Pete Skenandore

A History of Private Life, Volume I: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium
General Editors Philippe Aries and Georges Duby

On the inside flap of the cover, “First of a handsome new series, this book reveals what it was really like to live, work, and die in the ancient world.” My first thought was, well, I’m handsome, so I should probably read books that are handsome…

Actually, this is one of the first books I read after moving to a new location a few years ago. I was at the library, and, remembering that this was a “series” of handsome books, wanted to go back and get the second book. However, my roman numerals got mixed up and I grabbed book IV instead of book II. I started reading book IV, and realized that it jumped right to the Renaissance era, and skipped a bunch of good stuff from where things left off in book I which started in Pagan Rome and ended in Byzantium.

So, I thought I would write a quick review of book “I” since I started writing reviews of books after I had initially returned this book to the library the first time I read it.

Book specs: Hunker down because you are looking at over 600 pages of well illustrated small text. This is not a light, weekend read. The library had a hard-cover version which was about 8″ wide and 10″ tall. (I love real books).

Read specs: This book will not engage you in a novelistic page-turning journey, it’s more like a bumpy cart-ride where there is too much beautiful scenery all around and you never quite can soak it all in. The historical context, along with the human “real” private life narration are the two threads that are followable throughout the book.

What I liked most about this book, was that it made history a bit more real by taking a look at everyday life of who might be considered in today’s day and age as the low to middle class. The author’s take on the evolution and influence of Christianity was particularly interesting. A relevant topic was the “paterfamilia” which was the head of a Roman family. Who are our “paterfamilia’s” today? While slaves in the past worked for their masters with varying degrees of confidence that they would be treated well and taken care of. I find it interesting to contemplate the current employee / employer relationship, medicare and social security. And on this level the book is quite eye opening in the realization that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I would recommend this book. I found it extremely interesting, but I did start to lose interest around page 450 on this particular volume. I’m returning volume IV to get volume II so I can pick up where I left off.

Pete Skenandore