Laughter in Ancient Rome is a masterwork simultaneously a sophisticated work of historical and
literary scholarship and an unputdownable read. Beard never loses sight of the specificities of
Roman culture yet she encompasses an extraordinary range of ancient and modern theorizing. Her
book will appeal to psychologists and anthropologists as well as to classicists and indeed
anyone who has ever thought about the much-debated question of why we laugh. --William V.
Harris William R. Shepherd Professor of History at Columbia University and author of Dreams
and Experience in Classical Antiquity With a bounty of suggestive and unfailingly intelligent
conclusions about the situation of laughter within ancient Roman culture Beard's remarkable
learning is displayed on every page. Laughter in Ancient Rome is unmistakably a work of
scholarship but it is also an unpretentious and inviting exploration available to anyone who
is interested. As a literary attainment this book is marvelous. --Dylan Sailor Associate
Professor of Classics at University of California Berkeley
