Roman history is always being rewritten,and always has been; in some ways we know more about ancient Rome than the Romans themselves did. Roman history,in other words,is a work in progress. This book is my contribution to that bigger project; it offers my version of why it matters.
Ancient Rome matters.
Its history of empire,conquest,cruelty and excess is something against which we still judge ourselves. Its myths and stories - from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of Lucretia - still strike a chord with us. And its debates about citizenship,security and the rights of the individual still influence our own debates on civil liberty today.
SPQR is a new look at Roman history from one of the world's foremost classicists. It explores not only how Rome grew from an insignificant village in central Italy to a power that controlled territory from Spain to Syria,but also how the Romans thought about themselves and their achievements,and why they are still important to us.
SPQR is the Romans'own abbreviation for their state: Senatus Populusque Romanus,'the Senate and People of Rome'.
Covering 1,000 years of history,and casting fresh light on the basics of Roman culture from slavery to running water,as well as exploring democracy,migration,religious controversy,social mobility and exploitation in the larger context of the empire,this is a definitive history of ancient Rome.
Arguably Britain's best-known classicist Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Cambridge University and classics editor of the TLS. Amongst her best known publications are Women and Power,Pompeii (accompanying the BBC television series of the same name),Confronting the Classics and It's a Don's Life (based on her regular column for The Times.
Publisher: Profile Books LtdISBN: 9781846683817Number of pages: 608Weight: 520 gDimensions: 190 x 128 x 38 mmEdition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
"Fast-moving,exciting,psychologically acute,warmly sceptical" - Bryan Appleyard,Sunday Times
"Vastly engaging...a tremendously enjoyable and scholarly read." - Natalie Haynes,Observer
"Sustaining the energy that such a topic demands for more than 600 pages,while providing a coherent answer to the question of why Rome expanded so spectacularly,is hugely ambitious. Beard succeeds triumphantly...full of insights and delights...SPQR is consistently enlivened by Beard's eye for detail and her excellent sense of humour." - Sunday Times
Praise for Mary Beard:"She's pulled off that rare trick of becoming a don with a high media profile who hasn't sold out,who is absolutely respected by the academy for her scholarship...what she says is always powerful and interesting." - Guardian
"An irrepressible enthusiast with a refreshing disregard for convention." - FT
"Dynamically,wittily and authoritatively brings the ancient world to life." - Simon Sebag Montefiore
"With such a champion as Beard to debunk and popularise,the future of the study of classics is assured." - Daily Telegraph
Mary Beard
Arguably Britain's best-known classicist Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Cambridge University and classics editor of the TLS. Amongst her best known publications are SPQR,Pompeii (accompanying the BBC television series of the same name),Confronting the Classics and It's a Don's Life (based on her regular column for The Times.
Visit the Mary Beard author page
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