Gladiators and the Roman Mind

Those Who Are About To Die

‘Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was’

Dominic Sandbrook, Times Books of the Year

Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read

Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses

Vivid [and] gripping... a detailed chronicle of what a gladiator's life was actually like

A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible

Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History and Sunday Times bestselling author of Rubicon

Harry Sidebottom manages to break out of a crowded field... a vivid portrayal of the mindscape that created these fighting entertainers

A most enjoyable book. Ingeniously, Sidebottom uses twenty-four hours in the life of a gladiator as a springboard for a fascinating exploration of Roman ways and the Roman mind

Matthew Kneale, Sunday Times bestselling author of Rome: A History in Seven Sackings

Prepare yourselves to enter the arena! Once again, Sidebottom brings the ancient world vividly and dazzlingly to life. A thrilling book... every page sizzles

Alice Loxton, Sunday Times bestselling author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives

Packed with wit, scholarship and gripping storytelling

This book is two splendid things at once. It is the most readable and up-to-date scholarly account of the ancient Roman gladiatorial games, and it is also a fine introduction to Roman culture in general

A masterful journey which takes the reader into the heart of Roman culture by exploring the lives of its gladiators. Sidebottom combines meticulous scholarship with electrifying storytelling, revealing how the arenas shaped Roman ideals of courage and freedom. A vivid window into the ancient mind

Donald J. Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Buy the book; it's very entertaining

The decadence, debauchery and sexual promiscuity that marked the adolescent’s time on the imperial throne make for a rollicking read.

Ancient history was never less dry than in Harry Sidebottom’s superbly entertaining and always scholarly account of the reign of Heliogabalus... There is something for every reader: sex, politics, scandals and a compelling portrait of imperial society and culture

Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword, the Roman gladiator is the most iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now, he was in his own time a deeply controversial character, by turns hated and idealized – and always at the heart of Roman culture. 
 
 
But what did he really mean to the Romans? What did they see in the gladiator and the spectacle of the games? And what does he reveal to us today about the Roman way of life? 
 
 
Brilliantly written and thrillingly researched, this book tells the stories of the gladiators and those who observed them – from grand emperors to lowly slaves – illuminating and analysing the all-consuming passion of the Roman Empire for the spectacle of mortal combat. In doing so, it reveals Roman ideas about everything from freedom and servitude to sex and desire, from courage and cowardice to death and the afterlife. 
 
 
Taking readers on an unforgettable twenty-four-hour adventure – beginning the night before the games and ending the evening after – Those Who Are About To Die gives a blow-by-blow account of what life was really like in the brutally unforgiving arena of the ancient world.

Harry Sidebottom teaches classical history at Oxford University, and is the bestselling author of fifteen novels. His debut trade non-fiction book, The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome, was published in 2022 and was a Book of the Year in the Spectator, the Financial Times and BBC History.

Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the life of the most iconic figure of the ancient world: the Roman gladiator 
 
‘Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was’ 
Dominic Sandbrook, Times Books of the Year 
 
'Wonderfully panoramic … endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read' Literary Review 
 
'Grippingly original' 
Tom Holland 
 
'Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day' 
The Times 
 
*A TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR* 
 
Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword, the Roman gladiator is the most iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now, he was in his own time a deeply controversial character, by turns hated and idealized – and always at the heart of Roman culture. But what did he really mean to the Romans? What did they see in the gladiator and the spectacle of the games? And what does he reveal to us today about the Roman way of life? 
 
Brilliantly written and meticulously researched, this book tells the stories of the gladiators and those who observed them – from grand emperors to lowly slaves – illuminating and analysing the all-consuming passion of the Roman Empire for the spectacle of mortal combat. In doing so, it reveals Roman ideas about everything from freedom and servitude to sex and desire, from courage and cowardice to death and the afterlife. 
 
Taking readers on an unforgettable twenty-four-hour adventure – beginning the night before the games and ending the evening after – Those Who Are About To Die gives a blow-by-blow account of what life was really like in the brutally unforgiving arena of the ancient world.

Warrior of Rome VI: The Amber Road

Warrior of Rome: The Amber Road is the sixth book in Harry Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome series. 
 
