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3.5 

The Ancient Guide to Modern Life

By Natalie Haynes
The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

“A wonderfully whimsical yet instructional view of Greco-Roman history.” —Kirkus Reviews

In this thoroughly engaging book, Natalie Haynes brings her scholarship and wit to the most fascinating true stories of the ancient world. The Ancient Guide to Modern Life not only reveals the origins of our culture in areas including philosophy, politics, language, and art, it also draws illuminating connections between antiquity and our present time, to demonstrate that the Greeks and Romans were not so different from ourselves: Is Bart Simpson the successor to Aristophanes? Do the Beckhams have parallel lives with The Satiricon’s Trimalchio? Along the way Haynes debunks myths (gladiators didn’t salute the emperor before their deaths, and the last words of Julius Caesar weren’t “et tu, brute?”). From Athens to Zeno's paradox, this irresistible guide shows how the history and wisdom of the ancient world can inform and enrich our lives today.

“A romp through some of the best-known, and some of the more obscure, writers, thought, and stories of Greece and Rome.” —Times Literary Supplement

52 Reviews

3.5
“I have no background in classics but I’ve recently become very fascinated with Greek mythology and retellings. Also the ancient history that goes along with those myths. When I got this book for my kindle I really didn’t know what to expect. But it’s not your typical history book. I absolutely loved her writing style. She drew great parallels from ancient history and with the times we live in now. Parts were witty and eye opening. I fully plan on checking out all her other books. ✨”

About Natalie Haynes

Natalie Haynes appears regularly on BBC Television's Newsnight Review and BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review and Front Row. she writes for the Sunday Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday, The New Humanist, and the Times. she earned her degree in classics at Cambridge and has worked as an award-winning stand-up comedian. she lives in London.

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