Books by Philip Matyszak - Philip Matyszak's Classical Compendium

Which Roman general rode a horse which had toes instead of hooves? Which Greek philosopher died laughing? Did any Romans live to be over 100? The answers are just a few of the interesting, odd or frankly bizarre stories collected in the classical compendium; a collection of quotes, facts and anecdotes from the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Greeks and Romans loved a good joke, an odd fact or occasional tall story, and indeed, loved them so much that they collected many of them into volumes which have survived to the present day. This book is in many ways a 'best of' collection culled from writers such as Plutarch, Xenophon and Frontinus. There are military misadventures, strange beasts, and quips from the likes of Augustus and Socrates.

This is an ideal book to dip into at random, or read from cover-to-cover. Giving a fascinating insight into what amused and intrigued the ancient Greeks and Romans, many of the stories and jokes are as fresh and appealing as when they were first told around dinner tables thousands of years ago.

Whether cited at dinner parties or in the classroom, this little book does indeed enlighten and entertain

Classical World Journal

Unsurprisingly I hang out with ancient historians a lot, and at some point, whether its over a pint or two of ale, or over the wineglasses at a dinner party, we get to swapping our favourite anecdotes about antiquity.

Someone half-seriously suggested that I should collect these stories into a book, and I replied it has been done already. There are several books of after-dinner jokes, anecdotes and improving moral tales available to the discerning classicist, and all written thousands of years ago.

So I appointed myself editor, and spent a happy year reading authors as varied as Pliny, Xenophon and Martial. I also spent a lot of time tracking down the originals of stories that friends and colleagues passed on to me, and I could easily have produced a book twice the size.

The end result is a handy little volume of 40,000 words consisting of lists, jokes, poems and stories deliberately designed to provoke or amuse every time a reader dips into the chapters. If you are looking for a Greek or Latin name for a dog, a recipe for brain stew, or a list of Romans who lived to be over 100 years old, this book supplies the details.

And of course, it is also a good source of after-dinner anecdotes, erudite, bawdy or funny; just as they were two thousand years ago.