Trade and Taboo cover art

Trade and Taboo

Disreputable Professions in the Roman Mediterranean

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Trade and Taboo

By: Sarah Bond
Narrated by: Lorelei King
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Trade and Taboo addresses the creation of disrepute in ancient Roman society. What made someone disreputable in the eyes of Romans, and how did this effect their everyday life? The book tracks the shifting application of stigmas of disrepute between the Republican period and the later Roman Empire (45 BCE-565 CE) by following various Roman professionals. Through the lives of funeral workers, town criers, tanners, mint workers, and even bakers, Bond asks how certain tradesmen coped with stigmatization. Along the way, Trade and Taboo explores the ins and out of artisan life in antiquity, from how to hire a gravedigger to collecting urine to tan the hides that would be made into leather. Above all, the book indicates how perceptions of disreputable tradesman could change over time. Through reflecting on the language and laws that Romans used to marginalize others, the author helps us reflect on practices in today's society.

©2016 Sarah Bond (P)2017 University of Michigan Press
Ancient Rome Italy Ancient History Middle Ages Ancient Greece

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Ancient Agora of Classical Athens cover art
Slavery in Ancient Greece cover art
Zapotec Civilization cover art
Aztec History: A Captivating Guide to the Aztec Empire, Mythology, and Civilization cover art
The Past as Present cover art
Ancient Rome cover art
Empire of the Romans cover art
The Roman Empire cover art
Great Zimbabwe cover art
Bearing False Witness cover art
Builders of Empire cover art
Capitalism and the Jews cover art
The Murder of William of Norwich cover art
Constantine the Emperor cover art
Mesoamerican History: A Captivating Guide to Four Ancient Civilizations That Existed in Mexico cover art
The Origins of Freemasonry cover art
No reviews yet