The Greeks and Romans worried about ivory smuggling, bee extinction, mass tourism, and noise pollution. There's nothing new under the sun.

The ancient world worried about ivory smuggling, bee extinction, mass tourism, and noise pollution. They practiced liposuction, knew sex was healthy, calculated the earth's circumference, invented radiant floor heating, and called Caesar a bald asshole. They thought fava beans were souls and so didn't eat them, thrice spoke the names of the dead aloud, had jokes and take-out, graffiti and tree-hugging. Take a mischievous trip into the Mediterranean past. There's nothing new under the sun. Véronique Bruez has a taste for happiness. Her motto? χαῖρε! Rejoice! A lovely invitation to peruse this compendium of facts from real and poetic world, sampling its moods, experiences, and errantries.