Author: Philip Matyszak
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500771723
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
An entertaining yet factual insider's guide: how to become a gladiator, hone your fighting skills, and thrill the crowds in the Colosseum. So you think you’d like to be a gladiator? Find out how to get thousands to idolize you as the strongest, meanest fighter in the Roman empire. Win fame and fortune in one of Rome’s most glamorous locations, in the presence of the emperor himself. Who wouldn’t kill for a job like that? This handy guide tells you everything you need to know before you step out to fight for your life in front of a roaring crowd: Why you should become a gladiator How to join the most glamorous—yet lethal—profession on earth Who will try to kill you, and with what Which arena of the empire is the right one for you When and how often you will fight What happens before, during, and after a duel Combining the latest research with modern reconstructions, Gladiator helps you experience firsthand the spectacular yet brutal life and death of the most iconic figure of ancient Rome.

Author: Philip Matyszak
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 050077174X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
An insider's guide: how to join the Roman legions, wield a gladius, storm cities, and conquer the world Your emperor needs you for the Roman army! The year is AD 100 and Rome stands supreme and unconquerable from the desert sands of Mesopotamia to the misty highlands of Caledonia. Yet the might of Rome rests completely on the armored shoulders of the legionaries who hold back the barbarian hordes and push forward the frontiers of empire. This carefully researched yet entertainingly nonacademic book tells you how to join the Roman legions, the best places to serve, and how to keep your armor from getting rusty. Learn to march under the eagles of Rome, from training, campaigns, and battle to the glory of a Roman Triumph and retirement with a pension plan. Every aspect of army life is discussed, from drill to diet, with handy tips on topics such as how to select the best boots or how to avoid being skewered by enemy spears. Combining the latest archaeological discoveries with the written records of those who actually saw the Roman legions in action, this book provides a vivid picture of what it meant to be a Roman legionary.

Author: John Haywood
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500771413
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Combines the latest research and discoveries with a humorous eye to take us inside the Viking world So you want to be a Viking? Vikings are the lords of the northern seas. Fame, glory, and wealth await those who brave storms and enemy spears to plunder far and wide in foreign lands. Who wouldn’t like to come home laden with silver, earning a reputation that will live on long after lesser men have been forgotten? This book tells you everything you need to know to become a successful Viking warrior in the tenth century. How to join a Viking war band What to look for in a good Viking leader How to behave at a feast How to choose the right weapons and armor How to plunder a monastery and ransom a monk How to navigate at sea

Author: Michael Prestwich
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500771618
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
An insider’s guide: how to become a knight, wield a sword, join a Crusade, and make your fortune. The knight is the supreme warrior of the Middle Ages. Fully armored and mounted on a magnificent charger, he seems invincible. Honor and glory await him as, guided by the chivalric code, he fights with lance and sword. This carefully researched yet entertaining book provides all the essential information you need to become a successful knight in the later Middle Ages, during the period of the Hundred Years’ War. Should you go on a Crusade? Which order of chivalry might you consider joining? What is required when you go through the ceremony of knighthood? Here are the answers to these and many more questions plus practical advice on topics such as equipment, fighting methods, and the conventions of warfare. But the knightly life is not all battles and sieges: there are also tournaments and jousts to enjoy and the world of courtly love. Based on contemporary lives and descriptions, this book—written by a leading medieval historian—paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be a medieval knight.

Author: M.C. Bishop
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612005144
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
A concise history of ancient Roman gladiators—how they lived, fought, and died in the Colosseum—by the archeologist, author, and Roman military expert. Heroic despite their lowly status, the gladiators of ancient Rome fought vicious duels in large arenas filled with baying crowds. Few lasted more than a dozen fights, yet they were a valuable asset to their owners. Gladiators reveals the fascinating history of these men, how they fought, and how their weapons and techniques developed—debunking myths along the way. Historian M. C. Bishop examines the different forms of gladiator combat, including simulated naval battles held on large artificial lakes. He also discusses how gladiators were carefully paired against each other to balance their strengths and weaknesses. Although their lives were brutal and short, gladiators were the celebrities of their day, admired for their bravery. This short history reveals what we know about the gladiators and how we know it: ancient remains, contemporary literature, graffiti, modern attempts to reconstruct ancient fighting techniques, and the astonishing discovery at Pompeii where a complete gladiator barracks was found alongside multiple skeletons, telling their story.

Author: Michael Burgan
Publisher: Raintree
ISBN: 1474706827
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
Gladiators, many of them slaves, entertained Roman audiences by fighting with tridents and swords in huge stadiums. Their fights often were to the death. Will you: Fight at the side of Spartacus during a violent gladiator rebellion? Leave your home and family to train at a gladiator school in Pompeii? Try to earn your freedom as a champion gladiator at the Roman Amphitheater?

Author: Philip Matyszak
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500771766
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
"Matyszak writes clearly and engagingly . . . nicely produced, with ample maps and illustrations." —Classical Outlook This engrossing book looks at the growth and eventual demise of Rome from the viewpoint of the peoples who fought against it. Here is the reality behind such legends as Spartacus the gladiator, as well as the thrilling tales of Hannibal, the great Boudicca, the rebel leader and Mithridates, the connoisseur of poisons, among many others. Some enemies of Rome were noble heroes and others were murderous villains, but each has a unique and fascinating story.

Author: Tina Frolund
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1610694325
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Make history come alive! This book helps librarians and teachers as well as readers themselves find books they will enjoy—titles that will animate and explain the past, entertain, and expand their minds. This invaluable resource offers reading lists of contemporary and classic non-fiction history books and historical fiction, covering all time periods throughout the world, and including practically all manner of human endeavors. Every book included is hand-selected as an entertaining and enlightening read! Organized by appeal characteristics, this book will help readers zero in on the history books they will like best—for instance, titles that emphasize character, tell a specific type of historical story, convey a mood, or are presented in a particular setting. Every book listed has been recommended based on the author's research, and has proved to be a satisfying and worthwhile read.

Author: Joanne Berry
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500771707
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
One hundred biographies reveal the mightiest civilization of the ancient world through the lives of its citizens. At its peak Rome's empire stretched across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, yet it started as a primitive encampment above a riverside marsh. This book spans the great chronological and geographical sweep of the Roman age and brings the reader face to face with those who helped create the empire, from consuls and commanders to ordinary soldiers, voters, and taxpayers. An extraordinary range of viewpoints is explored in these biographies. A centurion and a plasterer's wife share pages with the orator Cicero and the scholar Pliny the Elder, while a vestal virgin shares a chapter with Antinous, the boy-lover of Hadrian. Augustine, the church patriarch, and Constantine, Rome's first "Christian" emperor, rub shoulders with Julian the Apostate and Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, leader of the pagans. Roman women were the most liberated in the ancient world. They could wield massive power and influence, yet are often overlooked. Meet Servilia, Caesar's lover; Sulpicia, the teenage poet; Amazonia, the sword-swinging gladiator; and Cloelia, the girl who escaped captivity by swimming the Tiber. Lavishly illustrated with magnificent works of art, including portraits, sculptures, and Renaissance paintings of Roman scenes, this book reveals the real-life stories behind the rise and fall of Rome. Philip Matyszak teaches Roman History for the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge. He has written extensively on the ancient world. Joanne Berry teaches ancient history at Swansea University and is the author of The Complete Pompeii.

Author: Susan Nichols
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica
ISBN: 1508103623
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 51

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Book Description