New in paperback, this is an exploration of one of the most intriguing but also tricksiest of historical subjects, humour. Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves taking in the hilarious, the momentous and the surprising, asking wider historical questions along the way What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena? This book explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects.
