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Articles by Harry Sidebottom
Walka na arenie była tylko finałem. Jak naprawdę żyli gladiatorzy
W starożytności niewielu świadomie wybierało wegetarianizm. Stanowił on raczej domenę ekscentrycznych filozofów, takich jak cała menażeria szarlatanów i czarowników uważających się za uczniów Pitagorasa. Dla pitagorejczyków wegetarianizm wiązał się z wędrówką dusz (transmigracją). Wynikał z nieodłącznej obawy przed spożyciem własnych zmarłych rodziców.
Wiedzieli, że jutro mogą zginąć. Tak wyglądał ostatni wieczór gladiatorów [fragment książki]
Vesper (wieczór) Mężczyźni, którzy zasiadają za suto zastawionymi stołami, mają potężne, obfite cielska — jakże różne od wychudzonych sylwetek obserwujących ich widzów. Skórę ucztujących pokrywają blizny pozostawione przez ostrze miecza i uderzenia bicza, na karkach prężą się sploty mięśni, twarze są pobrużdżone i zrogowaciałe od hełmów. Ciała niektórych są niemal zdeformowane, ramiona różnią się długością. Czujne oczy śledzą ich nieustannie.
Cesarz, który został gladiatorem. Kommodus urządził w Koloseum niezwykłe widowisko
Tekst jest fragmentem książki Harry’ego Sidebottoma „Idący na śmierć. Gladiatorzy w starożytnym Rzymie”, w przekładzie Adama Bukowskiego, która ukazała się nakładem Domu Wydawniczego REBIS, 2026 Wczesną jesienią 192 roku n.e. widzowie tłumnie ciągnęli do Rzymu, by obejrzeć „rzecz dotąd niewidzianą i niesłyszaną”: cesarza walczącego przez czternaście dni w Koloseum. Do naszych czasów dotrwały dwie relacje naocznych świadków.
Wiedzieli, że jutro mogą zginąć. Tak wyglądał ostatni wieczór gladiatorów
Tekst jest fragmentem książki Harry’ego Sidebottoma „Idący na śmierć. Gladiatorzy w starożytnym Rzymie”, w przekładzie Adama Bukowskiego, która ukazała się nakładem Domu Wydawniczego REBIS, 2026 Mężczyźni, którzy zasiadają za suto zastawionymi stołami, mają potężne, obfite cielska – jakże rożne od wychudzonych sylwetek obserwujących ich widzów.
Idący na śmierć. Gladiatorzy w starożytnym Rzymie
24 godziny z życia rzymskiego gladiatora. Jak naprawdę wyglądało życie na bezlitosnej arenie starożytnego świata. Wznoszący skrwawioną broń gladiator to jeden z głównych symboli starożytnego świata. Dziś fascynuje, ale w swoich czasach był postacią kontrowersyjną - przez jednych idealizowaną, przez innych nienawidzoną, lecz niezmiennie tkwiącą głęboko w rzymskiej kulturze. Jakie było jego prawdziwe znaczenie dla Rzymian? Jak postrzegali oni gladiatorów i ich krwawe igrzyska?
I gladiatori erano davvero i sex symbol dell'antica Roma come nei film di Hollywood?
I film hollywoodiani travisano spesso la storia dell'antica Roma, ma su una cosa hanno ragione: i gladiatori erano dei sex symbol, anche se non nel modo in cui ci si potrebbe aspettare. DI Harry Sidebottom pubblicato 29-07-2026 Come testimoniano i graffiti incisi nelle caserme di Pompei, i gladiatori si consideravano dei sex symbol.
Gladiátoři jako sexuální symboly starého Říma – proč je římská kultura líčila jako erotické idoly
Hollywoodu se často vyčítá, že historii ohýbá podle svého. Málokde je to tak patrné jako u filmů o Římě. Dalo by se namítat mnohé. Chybí barvy – v řízách britských herců s vybranou výslovností i na sochách a mramorových dílech, z nichž čas setřel původní pestrost. V patrně nejslavnějším filmu o Římě, ve snímku Gladiátor, se nepřesnosti jen hemží: od podivných rozhodnutí o výzbroji bojovníků až po tygry vypuštěné do arény. Pokračování jde ještě dál.
New library books
These works of ancient history are newly available through the Allen County Public Library. “The Lost Voices of Pompeii: Life and Death on Pompeii’s Final Day” by Venner Jess Hourly snapshots of reconstructed daily routines reveal the social spectrum of a doomed Roman city as seven residents — from a newly freed slave to a prominent politician — navigate their final hours before Vesuvius erupts.
