Compulsively readable and sparkling with fresh insights, this is the astonishing story of the ancient city that invented the modern world. Map.

For some unknown reason the most interesting bits of history are kept out of lessons and away from syllabuses. Now, 'The Interesting Bits' rights this wrong. It is a treasure trove of those surprising, eccentric, chaotic, baffling asides that don't fit neatly into history's official narrative.