As the last rays of sunlight begin to slip behind the seven hills of Rome, the city begins its nightly metamorphosis.

In the shadow of the Palatine, a captain of the night watch signals to his men. The day watch has ended, and now the real work begins. He knows what emerges when darkness falls – an entirely different Rome, where senators become conspirators, priests become sorcerers, and respectable citizens become creatures of the night.

Nox explores the nocturnal Rome that existed as a parallel civilisation during the height of the empire. Night was when conspiracies were hatched that toppled emperors, when economies operated beyond imperial oversight, and when social boundaries dissolved. Exploring everything from the role of lamps in illumination and performance, to the material evidence of smuggling, Andrew Tibbs combines archaeological discoveries with accounts from contemporary observers to reconstruct experiences that shaped Roman life as profoundly as any senate decree.

This is the Rome that vanishes with the sunrise, leaving behind only traces for those who know where to look.