author
Harold Whetstone Johnston
1859–1912
Best known for The Private Life of the Romans, this American classicist helped generations of readers picture everyday life in ancient Rome. He taught Latin at Indiana University and wrote with the clear, practical style of a born teacher.
1 Audiobook
The Private Life of the Romans
by Harold Whetstone Johnston
About the author
Born in Rushville, Illinois, on March 18, 1859, Harold Whetstone Johnston became a classical historian and professor of Latin at Indiana University. He is chiefly remembered for The Private Life of the Romans, a work that opened Roman daily life to students and general readers alike.
Johnston wrote as a scholar who wanted the ancient world to feel concrete and understandable. Along with his teaching, he produced books and educational works on Latin and Roman life that were valued for their clarity and usefulness.
He died on June 17, 1912, near Stinesville, Indiana. More than a century later, his writing remains familiar to readers interested in Rome not just as an empire, but as a lived-in world of homes, customs, work, and family life.