The Roman Empire was regarded as the pinnacle of civilization not only by its inhabitants, but by people living in later centuries as well. Many of our own institutions are derived from Roman thought and governmental structure. Yet the Romans' society took for granted two customs that strike us as immoral: slavery and bloody contests in the arena.

Slavery is an integral part of Tishtry's story. The more deadly gladiatorial games are never shown in the book, but their close proximity is obvious: Each amphitheater has two sets of gates, the Gates of Life and the Gates of Death. Some parents or teachers may wish to supplement the relatively benign picture which the novel presents with a discussion of the darker sides of slavery and the arena.

Slavery was universal in the ancient world. Roman slaves worked at almost the whole range of jobs. Some lived...