Looks at the dining customs, social traditions, and food of the Roman Empire, and includes recipes reconstructed for the modern cook.

This book presents the legislation that formed the basis of Roman law - The Laws of the Twelve Tables. These laws, formally promulgated in 449 BC, consolidated earlier traditions and established enduring rights and duties of Roman citizens. The Tables were created in response to agitation by the plebeian class, who had previously been excluded from the higher benefits of the Republic. Despite previously being unwritten and exclusively interpreted by upper-class priests, the Tables became highly regarded and formed the basis of Roman law for a thousand years. This comprehensive sequence of definitions of private rights and procedures, although highly specific and diverse, provided a foundation for the enduring legal system of the Roman Empire.

Roman Cookery unveils one of Europe's last great culinary secrets – the food eaten by the ordinary people of ancient Rome. Based on olive oil, fish and fresh vegetables, it was the origin of of the Mediterranean diet as we know it today and, in particular, of classic Italian cooking. Mark Grant, researcher extraordinaire, has unearthed everyday recipes like Tuna Wrapped in Vine Leaves, Olive Oil Bread Flavoured with Cheese, and Honeyed Quinces. Like an archaeologist uncovering a kitchen at Pompeii, he reveals treasures such as Ham in Red Wine and Fennel Sauce, Honey and Sesame Pizza, and Walnut and Fig Cakes. The Romans were great lovers of herbs, and Roman Cookery offers a delicious array of herb sauces and purées, originally made with a pestle and mortar, but here adapted, like all these dishes, to be made with modern kitchen equipment. This revised and expanded edition includes previously unknown recipes, allowing the reader to savour more than a hundred simple but refined dishes that were first enjoyed more than two millennia ago.

A definitive compendium of Jewish recipes from around the globe and across the ages, from the James Beard Award-winning, much-loved cookbook author and “the queen of American Jewish cooking” (Houston Chronicle) Driven by a passion for discovery, the biblical King Solomon is said to have sent emissaries on land and sea to all corners of the ancient world, initiating a mass cross-pollination of culinary cultures that continues to bear fruit today. With Solomon’s appetites and explorations in mind, in these pages Joan Nathan gathers together more than 170 recipes, from Israel to Italy to India and beyond. Here are classics like Yemenite Chicken Soup with Dill, Cilantro, and Parsley; Slow-Cooked Brisket with Red Wine, Vinegar, and Mustard; and Apple Kuchen as well as contemporary riffs on traditional dishes such as Smoky Shakshuka with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant; Double-Lemon Roast Chicken; and Roman Ricotta Cheese Crostata. Here, too, are an array of dishes from the world over, from Socca (Chickpea Pancakes with Fennel, Onion, and Rosemary) and Sri Lankan Breakfast Buns with Onion Confit to Spanakit (Georgian Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Cilantro) and Keftes Garaz (Syrian Meatballs with Cherries and Tamarind). Gorgeously illustrated and filled with fascinating historical details, personal histories, and delectable recipes, King Solomon’s Table showcases the dazzling diversity of a culinary tradition more than three thousand years old.

This biography of Marcus Cato the Younger -- Rome's bravest statesman, an aristocratic soldier, a Stoic philosopher, and staunch defender of sacred Roman tradition -- is rich with resonances for current politics and contemporary notions of freedom.

The book opens with a description of the peoples of Italy at around the end of the fourth century B.C. It describes the early success of Roman diplomacy and force in creating client populations among the Etruscans, the Latins and the Hellenized populations of the south. At the beginning of the period the Italian peoples sought to preserve their independence and ethnic traditions. By its end those who had not achieved Roman citizenship were demanding it.

Arguably the most formidable of powers the world has ever seen, the Roman Empire in its prime stretched from Spain to Iraq and from Germany to Egypt, encompassing all the territory in between. By AD 117, it had engulfed almost fifty countries we know today, marrying a fascinating range of cultures and traditions. This illustrated book explores the diverse peoples of the Roman Empire: how they viewed themselves and others as Romans and examining their enduring legacy today, from the languages we speak, to the legal systems we live by, the towns and cities we live in, and even to our table manners