 AD 264 - The Roman Empire is torn in two. 
 
 The western provinces - Gaul, Spain and Britain - have been seized by the pretender Postumus. To the east, on the plains of northern Italy, the armies of the emperor Gallienus muster. 
 
 War is coming. 
 
 Everyone must choose a side. 
 
 On a mission shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, Ballista must journey The Amber Road to the far north to Hyperborea, back to his original home and the people of his birth. 
 
 A fearsome, masked warlord attacks, bringing fire and sword against the Angles. Yet not all welcome Ballista`s return. 
 
 Does treachery pose the greatest danger? 
 
 Dr Harry Sidebottom is a leading authority on ancient warfare - he applies his knowledge with a spectacular flair for sheer explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama. Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Sidebottom's recreation of the ancient world. 
 
 Praise for Harry Sidebottom: 
 
 'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' The Times 
 
 'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 
 
 Dr. Harry Sidebottom is Fellow of St Benets Hall, and Lecturer at Lincoln College, Oxford - where he specializes in ancient warfare and classical art.

Sidebottom has the touch of an exceptionally gifted storyteller, drawing on prodigious learning

Tim Severin, author of the 'Vikings' trilogy

Gruesome, Gladiator-style battle scenes and well-researched detail

AD 264 - the Roman Empire is torn in two. 
 
The western provinces - Gaul, Spain and Britain - have been seized by the pretender Postumus. To the east, on the plains of northern Italy, the armies of the emperor Gallienus muster. 
 
War is coming. 
 
Everyone must choose a side. 
 
On a mission shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, Ballista must journey The Amber Road to the far north to Hyperborea, back to his original home and the people of his birth. 
 
A fearsome, masked warlord attacks, bringing fire and sword against the Angles. Yet not all welcome Ballista's return.

Warrior of Rome V: The Wolves of the North

Warrior of Rome: The Wolves of the North by Harry Sidebottom marks the start of a new trilogy within the Warrior of Rome series. 
 
AD263 - barbarian invasions and violent uprisings threaten to tear apart the Imperium of Rome. 
 
In the north, the tribes are increasingly bold in their raids on the Imperium - their savagery unlike anything Rome has known before. Ballista must undertake his most treacherous journey yet - a covert attempt to turn the barbarians of the steppe against each other. He must face the Heruli - the most bizarre and brutal of all the nomad tribes - the Eaters of Flesh, the Wolves of the North. As Ballista and his retinue make their journey, someone - or something - is hunting them, picking them off one by one, and leaving a trail of terror and mutilated corpses. 
 
Ballista is in a strange land, among strange people, but is it possible that the greatest threat may come from within his own familia? 
 
Dr Harry Sidebottom is a leading authority on ancient warfare - he applies his knowledge with a spectacular flair for sheer explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama. Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Sidebottom's recreation of the ancient world. 
 
Praise for Harry Sidebottom: 
'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' The Times 
'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 
 
Dr. Harry Sidebottom is Fellow of St Benets Hall, and Lecturer at Lincoln College, Oxford - where he specializes in ancient warfare and classical art.

Wonderful fight scenes, deft literary touches . . . This is a storming triumph

Experience all the action of Rome with Harry's latest epic. 
 
AD263 - barbarian invasions and violent uprisings threaten to tear apart the Imperium of Rome. 
 
In the north, the tribes are increasingly bold in their raids on the Imperium - their savagery unlike anything Rome has known before. Ballista must undertake his most treacherous journey yet - a covert attempt to turn the barbarians of the steppe against each other. He must face the Heruli - the most bizarre and brutal of all the nomad tribes - the Eaters of Flesh, the Wolves of the North. As Ballista and his retinue make their journey, someone - or something - is hunting them, picking them off one by one, and leaving a trail of terror and mutilated corpses. 
 
Ballista is in a strange land, among strange people, but is it possible that the greatest threat may come from within his own familia?

Warrior of Rome IV: The Caspian Gates

The Caspian Gates is the fourth in Harry Sidebottom's captivating Warrior of Rome Series. 
 
