Memento Mori is a guide to how the ancient Romans confronted mortality, ageing and death, showing that many of the concerns we face today were already dealt with over two thousand years ago. In a world where hygiene was rudimentary and disease rampant, death was omnipresent and life was precarious. From philosophical reflections on the brevity of life by elite thinkers to epitaphs left by ordinary people such as butchers and bakers, the book explores how Romans faced up to their mortality and sought to 'take the sting out of death'. This book offers a historical and cultural examination of Roman attitudes toward ageing and death, including: - Roman mortality and demographics: how high child mortality, disease and lack of medical knowledge shaped societal understanding of life's fragility. - Philosophical perspectives: insights from Roman thinkers on the brevity of life and the meaning of death. - Epitaphs and epitaphic culture: the variety of epitaphs from elite to common tradespeople and what they reveal about how Romans remembered the dead. - Attitudes to ageing: how advancing age was viewed in a society where few reached old age, and the cultural practices that emerged around ageing and dying. The narrative blends historical anecdote, social history and cultural interpretation, making ancient attitudes toward mortality accessible and relevant to modern readers.