Ancient Romans & Ancient Greeks - recs please

[whatausername]

A Classical Education by Catherine Taggart is proving very enjoyable! Ancient Roman and Greek histories were never something I paid much attention to before. I was too busy nerding out over other periods of history. ACE is providing a fun overview so what should I read next? Perhaps still a general overview but taken to the next level or a book that focusses on specific periods/people within the Romans or Ancient Greeks. I'd welcome suggestions please!

Bettany Hughes - Helen of Troy

Mary Beard - Pompeii

Courtesans and Fishcakes is great about ancient Athens

Edith Hall is really readable and interesting too.

Natalie Haynes stands up for the classics is funny on radio 4 (bbc sounds).

Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes.

Natalie Haynes also wrote The Ancient Guide to Modern Life which takes aspects of society (politics, entertainment, town vs country etc.) and looks at them through a Greek and Roman perspective.

Also here to recommend all of Natalie Haynes' books.

I also enjoyed some of the Robert Harris books, particularly Pompeii but the Cicero trilogy is good too.

The Stephen Fry retellings of greek myths are quite readable (although I prefer the Natalie Haynes ones)

I enjoyed Margaret Atwood's the Penelopiad too.

There's a Neil Gaiman retelling of Norse Myths too if you want something slightly different...

24 hours in ancient rome

I forgot to mention Madeleine Miller's Song of Achilles, and Circe, but both are excellent. I also loved Counting the Stars by Helen Dunmore, which is about Catullus the Roman poet. Robert Harris's Imperium series about Cicero is good fun, and Lindsey Davis's Falco series about a Roman private investigator is great. The first one of those is The Silver Pigs.

Mary Beard - SPQR. It's a history of the Roman Empire, she writes brilliantly.

The Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris (start with Imperium)

I'd like to recommend some reading on the Eastern Roman Empire which always gets ignored but was hugely influential. I enjoyed A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich. Gives you the main events and characters. I was fascinated, especially by Justinian and Theodora.

The author has also penned an in depth multi volume history but the short one is excellent for the casual reader.

Natalie Haynes for a more female centered approach, my 12 Yr old loves her and the Pat Barker series. She has also enjoyed the Stephen Fry Mythos series

Mary Renault- The Mask of Apollo. Such a wonderful book!

I Claudius!!

I came on to recommend the Robert Harris novels and SPQR so I'll just agree with those posters instead.

Omg how could I forget that! Love Clavdivs!

I came here to say that! Or watch the BBC adaptation. It is incredibly true to its source material (Suetonius, Tacitus), etc. How accurate that source material might be is another question.

Colleen mccullough’s Masters of Rome is worth a read.

I came on to make sure I, Claudius was gettiong some love as well! And of course Claudius The God, the second half of the story.

All the Natalie Haynes, the Pat Barkers (Silence Of The Girls, Women Of Troy and the third one due out this autumn), the Penelopiad by Attwood, Mary Beard, that others have mentioned - they are excellent.

I think Madeleine Miller's more a Division Two writer compared to those, but she's not bad. Stephen Fry... again, why bother when Haynes does it so much better.

I remember loving Women Of Rome by Moravia when I read it, but it was a good 30 years ago.

If you fancy some detective style novels, Lindsey Davis has a whole series set in ancient Roman times.

I agree if you want a change of civilisation, Neil Gaiman's Norse Myths* is very good.

*I was so delighted to get a signed copy at the time. It isn't quite the same now, though... Don't you wish people you admired would STOP turning out to be awful?

I've read Pompeii and it was very enjoyable. I'll add the other one to my own list

Yes, and also all of Mary Renault, especially the Alexander Trilogy and The King Must Die. Gives me goosebumps.

I agree with Pat Barker's Silence of the Girls, Women of Troy. Also Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles and Circe. Stephen Fry Mythos, I also like Charlotte Higgins Under Another Sky - looking at Roman Britain and Greek Myths, female-centric with a focus on tapestry/weaving joining the stories.

@CharlotteRumpling yes, the Alexander Trilogy, I had forgotten that. The Eagle of the Ninth about Roman Britain.

@CharlotteRumpling agree about MR- I wanted to list them ALL-but decided to start with my favorite. Have you read her 20th century novels? I love The Charioteer in particular.

Another vote for 24 Hours in Ancient Rome.

If you are interested in the languages A Natural History of Latin is fascinating.

Another one voting for The Mask of Apollo and all Natalie Haynes!