AD262 - the Imperium is in turmoil after the struggle for the throne. Furthermore, Ephesus, Asia's metropolis, lies in ruins, shattered by a mighty earthquake. Its citizens live in fear as the mob overwhelms the city, baying for blood to avenge the gods who have punished them. 
 
Yet an even greater threat to the Empire advances from the North. The barbaric Goth tribes sail towards Ephesus, determined to pillage the city. Only Ballista, Warrior of Rome, knows the ways of the barbarians, and only he can defeat them. 
 
The Goths' appetite for brutality and destruction is limitless and before long Ballista is locked into a deadly bloodfeud, with an enemy that has sworn to destroy him - and the Imperium - at all costs. 
 
Dr Harry Sidebottom is a leading authority on ancient warfare - he applies his knowledge with a spectacular flair for sheer explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama. Fans of Bernard Cornwell will love Sidebottom's recreation of the ancient world. 
 
Praise for Harry Sidebottom: 
'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' The Times 
'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 
 
Dr. Harry Sidebottom is Fellow of St Benets Hall, and Lecturer at Lincoln College, Oxford - where he specializes in ancient warfare and classical art.

AD262 - the Imperium is in turmoil after the struggle for the throne. 
 
Furthermore, Ephesus, Asia's metropolis, lies in ruins, shattered by a mighty earthquake. Its citizens live in fear as the mob overwhelms the city, baying for blood to avenge the gods who have punished them. 
 
Yet an even greater threat to the Empire advances from the North. The barbaric Goth tribes sail towards Ephesus, determined to pillage the city. Only Ballista, Warrior of Rome, knows the ways of the barbarians, and only he can defeat them. 
 
The Goths' appetite for brutality and destruction is limitless and before long Ballista is locked into a deadly bloodfeud, with an enemy that has sworn to destroy him - and the Imperium - at all costs.

Warrior of Rome III: Lion of the Sun

Discover explosive action and white-knuckle drama in the spectacular second instalment in Harry Sidebottom's vivid five-part series, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell 
 
 Mesopotamia, AD 260 
 
 Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the white sun, as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, King of Kings. 
 
 Ballista vows to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. 
 
One day, maybe not soon, but one day, I will kill you . . . 
 
But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending. 
 
 Ballista, the Warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet . . . 
 
 Praise for Harry Sidebottom 
 
 'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' Times 
 
 'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy

Mesopotamia, AD 260 
 
Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the white sun, as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, King of Kings. 
 
Ballista looks on helplessly, but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. One day, maybe not soon, but one day, I will kill you . . . But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. 
 
Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending. 
 
Ballista, the Warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet.

Warrior of Rome II: King of Kings

Discover explosive action and white-knuckle drama in the spectacular second instalment in Harry Sidebottom's vivid five-part series, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell 
 
AD256. The spectre of treachery hangs ominously over the Roman Empire. 
 
The sparks of Christian fervour have spread through the empire like wildfire, and the imperium is alive with the machinations of dangerous and powerful men. 
 
All the while, Sassanid forces press forward relentlessly along the eastern frontier. 
 
When battle-bloodied general Ballista returns to the imperial court from the fallen city of Arete, he discovers that there are those who would rather see him dead than alive. 
 
Soon caught in a sinister web of intrigue and religious fanaticism, Ballista's courage and loyalty will be put to the ultimate test in the service of Rome and the Emperor . . . 
 
The Warrior of Rome is back. 
 
Praise for Harry Sidebottom 
 
'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' Times 
 
'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy

AD256 - the spectre of treachery hangs ominously over the Roman world. The sparks of Christian fervour have spread through the empire like wildfire, and the imperium is alive with the machinations of dangerous and powerful men. 
 
All the while, Sassanid forces press forward relentlessly along the eastern frontier. The battle-bloodied general Ballista returns to the imperial court from the fallen city of Arete - only to find that there are those who would rather see him dead than alive. 
 
Ballista is soon caught in a sinister web of intrigue and religious fanaticism . . . his courage and loyalty will be put to the ultimate test in the service of Rome and the emperor. 
 
The Warrior of Rome is back . . .

Warrior of Rome I: Fire in the East

Warrior of Rome is an epic of empire, heroes, treachery, courage, and most of all, a story of brutal bloody warfare. 
 