One thing Hollywood gets right about Ancient Rome
Hollywood is often criticized for getting history wrong, rarely more so than in films about Rome. One could take issue with the lack of color, whether in the robes that clothe posh-sounding British actors or the statues and other works in marble stripped of their polychromy. In arguably the most famous movie about Rome, Gladiator, inaccuracies abound, from puzzling choices in how the gladiators are armed to the tigers released to endanger the combatants.
Of the Many Types of Roman Gladiator, Some Were Definitely Women
Harry Sidebottom on the History of Female Gladiators “If I win, Toxaris, we shall go away together, with all that we need; but if I fall, bury me and go back to Scythia.” These were the last words of Sisinnes in the arena at Amastris. “I have lived long enough,” a poor young volunteer in another arena said to the friend he had replaced on the sand.
Those Who Are About to Die
ISBN9780593801765 Published onApr 14, 2026 Published byKnopf Pages416 Dimensions6-1/8 x 9-1/4 HARRY SIDEBOTTOM was educated at various schools and universities, including Oxford, where he is now Lecturer in Ancient History at Lincoln College. The author of The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome and other studies in Roman history, he is best known to the general reading public as the author of fifteen historical novels, including the Warrior of Rome series.
THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE
An earthy, vivid tour of daily life among ancient warriors. The Roman Empire will likely never go out of style. For the sword-and-sandal set, this book charts the daily life of a Roman gladiator, from morning bread to evening dreams.
Why women had to do lessons naked in Sparta (while men watched)
Fight of the Spartan Women, by Giovanni Demn, 1837: The Spartan education system was designed to make women fit and healthy to bear the next generation of warriors - Electa/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images The Spartans stand tall in the modern popular imagination: courageous and obedient, we think of them as superhumanly tough freedom fighters with a facility for pungent one-liners worthy of a Clint Eastwood western.
Zij die gaan sterven
Wie aan het oude Rome denkt, denkt al gauw aan de gladiatoren. Al eeuwen spreken ze tot onze verbeelding, even fascinerend als afschrikwekkend vormen ze een vast ijkpunt in onze beeldvorming over de Romeinen. Maar hoe leefde en stierf een gladiator echt, en welke plek nam hij in binnen de Romeinse wereld?
A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator
In this episode, I chat with Harry Sidebottom. Harry is a Lecturer in Ancient History at Lincoln College, Oxford. He is the bestselling author of fifteen historical novels, and nineteen books in total. His debut trade non-fiction book, The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome, was a Book of the Year in the Spectator, the Financial Times and BBC History.
Those Who Are About to Die: Gladiators and the Roman Mind
Why would you enjoy watching a man being hacked to death in front of you? As a student of the classics, this is one of the questions I always found difficult to answer. What was it that drew the Romans, century after century, to the gladiatorial games?
Want to know Ray Keene's Top 3 Books of 2024?
My favorite read in 2024 The homage to Plutarch’s original was inspirational. Brilliant idea. Loved Most 🥇 Outlook 🥈 Writing Writing style ❤️ Loved it Pace 🐇 I couldn't put it down Why should I read it? 1 author picked Parallel Lives as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. What is this book about? Parallel Lives covers the century from the birth of Sigmund Freud in 1856 to the death of Sylvia Plath in 1963.
Vestal virgins and wandering wombs: women’s lives in Greece and Rome
“Women were invented to make men’s lives more difficult.” With characteristic style and wit, Daisy Dunn opens her new book by quoting Hesiod.
How Jesus was nearly swept away by a wave of unpleasant tales
When Jesus was young, another boy bumped into him in the village street. Jesus cursed him – “You shall go no further on your way” – and the boy dropped dead. His parents complained about Jesus to Joseph and Mary: “Teach him to bless, and not to curse; for he slayeth our children.” This was a slight exaggeration – previously Jesus had merely crippled another child – but the plea didn’t work. Jesus cursed them too, and they were struck blind.
Michael Kulikowski
When Gabriele D’Annunzio’s personal secretary likened his employer to Heliogabalus, that short-lived emperor was still a byword for florid decadence. He died at eighteen, but the Syrian boy’s appetites were monstrous from the start. He favoured every kind of sex that Romans deplored, cunnilingus most of all. He had himself shaved all over, like a eunuch, and chose his officials for the size of their genitals. He drove chariot teams of exotic animals and perfected the cruelties of Caligula and Nero.
Pax by Tom Holland — Rome’s golden days, brought to vivid life
Between the death of Nero in AD68 and that of Hadrian 70 years later, Rome was approaching its apogee.
