The Classical Compendium: A Miscellany of Scandalous Gossip, Bawdy Jokes, Peculiar Facts, and Bad Behavior from the Ancient Greeks and Romans

by Philip Matyszak

Pliny did it, Plutarch did it, Xenophon did it. In fact most ancient writers were incorrigible collectors of miscellany, lively anecdotes, and after-dinner jokes. Here, writer and historian Philip Matyszak has collected his favorite incidents, wisecracks, and interesting facts about ancient Greece and Rome into a single volume.



The stories have been selected for the insights that they give us into the ancient world, with its different perspectives on life, honor, and personal relationships. Many of the tales seem outrageous (such as a statue being tried for murder), though to the ancients these were normal enough. As the author comments, “human nature has not changed much over the last three thousand years, but the manner in which it finds expression is sometimes dramatically different.”



In these pages we find humorous quips by the emperor Augustus and wry observations by the philosopher Socrates. There are stories of ghastly crimes, incredible journeys, and some bizarre military mishaps, like the Macedonian troops who rushed to storm the walls of a Greek city, only to find that their ladders were six feet short.



Did you know that ...

a Roman suffering from illness might be cured if rubbed all over with a puppy
lentils cooked in saffron were a popular Greek aphrodisiac
in the Roman marriage ceremony, the groom parts the bride’s hair with a spear
Caesar’s horse had toes

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Classics, Reference, Humor

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Philip Matyszak is a British nonfiction author, primarily of historical works relating to ancient Rome. Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford. In addition to being a professional author, he also teaches ancient history for Madingley Hall Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Matyszak's very entertaining The Classical Compendium: A Miscellany of Scandalous Gossip, Bawdy Jokes, Peculiar Facts, and Bad Behavior from the Ancient Greeks and Romans is worth reading for the picture the reader is left with of the ancient Greeks and Romans as humans, rather than as stuffed mummies.

Matyszak mines the poets (Homer, Catullus), historians (Herodotus, Tacitus), satirists (Martial, Juvenal), scientists (Pliny), and philosophers (Plato, Aristotle) for bits and pieces of what resembled our own daily life, but as it was a couple thousand years ago. Even the jokes he tells are funny:

Elithio Phoitete [literally the 'idiot student'] and a friend are on a journey. Elithio steps off the road for a call of nature, and returns to find that his friend has not waited, but has written on a nearby milestone - 'Catch me up.' Indignantly, Elithio scribbles: 'No, you wait for me!'

Grimly impressive is a list of how the emperors of Rome died, mostly violently. Fully 24% were killed by their own soldiers. 55% in all died violently.

[Sebastian Heinrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bisschen random und unorganisiert. Hat aber einige interessante/lustige und spannende Anekdoten.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an author to watch. His Athens in 5 Drachma a Day is pretty good; Rome in 5 Denari a day was excellent and so is The Classical Compendium. It's basically a hodgepodge of trivia about the life and people of classical Rome and Greece, including bits of graffiti, ancient jokes, lines of poetry and snippets of letters and repartee that make the ancients seem refreshingly real. I now want to seek out further reading about this. If you're interested in classical history, you'll love this book. If you're not interested in classical history, this book will make you interested.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nice little book is a miscellany of tidbits from the (western) Classical world. I've read a good deal of history on Greece and Rome, and where this book brings home more humanity than other, much longer works is in giving us insight into how people, some famous, some not acted and thought in that world. We learn about jokes, recipes, family life and much, much more, told in brief, themed chapters.

If you are interested in ancient Rome and/or Greece this book is highly, highly recommended.

[Dave Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The information was both too long and too short. For the little excerpts to feel important you need to know the person being discussed due to the excess information, unfortunately, that's often what is left out. For the people I knew about it was amusing at times, so maybe a Roman History historian might enjoy it more, however, most of the characters who I knew the history of I knew the stories being shared, so maybe that's not the target market?

[Wilmington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Matyszak's books are always enjoyable to read. That being said, having read most of his other books, this one felt like a rehash, as most facts and anecdotes were already mentioned in other books.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always funny, although this compendium of "classical" ancinet Greek and Roman behavior isn't always fact checked as thoroughly as it could have been (it's not been confirmed that there were black Roman Emperors, although there may well have been, I think a unpainted statue is less proof than a mural or mosaic).

It lacks any ancient female perspectives or sources to really balance it out, and some of the information within could have been flushed out in it's entire background, or fact checked by more than one confirmed source.

It is none the less worth the price of a good laugh.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what the title claims - a compendium of classical miscellanea and trivia. Incredible fun for someone like me. Warning - I did find a couple of mistakes (like dating Claudius' reign as B.C. instead of A.D.), but no matter - this wasn't meant as serious research material!

[Alfred Shull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I just got the book today and am 3/4's of the way through it. It is very informative in a fun and entertaining way. If you like little tidbits of information on ancient Roman and Greeks then this is the book for you.

[Andreea Sociu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know that Valentinian I had 2 she-bears called Goldflake and Innocence? Well, you missed a super-entertaining and puzzling side of history. Read this book and you will find amusing stories with great life lessons at core.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for light and amusing read. Works best if you've read Matyszak's "Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day" and "Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day " or just finished a more comprehensive overview of the times. Without those the collection could be a bit too eclectic.

[Andreea Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this 1 week ago and I must say it was a very interesting read. So many new things to be found out, things we were not taught in school!
It is definitely worth reading!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK...A lot of historical facts about the Classical Period....Not a lot of "scandalous gossip" or "bawdy jokes". It was set-up ok, but I have read similar books that were done better.

[Roberta Muelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing. The ancients were every bit as nutty as people now.

[Jude Brigley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fun!