Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the
life of the most iconic figure of the ancient world: the Roman gladiator 'Wonderfully
panoramic ... endlessly informative rich with unexpected detail but never heavy to read'
Literary Review 'Blends extensive research with a talent for vivid storytelling to distil 700
years of gladiator history into the 24 hours around match day from eve-of-fight rituals to
stripping the corpses' The Times ' Grippingly original ' Tom Holland Sunday Times
bestselling author of Dominion ' Thrilling... every page sizzles ' Alice Loxton Sunday Times
bestselling author of Eighteen ' Fascinating ' Matthew Kneale Sunday Times bestselling author
of Rome Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword the Roman gladiator is the most
iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now he was in his own
time a deeply controversial character by turns hated and idealized - and always at the heart
of Roman culture. But what did he really mean to the Romans? What did they see in the gladiator
and the spectacle of the games? And what does he reveal to us today about the Roman way of
life? Brilliantly written and meticulously researched this book tells the stories of the
gladiators and those who observed them - from grand emperors to lowly slaves - illuminating and
analysing the all-consuming passion of the Roman Empire for the spectacle of mortal combat. In
doing so it reveals Roman ideas about everything from freedom and servitude to sex and desire
from courage and cowardice to death and the afterlife. Taking readers on an unforgettable
twenty-four-hour adventure - beginning the night before the games and ending the evening after
- Those Who Are About To Die gives a blow-by-blow account of what life was really like in the
brutally unforgiving arena of the ancient world.
