Gallus; or, Roman scenes of the time of Augustus

Gallus, oder, Römische Scenen aus der Zeit Augusts: zur genaueren Kenntniss des römischen Privatlebens is a German book written by Wilhelm Adolf Becker, published in 1938.

[2] His father, Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker, was of the same occupation and published Augusteum, a book on Roman antiquities in the German city Dresden in the early 1800s.

[2] The studies led to two books being published: De comicis Romanorum fabulis maxime Plautinis in 1833, about Plautus' comedies.

Those reasons were that the private life of Romans including their customs and manners is an archeological branch that has been neglected.

He critiques the absence of work explaining Roman domestic life as a whole instead of loose and unconnected observations.

Imitating books by Böttinger and Mazois he chose to produce a continuous story with explanatory notes to convey information.

[1] Cornelius Gallus, a Roman historical figure, was a prominent poet, well-known for his love of elegy.

He was also known for his close relationship with Roman figures such as Virgil and Augustus, and his death through suicide after falling in disgrace.

[1] The book describes Roman customs and culture through the narrative lens of Cornelius Gallus.

Its excursus describes the Roman house including its structure, household utensils, and clocks.

Metcalfe himself decided to translate the book because he was intrigued by the novelty of its concept, and found Gallus to be a remarkable person of antiquity.

The reviewer notes that they discovered in the translator's prefaces that these deficiencies may be addressed in Becker's original version.