
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ancient Greeks and Romans
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Graybill
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By:
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Garrett Ryan
About this listen
Why didn't the ancient Greeks or Romans wear pants? How did they shave? How likely were they to drink fine wine, use birth control, or survive surgery?
In a series of short and humorous essays, Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants explores some of the questions about the Greeks and Romans that ancient historian Garrett Ryan has answered in the classroom and online. Unlike most books on the classical world, the focus is not on famous figures or events, but on the fascinating details of daily life.
Learn the answers to questions such as: How tall were the ancient Greeks and Romans?; how long did they live?; what kind of pets did they have?; how dangerous were their cities?; did they believe their myths?; did they believe in ghosts, monsters, and/or aliens?; did they jog or lift weights?; how did they capture animals for the Colosseum?; were there secret police, spies, or assassins?; what happened to the city of Rome after the Empire collapsed?; and can any families trace their ancestry back to the Greeks or Romans?
©2021 Garrett Ryan (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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What is commonly called the kingdom of Pontos flourished for over 200 years in the coastal regions of the Black Sea. At its peak in the early first century BC, it included much of the southern, eastern, and northern littoral, becoming one of the most important Hellenistic dynasties not founded by a successor of Alexander the Great. Previous histories of Pontos have focused almost exclusively on the career of its last ruler. Setting that famous reign in its wide historical context, Empire of the Black Sea is an engaging account of a powerful yet little-known ancient dynasty.
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More of an academic journal than a book.
- By Amazon Customer on 07-05-23
By: Duane W. Roller
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The Domestic Revolution
- How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything
- By: Ruth Goodman
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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No single invention epitomizes the Victorian era more than the black cast-iron range. Aware that the 21st-century has reduced it to a quaint relic, Ruth Goodman was determined to prove that the hot coal stove provided so much more than morning tea: It might even have kick-started the Industrial Revolution. Wielding the wit and passion seen in How to Be a Victorian, Goodman traces the tectonic shift from wood to coal in the mid-16th century - from sooty trials and errors during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the totally smog-clouded reign of Queen Victoria.
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Zombie Apocalypse
- By PeachPecan on 12-25-20
By: Ruth Goodman
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The First Kingdom
- By: Max Adams
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Somewhere in the dim void between the departure from Britain of the Roman legions at the start of the fifth century and the days of the venerable Bede, the kingdoms of Early Medieval Britain were formed. But by whom? And out of what? Max Adams scrutinises the narrative handed down to us by later historians and chronicles, stripping away the most lurid nonsense about Arthur and synthesising the research of the last 40 years to tease out strands of reality from myth.
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Very interesting, but not in my truck
- By Liz on 03-03-21
By: Max Adams
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Two Houses, Two Kingdoms
- A History of France and England, 1100-1300
- By: Catherine Hanley
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were a time of personal monarchy, when the close friendship or petty feuding between kings and queens could determine the course of history. The Capetians of France and the Angevins of England waged war, made peace, and intermarried. In this lively history, Catherine Hanley traces the great clashes, and occasional friendships, of the two dynasties. Along the way, she emphasizes the fascinating and influential women of the houses—including Eleanor of Aquitaine—and shows how personalities and familial bonds shaped the fate of two countries.
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Great book with a bit of slant
- By Ky on 12-20-22
By: Catherine Hanley
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English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable
- By: Lacey Baldwin Smith
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Here at last is a history of England that is designed to entertain as well as inform and that will delight the armchair traveler, the tourist, or just about anyone interested in history. No people have engendered quite so much acclaim or earned so much censure as the English: extolled as the Athenians of modern times, yet hammered for their self-satisfaction and hypocrisy. But their history has been a spectacular one.
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Cartoons mentioned in Publisher's Summary omitted
- By Megan G. on 08-27-18
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Babylon
- Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization
- By: Paul Kriwaczek
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Civilization was born 8,000 years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place. In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period.
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Solid overview 3000 years of history
- By Alsor2000 on 07-19-20
By: Paul Kriwaczek
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The Great Plague
- A People's History
- By: Evelyn Lord
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this intimate history of the extraordinary Black Plague pandemic that swept through the British Isles in 1665, Evelyn Lord focuses on the plague's effects on smaller towns, where every death was a singular blow affecting the entire community. Lord's fascinating reconstruction of life during plague times presents the personal experiences of a wide range of individuals, from historical notables to common folk. The Great Plague brings this dark era to vivid life through stories of loss and survival from those who grieved, those who fled, and those who hid to await their fate.
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Great.
- By Michael S. Henderson on 04-30-25
By: Evelyn Lord
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Chaucer's People
- Everyday Lives in Medieval England
- By: Liza Picard
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Chaucer wrote about everyday people outside the walls of the English court-men and women who spent days at the pedal of a loom, or maintaining the ledgers of an estate, or on the high seas. In Chaucer's People, Liza Picard transforms The Canterbury Tales into a masterful guide for a gloriously detailed tour of medieval England, from the mills and farms of a manor house to the lending houses and Inns of Court in London. In Chaucer's People, we meet, again, the motley crew of pilgrims on the road to Canterbury.