Maigret and the Headless Corpse
The dismembered body of a man is pulled from Paris’s Canal Saint-Martin one newspaper wrapped piece at a time. A gruesome, but seemingly routine, case for Inspector Maigret, at least on the surface anyway. Surfaces can be deceptive though, not least because beneath them might lie disturbing secrets. Like the link between this case and Madame Calas, the owner of a shabby bistro whose husband has recently left town.
The Mad Emperor: Harry Sidebottom (218)
In this special end of year episode, we get into the spirit of Heliogabalus by allowing Harry Sidebottom to trample on our own tradition of choosing just one year in history to travel back to. Today we will visit three separate years, 218, 220 and 222 so we can hear the full extraordinary story he tells in his new book The Mad Emperor. Heliogabalus’ was a short and eventful life.
Was King Arthur really a Roman centurion?
Read full article Artorius by Linda A Malcor and John Matthews review: King Arthur book Reading Artorius: The Real King Arthur is like being initiated into a New Age mystery cult which promises you revelation after a quest to Avalon. You are led through a cloud of darkness and unknowing. An object (an inscription, or a ring, or a fragment of text) looms out of the fog. The hierophants say a few words. Some of these are banal, most tendentious, or simply baffling.
Was King Arthur really a Roman centurion?
Read full article Artorius by Linda A Malcor and John Matthews review: King Arthur book Reading Artorius: The Real King Arthur is like being initiated into a New Age mystery cult which promises you revelation after a quest to Avalon. You are led through a cloud of darkness and unknowing. An object (an inscription, or a ring, or a fragment of text) looms out of the fog. The hierophants say a few words. Some of these are banal, most tendentious, or simply baffling.
The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome
Why do we never talk about Heliogabalus? For those who enjoy stories of depraved Roman emperors, he knocks the sandals off Caligula and Nero. The nicknames he acquired after a reign of just four years (AD 218–22) bear witness to his reputation. These include Gynnis (‘womanish-man’), Koryphos (either ‘virgin-rapist’ or ‘catamite’) and Tiberinus, because his dismembered remains were thrown into the Tiber. Heliogabalus was not chosen for his skills in government.
Why I write about the ‘obscure’ third century AD
Harry Sidebottom, the novelist and lecturer in Ancient History, explains why he writes both fiction and history relating to a period of Roman history which is so little known about that he describes it as obscure. What is it about the third century AD that makes it a goldmine for scholars and for novelists? Why the Roman Empire in the third century AD? It is profoundly obscure. Very few people today know anything about the period. The ancient sources are patchy and unreliable.
Book review: Alexander the Great’s bio is a delight
Some of the stories about the early life of Alexander the Great are wonderful. At a young age, he questioned ambassadors from Persia not about childish things, like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but about the state of the empire’s armies and roads. After a dinner party his father reprimanded him for playing the kithara with greater proficiency than was fitting for a prince; he then broke in Bucephalus, his famous Thessalian charger, a horse no one else could ride.
I’m Spartacus! Slave revolts in Rome
Harry Sidebottom’s latest novel, The Burning Road, is set in Sicily during a revolt of enslaved people against the Roman Empire. He wonders why there were so few such uprisings during the many centuries of Roman rule – and why we’ve only heard of the one led by Spartacus. “I am Spartacus!” At first in ones and twos, then in groups, across the dusty hillsides the captured slaves get to their feet and shout: “I am Spartacus!” It is one of the most emotive scenes in Stanley Kubrick’s film.
Epidemias: ¿qué podemos aprender de la Antigua Roma?
La peste se encontraba sellada dentro de una urna de oro en un templo de Babilonia. Un soldado romano que saqueaba el templo abrió aquella urna y la infección viajó a Occidente con el ejército en su retirada. Ese fue el origen de la gran peste antonina (c. 165-180 d. C.) conforme al relato de un autor latino. Las epidemias no eran algo desconocido, ni mucho menos, para el mundo antiguo. Se calcula que se producía un brote serio en algún lugar del área del Mediterráneo cada 10 o 20 años.
The Last Hour Review
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire has provided many authors with a rich ground for fiction, but few have exploited it as well as Harry Sidebottom, son of a racehorse trainer, Doctor of Ancient History at Oxford and progenitor of the adventures of Marcus Clodius Ballista, the protagonist of his Warrior of Rome series.
Vespasian: Tribune of Rome
ONE MAN Born in rural obscurity ONE DESTINY To become one of Rome's greatest Emperors 26 AD: Sixteen-year-old Vespasian leaves his family farm for Rome, his sights set on finding a patron and following his brother into the army. But he discovers a city in turmoil and an Empire on the brink. The aging emperor Tiberius is in seclusion on Capri, leaving Rome in the iron grip of Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard.
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