Welcome to Litsy!

I re-read 2 novels from this omnibus edition:

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I expected to enjoy this, and I wasn't disappointed ?

I do, however, have to disagree with the Times reviewer's adjective "jolly". Haynes does inject her subject with humour, but as that subject covers infanticide, rape, murder, torture, slavery, execution and war, even at a great historical distance, jolly it isn't!
She also cautions against judging the ancients by modern ethical and moral standards, while drawing out lessons to be learnt. 4⭐

"in 1843, Karl Marx wrote that religion was the opium of the masses. He couldn't possibly have foreseen that after a century and a half religion would, instead, be the cocaine of the few."

"I have been obsessed with the ancient world since I was eleven years old, when I began learning about Roman Life at school."
- Introduction

"It's tempting to believe that we no longer need to think about politics." ?
- Chapter 1: Old World Order
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#BookmarkMatching featuring the good old XX Valeria Victrix Legion of the Roman Army, and a souvenir Greek Hoplite helmet from a long-ago holiday to Corfu.

Series 11 of "Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics" is up on BBC Radio 4, and the theme seems to be places, starting with Alexandria last week, The Library of Alexandria this week, and The Museum of Alexandria next week. The two episodes released so far are both as funny and informative as usual, the library episode really pushing those Litsy buttons!
I've two of her books tbr, and I'm inspired to read the tagged next ?

A fascinating look at trading voyages via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and how the Roman Empire was financed by the import duty on goods (mainly spices, incense, and silks) imported from Arabia, East Africa, and India via Egypt. It's amazing just how much we know.

Roman authorities were well informed about the revenues that sustained their Empire.

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@ShyBookOwl

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