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A delight
- By Tad Davis on 05-10-19
By: Liza Picard
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Poisons
- From Hemlock to Botox and the Killer Bean Calabar
- By: Peter Macinnis
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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A wide-ranging and provocative look - teeming with little-known facts and engaging stories - at a subject of the direst interest. Poisons permeate our world. They are in the environment, the workplace, the home. They are in food, our favorite whiskey, medicine, well water. They have been used to cure disease as well as incapacitate and kill. They smooth wrinkles, block pain, stimulate, and enhance athletic ability. In this entertaining and fact-filled audiobook, science writer Peter Macinnis considers poisons in all their aspects. He recounts stories of the celebrated poisoners in history and literature....
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Poison, Americas past time
- By Sean’s tunes on 03-05-25
By: Peter Macinnis
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The Book of Common Fallacies
- Falsehoods, Misconceptions, Flawed Facts, and Half-Truths That Are Ruining Your Life
- By: Phillip Ward, Julia Edwards
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 21 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Everything you thought you knew was wrong! Long before Snopes.com and Wikipedia, The Book of Common Fallacies set out to debunk popular beliefs and set the record straight. By tracking down the facts and citing experts in a multitude of fields, Philip Ward points out the senseless ideas that we have come to accept as fact. Newly updated with today’s common misconceptions, The Book of Common Fallacies exposes the truth behind hundreds of commonly held false beliefs.
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A few good entries, but most are obscure
- By Dana on 06-10-16
By: Phillip Ward, and others
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The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between
- By: Patrick Foote
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Explore the world of names: What is something that literally everything in existence has in common? It all has a name! With this audiobook, you can learn the origins of these names. From countries and cities to toys and animals to even planets, learn the etymology of interesting words in a fun and entertaining way. Learn new things: Why is New York called New York? Name Explain has the answer for you.
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Name Explain Is Fantastic!
- By Frederick on 12-31-21
By: Patrick Foote
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Julius Caesar
- By: Philip Freeman
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 2,000 years after his death, Julius Caesar remains one of the great figures of history. He shaped Rome for generations, and his name became a synonym for "emperor" - not only in Rome but as far away as Germany and Russia. He is best known as the general who defeated the Gauls and doubled the size of Rome's territories. But, as Philip Freeman describes in this fascinating new biography, Caesar was also a brilliant orator, an accomplished writer, a skilled politician, and much more.
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Not very good...
- By FarleyFarley on 10-22-19
By: Philip Freeman
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Ancient Rome
- The Rise and Fall of An Empire
- By: Simon Baker
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history.
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Clear and dramatic
- By Tad Davis on 08-01-17
By: Simon Baker
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Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This thorough guide explores those civilizations that have faded from the pages of our textbooks but played a significant role in the development of modern society. Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World covers the Hyksos to the Hephthalites and everyone in between, providing a unique overview of humanity's history from approximately 3000 BCE-550 CE. Each entry exposes a diverse culture, highlighting their important contributions.
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Gripping and seamless
- By Mike Heim on 05-13-21
By: Philip Matyszak
What listeners say about Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants
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- Nick Manty
- 04-26-23
Great War to break into Roman and Greek history
Wonderful book. Not dry at all. Right valve of funny and facts. I would recommend this to anyone trying to get into Roman history.
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- Salvador
- 02-28-22
"dis book blows my works out da water" -Aristotle
easy to comprehend, a wide range of knowledge and overall just a fun listen.
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- kHauser
- 12-19-22
Love it
Can’t wait to see future titles from this author. Entertaining, educational and not too lengthy
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- Anonymous User
- 10-24-23
Hecho curiosos...
....De la vida Romana, Fue un libro de excepcional despliege de detalles casi desconocidos para loa amantes del conocimiento de la sociedad Romana. Cada capitulo es una inmercion a la vida cotidiana de las clases sociales de ese periodo. Aunque alguna vez grotesto y asqueante en terminos actuales, debio haber sido en aquella epoca el "Trend" y reglas a seguir de la sociead.
No es un libro de politica pero si es un libro de informacion sobre la vida que engrasaba a las partes sociales en su seno.
A mi en lo personal me encanto.
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- Jon
- 01-26-24
Awesome read
I loved the detail and intentionality behind the writer this book was great thanks, and great narration also.
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- Caleb Spears
- 10-27-21
A Fantastic Look into odd Roman History
Really great - excited for the audiobook. I read the physical copy and it was a fun read that explored some fun topics that aren’t normally discussed. I highly recommend the book to any fan of history!
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- nick
- 06-11-22
fantastic listen
I really enjoyed this audiobook, both the writing and the performance. I found the stories incredibly fascinating and memorable, and the variety of topics covered always kept my interest. Some passages paint incredible pictures of day to day life, like the gymnasium or natural disasters chapter. Other chapters summarize centuries of history with engaging anecdotes. I really loved the military/elephant sections of this book. Great Listen!
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- Regin Tyrsmund
- 05-27-22
Interesting
I thought I knew a lot about history but there is a lot more to know! The author relates interesting facts with good context, quite entertaining.
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- DJ-Spartakus
- 03-10-24
Super Fun and Interesting
The recording quality was great. Great narration. Information and the structure it was read was excellent.
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- Amazonian Michelle
- 04-13-24
Has Great new obscure facts
While much of this I knew there were a few things I didn't. I knew they brought foreign animals to Rome, but how and how many I did not. And other interesting bits of interest. I do recommend. Not dry, entertaining, though the end of the book gets a little bit more history class.
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