Water, Wine and Oil: Vital Elements of the Roman World

Enjoy Water, Wine and Oil: Vital Elements of the Roman World

Water, wine and oil: the soul of the Roman world
By Karl-Wilhelm Weeber

When Emperor Augustus asked him about the secret of his long life—100 years—old Romilio Pollio replied: "Inside was the wine, outside was the oil." The anecdote sums up the importance of these two vital elements for the ancient Romans. Wine was also important as a trade product: Roman wine merchants could do good business, especially with the Germanic tribes. It's no wonder that "vino," from the Latin vinum, is one of the oldest borrowings from German.

Similarly, the Romans shared their highly developed water culture with the defeated peoples. The impressive ruins of enormous thermal baths and majestic aqueducts are evidence of a typically Roman attitude throughout the ancient Roman Empire. In addition to the civilizing importance of this lifeblood of the Roman earth, Weeber also addresses its economic aspects and tells some strange stories about water, oil, and wine among the ancient Romans.

The volume is richly illustrated with numerous historical illustrations and photographs.

About the author:
Karl-Wilhelm Weeber, born in 1950, is Honorary Professor (Ancient History) at the University of Wuppertal and Professor of Ancient Language Didactics at the Ruhr University, Bochum. He is also the former Director of the Wilhelm-Dörpfeld-Gymnasium, Wuppertal. He has written numerous books on Roman cultural history.

2013, About 160 pages with approximately 90 color illustrations, bound with dust jacket
Format 21.0 x 27.0 cm
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