 The year is AD 255 - the Roman Imperium is stretched to breaking point, its authority and might challenged along every border. 
 
The greatest threat lies in Persia to the east, where the massing forces of the Sassanid Empire loom with fiery menace. There the isolated Roman citadel of Arete awaits inevitable invasion. 
 
 One man is sent to marshal the defences and shore up crumbling walls. A man whose name itself means war: a man called Ballista. 
 
Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces and the courage to stand first and to stand hard against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium. 
 
 With a spectacular flair for sheer explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama, fans of Bernard Cornwell will love this recreation of the ancient world. 
 
 Praise for Harry Sidebottom: 
 
 'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' The Times 
 
 'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy

The year is AD 255 - the Roman Imperium is stretched to breaking point, its authority and might challenged along every border. The greatest threat lies in Persia to the east, where the massing forces of the Sassanid Empire loom with fiery menace. There the isolated Roman citadel of Arete awaits inevitable invasion. 
 
One man is sent to marshal the defences and shore up crumbling walls. A man whose name itself means war: a man called Ballista. Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces and the courage to stand first and to stand hard against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium. 
 
This is part one of Warrior of Rome: an epic of empire, of heroes, of treachery, of courage, and most of all, a story of brutal bloody warfare.

Harry Sidebottom

Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.

Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read.

Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses.

Vivid [and] gripping... a detailed chronicle of what a gladiator's life was actually like.

A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible.

Harry Sidebottom manages to break out of a crowded field... a vivid portrayal of the mindscape that created these fighting entertainers.

A most enjoyable book. Ingeniously, Sidebottom uses twenty-four hours in the life of a gladiator as a springboard for a fascinating exploration of Roman ways and the Roman mind.

Prepare yourselves to enter the arena! Once again, Sidebottom brings the ancient world vividly and dazzlingly to life. A thrilling book... every page sizzles.

Packed with wit, scholarship and gripping storytelling.

This book is two splendid things at once. It is the most readable and up-to-date scholarly account of the ancient Roman gladiatorial games, and it is also a fine introduction to Roman culture in general.

A masterful journey which takes the reader into the heart of Roman culture by exploring the lives of its gladiators. Sidebottom combines meticulous scholarship with electrifying storytelling, revealing how the arenas shaped Roman ideals of courage and freedom. A vivid window into the ancient mind.

Buy the book; it's very entertaining.

David Aaronovitch, The Times on The Mad Emperor

Ancient history was never less dry than in Harry Sidebottom’s superbly entertaining and always scholarly account of the reign of Heliogabalus... There is something for every reader: sex, politics, scandals and a compelling portrait of imperial society and culture.

An Alternative History of Ancient Rome

'You will love Harry Sidebottom’s magnificent, blood-drenched study of the life of a gladiator … Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.' Dominic Sandbrook, The Times 
 
'Grippingly original' Tom Holland 
 
***A TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR*** 
 
In ancient Rome, a single day could decide a gladiator’s fate. Follow in their footsteps with bestselling author Harry Sidebottom. 
 
Take a seat at the feast on the eve of the games and watch as the men marked for combat enjoy their final meal. 
 
At dawn, Roman citizens rush to the Colosseum to see the spectacles: wild-beast hunts, public executions and carefully choreographed violence – all part of a good day’s entertainment. 
 
Watch as the gladiators enter the arena – armour gleaming, shields locked, they step into the light, fighting not just for survival but for the favour of the crowd. 
 
Gripping, immersive and grounded in ancient sources, A Day in the Life of a Gladiator illuminates the reality of Roman life and death in all its glory. This is history as it happened – not in the marble halls of emperors, but on the blood-darkened sand of the arena. 
 
Previously published in hardback as Those Who Are About to Die.

Harry Sidebottom

Praise for A Day in the Life of a Gladiator

Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.

Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read.

Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses.

Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.

Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read.

Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses.

Magnificent… Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.

Wonderfully panoramic … as an account of the games and the lives of the gladiators alone it is endlessly informative, rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read.

Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700 years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day, from eve-of-fight rituals to stripping the corpses.

Books by Harry Sidebottom

Series by Harry Sidebottom

Warrior of Rome

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