Emperors and Gladiators - Hardcover

"Dr. Ryan-Morgan draws on her vast knowledge of the legal, clinical and ethical issues involved in this burgeoning area. The book provides guidance on the empirical literature yet at the same time highlights the dangers of relying solely on data in a reductionist way. The book places the client at the forefront and provides an invaluable "route map" for those working within this field. As a consequence, this should be an invaluable text for practitioners, expert witnesses and those in the legal profession seeking guidance in this complex and often challenging area." - Dr. Chris L Hamilton, Cons. Clinical Psychologist "The case studies in this book are admirably knotty, requiring the precise level of detailed assessment and consideration demanded of practitioners on the ground. The author is to be heartily congratulated on undertaking an important contribution to the field of mental capacity." - Alex Ruck Keene, Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers "Clinicians and lawyers alike are certain to welcome this book which weaves together the complexity of clinical presentation, legal definition and case law. The assessment of mental capacity is a complex area where the fields of neuropsychology, mental health and the law overlap. This unique volume sets out guidance on how to structure complex capacity assessments with real examples set within the legal framework. An excellent, practical introduction for those new to the field but also of great value to those who regularly work within medico-legal settings." - Dr Sal Connolly, Head of Clinical and Neuropsychology, Ascot Rehabilitation

Of all aspects of Roman culture, the gladiatorial contests for which the Romans built their amphitheatres are at once the most fascinating and the most difficult for us to come to terms with. They have been seen variously as sacrifices to the gods or, at funerals, to the souls of the deceased; as a mechanism for introducing young Romans to the horrors of fighting; and as a direct substitute for warfare after the imposition of peace.
In this original and authoritative study, Thomas Wiedemann argues that gladiators were part of the mythical struggle of order and civilisation against the forces of nature, barbarism and law breaking, representing the possibility of a return to new life from the point of death; that Christian Romans rejected gladiatorial games not on humanitarian grounds, but because they were a rival representation of a possible resurrection.