or survive surgery?

In a series of short and humorous essays, Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants explores some of the questions about the Greeks and Romans that ancient historian Garrett Ryan has answered in the classroom and online. Unlike most books on the classical world, the focus is not on famous figures or events, but on the fascinating details of daily life.

Learn the answers to questions such as: How tall were the ancient Greeks and Romans?; how long did they live?; what kind of pets did they have?; how dangerous were their cities?; did they believe their myths?; did they believe in ghosts, monsters, and/or aliens?; did they jog or lift weights?; how did they capture animals for the Colosseum?; were there secret police, spies, or assassins?; what happened to the city of Rome after the Empire collapsed?; and can any families trace their ancestry back to the Greeks or Romans?

©2021 Garrett Ryan (P)2021 Tantor

Great War to break into Roman and Greek history

Wonderful book. Not dry at all. Right valve of funny and facts. I would recommend this to anyone trying to get into Roman history.

"dis book blows my works out da water" -Aristotle

easy to comprehend, a wide range of knowledge and overall just a fun listen.

Love it

Can’t wait to see future titles from this author. Entertaining, educational and not too lengthy

Hecho curiosos...

....De la vida Romana, Fue un libro de excepcional despliege de detalles casi desconocidos para loa amantes del conocimiento de la sociedad Romana. Cada capitulo es una inmercion a la vida cotidiana de las clases sociales de ese periodo. Aunque alguna vez grotesto y asqueante en terminos actuales, debio haber sido en aquella epoca el "Trend" y reglas a seguir de la sociead.

No es un libro de politica pero si es un libro de informacion sobre la vida que engrasaba a las partes sociales en su seno.

A mi en lo personal me encanto.

Awesome read

I loved the detail and intentionality behind the writer this book was great thanks, and great narration also.

A Fantastic Look into odd Roman History

Really great - excited for the audiobook. I read the physical copy and it was a fun read that explored some fun topics that aren’t normally discussed. I highly recommend the book to any fan of history!

fantastic listen

I really enjoyed this audiobook, both the writing and the performance. I found the stories incredibly fascinating and memorable, and the variety of topics covered always kept my interest. Some passages paint incredible pictures of day to day life, like the gymnasium or natural disasters chapter. Other chapters summarize centuries of history with engaging anecdotes. I really loved the military/elephant sections of this book. Great Listen!

Interesting

I thought I knew a lot about history but there is a lot more to know! The author relates interesting facts with good context, quite entertaining.

Super Fun and Interesting

The recording quality was great. Great narration. Information and the structure it was read was excellent.

Has Great new obscure facts

While much of this I knew there were a few things I didn't. I knew they brought foreign animals to Rome, but how and how many I did not. And other interesting bits of interest. I do recommend. Not dry, entertaining, though the end of the book gets a little bit more history class.