JAMES DAVIDSON is Reader in Ancient History at the University of Warwick. He has written on a wide range of ancient topics, including the historiography of Roman imperialism, prostitution, drinking to get drunk, low-class mimes, sacred time and fish. He is the author of COURTESANS AND FISHCAKES: THE CONSUMING PASSIONS OF CLASSICAL ATHENS (1997), and is a irregular contributor to The London Review of Books among other journals.