In Caesar Had Some Jam for Tea Jonathan L'Estrange explores the civilization of ancient Rome through 501 narrative 'nuggets' that meld together to form a finely detailed and richly informative portrait of some 1250 years of Roman history. Structurally, Caesar Had Some Jam for Tea resembles a museum divided into twelve inner 'rooms', each of which reveals the essential features, as well as the treasures and curiosities, of a major period of Roman history: from the foundation of Rome to the demise of the Republic, and from the age of Augustus to the collapse of the Western Empire under the pressure of barbarian incursions from the east. At the entrance to each 'room', the author introduces the era in question, and sets the context for the 'exhibits' that lie within. Thereafter the reader is free to examine the many quaint and curious items on display, from the Seven Hills on which Rome was built to the war elephants of the Carthaginian commander Hannibal, and from the ingredients of the popular fish sauce known as garum (the Worcestershire Sauce of its day) - to the workings of the Roman toilet. Fusing rigorous research with entertaining and crisply informative writing, Caesar Had Some Jam for Tea is an unbuttoned and invigorating work of popular scholarship. Through the twists, forks and ever-changing landscapes of his 1250-year itinerary, Jonathan L'Estrange is a friendly and clear-thinking guide. In this book he has produced the most beguiling and authoritative of introductions to Roman history and to the deep roots of European civilization.