PARKIN, T.G., and A.J. POMEROY, — Roman Social History. A sourcebook.

Routledge, London / New York, 2009. 388p. XVII,388p. ills.(4 B&W maps). Paperback. Lower corner front cover bit creased, upper corner bit dog's eared. Edges a bit grimy. ‘This is a useful new collection of translated sources designed to illustrate Roman society in modern sociological terms. The main focus is on the period of the later Roman Republic and the first two centuries of empire. Tim Parkin and Arthur Pomeroy, bot h New Zealanders, have developed these resources over the past twenty years (…). The main categories are social class, family, education, the economy, and leisure and games. On social class, the emphasis is on perceived differences of status and the impact of imperial rule, as well as on the fate of the less privileged majority. Later in the book slavery and poverty are treated as separate topics. (…). The second topic is demography, which has been central to Parkin’s research. Useful passaged on the population at Alexandria and in Egypt are supplemented with material relevant to the size of Rome from the regionally catalogues. Literary passages illustrate the effect of environment on ancient life expectancy, and the use of rural retreat to avoid the impact of disease in these pre-industrial cities. (…) The chapter on family and household gives an opportunity to cover some major aspects of the course of Roman life, in particular Roman marriage. The poser of the ‘paterfamilias’ and the importance of the nuclear family both emerge, and reflect findings of contemporary scholarship. Letters from Pliny for the most useful and wide-ranging material on Roman attitudes to marriage. At a lower level, commemoration on tombstones gives a snapshot of Roman ideals in marriage. (…) A considerable range of material is included from Cicero, as well as from the legal authorities on subjects such as adoption, tutorship and ‘patria potestas’. (…) Overall this is a well chosen compendium.’ (HUGH LINDSAY in The Classical Review (New Series), 2008, pp.621-622).