Vote for Caesar: How the Ancient Greeks and Romans Solved the Problems of Today


Reading this book is akin to what it must have been like to sit in on one of Peter Jones’ Classics lectures. Jones, who retired from his post as a senior lecturer in Classics at Newcastle University in 1997, is the author of numerous other books on Classical subjects, and he's also a regular contributor to radio, newspapers and magazines.

He states in the preface to the book that it “reflects the interests, prejudices and ignorance of the author”. Indeed his rants about New Labour, former Labour politician Tony Benn, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and the like should be taken with a pinch of salt. These references underline the fact that the book is based, in part, on Peter Jones’ musings in the Spectator magazine's ‘Ancient and Modern’ column, which he has written since 1996.

We may now be living in a Britain headed by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition, but the themes of the book still resonate as the new government tries to tackle many issues that have been debated for thousands of years. 

For example Jones looks into such themes as “How were the Romans taxed?” Answer: Romans only suffered indirect taxation; they preferred to wage war and tax other nations hugely. “How did the Roman Empire create such enormous sums of money?” Answer: It relied on the wealth of private individuals. “How did it spend it?" Answer: On roads, sanitation, public buildings etc. Other subjects such as how the ancient world handled banking, corruption, celebrity culture, democracy, legal systems, education, global warming, the Olympic Games and the like are all discussed in detail. It is fascinating to see how Peter Jones applies his vast knowledge of the Classics to modern-day scenarios.

Dipping In And Out

There are 13 chapters, which can be dipped in and out of at will. For instance Chapter One is entitled “Two Capitals: Rome and London” but then it is (helpfully) further subdivided into the following sections: Grinding you down; Racism; Tower block terror; Town planning or lack of it; Roman fire-fighting; Street violence; Sanitation; Design Centres?; Power centre of the world; A city of shopkeepers; Labouring away; Sex and the city; Immigrants; Update: banking in trouble. A further reading list is found at the end of each chapter.
Within “Sanitation” I was reminded of that well known Vespasian quote about taxing urine: pecunia non olet – money does not smell!

Jones draws parallels many between ancient and modern political and social philosophy, and ways of life. Take the age-old city versus country debate: “The Romans, said the late historian Procopius, were ‘the most city-proud people on earth’," writes Jones. "Wherever they went, they planted cities and introduced the barbarians to Roman urban, and urbane, values. The city was the place to be. But there was a cost ... The problem does not go away in the modern world: the rural population is constantly telling politicians that they favour the city and ‘do not understand’ the country.”

The Weird And Wonderful

Other passages offer an often bizarre insight into the rulers of the past, but are no less engaging. “Did you know that, even in old age, Augustus still had a passion for deflowering young girls, collected for him by his wife? That Caligula committed incest with each of his three sisters in turn? That Claudius planned to legitimise farting at the table? That Nero would prowl the streets at night, stabbing people and throwing them into the sewers? That Galba introduced tightrope-walking elephants? That Vitellius never feasted out for less than 4,000 gold pieces? That Domitian was such a good archer from a distance he could shoot arrows between the splayed fingers of his slaves?”

Ultimately, though, it's the author's knack for clearly explaining why the ancient world is still so relevant today that makes Vote for Caesar such a worthwhile read. “It has been calculated that about 80 per cent of our language of education, science and intellectual discourse is Graeco-Roman, imported into Anglo-Saxon English by the church, the Norman conquest of 1066 and during the Renaissance," writes Jones.

That last quotation for me is what sums up what is so truly appealing about the ancient world.