Buchpremiere Karl-Wilhelm Weeber: Als Rom noch nicht Antike war

In the organizer's words:

We are celebrating a book premiere: Karl-Wilhelm Weeber presents his non-fiction book "Als Rom noch nicht Antike war" and gives us an unexpected insight into everyday life in Rome.

Rush hour in the main streets, homeless people under the bridges and magnificent weekend houses, high immigration figures and unisex toilets - New York? Berlin? Rome in imperial times! This journey through time is a must for all history buffs who want to know more about real life in Ancient Rome.

What was actually going on in the streets while the glorious gladiators were bashing each other's skulls in the arena and generals venividivici were expanding the Roman Empire? What was life like in the cosmopolitan capital, famous for its thriving economy, smog and traffic jams? And in a class society with decadent luxury and great poverty? The provocative slogan "60-year-olds off the bridge!" was already the subject of heated debate in Roman imperial times.

Karl-Wilhelm Weeber, a knowledgeable Cicerone, guides us through the Rome of imperial times with wit and esprit, telling us how much nightingales cost (alive) and how high the probability was of reaching the age of 10. We learn that xenophobia was the exception in the city of immigration (Greeks! Syrian women!), but that discrimination against people with disabilities was commonplace, that even back then the overexploitation of nature was practiced and criticized, and that - whether it was a functioning constitutional state or a flourishing economy - life was no walk in the park for the vast majority of people.