Paul Chrystal studied Latin and Greek at the University of Hull and then specialized in Latin love poetry for his MPhil at the University of Southampton. He is the author of numerous classical books , including From Republic to Empire, Roman Military Disasters and Women at War in the Classical World. He has contributed as a feature writer to the Daily Express, BBC History Magazine, Ad Familiares, Minerva and All About History, and is frequently on BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Tees, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC World Service. He is a reviewer for and contributor to Classics for All. He lives in York where he is editor of York Historian.