History

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World

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Create Date：2023-10-23 13:21:39
Update Date：2025-09-06
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Author：Mary Beard
ISBN：0871404222
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Reviews

Georgia S。 ♻️ ， 2023-10-22 00:00

Another poignant yet delightfully easy-going read in the history of Rome by Mary Beard， honoured guest and rent-free tenant of （I have to assume） every classics nerd in existence。Emperor of Rome is intensely interested with the image and function of the emperor rather than with any of the individual men who exercised ultimate power in Imperial Rome; the result is a cutting investigation of how Roman society viewed autocracy， and how the autocrat formed， shifted and was viewed in conjunction wit Another poignant yet delightfully easy-going read in the history of Rome by Mary Beard， honoured guest and rent-free tenant of （I have to assume） every classics nerd in existence。Emperor of Rome is intensely interested with the image and function of the emperor rather than with any of the individual men who exercised ultimate power in Imperial Rome; the result is a cutting investigation of how Roman society viewed autocracy， and how the autocrat formed， shifted and was viewed in conjunction with it。Prof。 Beard could have dumped us with a series of uncritically presented entertaining anecdotes （fear not， there are entertaining anecdotes aplenty） but instead the focus is on what the whole corpus of evidence itself， warts and all， can tell us。 Tales of sensation and scandal comment on autocratic rule， with its contradictions， farce and nature-upturning dangers。 Framing struts the blurred lines of profligacy and generosity， wit and sadism， victory and inglorious defeat。 In the middle: the Emperor， the one-man master microcosm of the world and puppeteer of shadows， a shadow himself， ready to molt the moment someone clicks a different lamp on。 Unknown and unknowable historical fact might be， but something of Rome - and of all of humanity - might be gleaned here。（If Prof。 Mary Beard does not， in fact， reside in your head at at least semi-occasional basis， we wish to inform you that your nerd privileges have been hereby revoked。 That's right。 No more learning dead languages for fun， you posers， you punks， you preps。 Ha！）。。。more

John Bosco ， 2023-10-20 00:00

This book， a sequel to Mary Beard's incredibly popular book SPQR， follows the emperors of Rome， but not in a chronological way。 Rather than tell the full history of one emperor and then the next。 Mary Beard traces the more mundane and ordinary parts of each of their reigns。 She covers spouses， slaves， interests， etc。 of each emperor rather than just focusing on their military abilities and political mechanizations。While this view of the emperors is interesting， the amount of information is a bit This book， a sequel to Mary Beard's incredibly popular book SPQR， follows the emperors of Rome， but not in a chronological way。 Rather than tell the full history of one emperor and then the next。 Mary Beard traces the more mundane and ordinary parts of each of their reigns。 She covers spouses， slaves， interests， etc。 of each emperor rather than just focusing on their military abilities and political mechanizations。While this view of the emperors is interesting， the amount of information is a bit overwhelming， and it left me so inundated with facts that it felt more like Mary Beard has no self-editing and merely edited for grammar。 A thematic approach is absolutely a valid alternative to chronological history， but without an rhyme or reason to how information was presenting， it feels more like stream of consciousness info-dumping。 Because of this， it was a far less enjoyable read compared to SPQR。。。。more

Luke Illeniram ， 2023-10-19 00:00

The book is divided into themes rather than a linear history of each emperor。 Despite Beards justification of the structure， I actually found it less interesting then I think I would have if it was just a break down of each one and what they are known for， and what we understand about them。 I found it a bit hard to follow sometimes because of that。 Overall it's pretty good， but I think SPQR is much more enjoyable。 The information is great， but like I said， I just didn't find the structure altoge The book is divided into themes rather than a linear history of each emperor。 Despite Beards justification of the structure， I actually found it less interesting then I think I would have if it was just a break down of each one and what they are known for， and what we understand about them。 I found it a bit hard to follow sometimes because of that。 Overall it's pretty good， but I think SPQR is much more enjoyable。 The information is great， but like I said， I just didn't find the structure altogether that engaging 。。。more

Sue Foster ， 2023-10-19 00:00

Excellent book by this author。 Instead of dedicating a chapter to each Emperor。 She has taken topics and elements of the role of Emperor then discussed each within that contex。Well worth reading。

Sembray ， 2023-10-17 00:00

This is another brilliant book from one of our most consistently excellent classicists。 There are literally hundreds of books out there which will provide you with a potted history of the Roman Empire or biographies of the individual emperors， but Beard approaches the subject from a fresh and compelling angle。 She instead uses the evidence from ancient sources and archaeology to illuminate the role of the emperor， focusing on institutions and traditions rather than individuals and dates。 This tr This is another brilliant book from one of our most consistently excellent classicists。 There are literally hundreds of books out there which will provide you with a potted history of the Roman Empire or biographies of the individual emperors， but Beard approaches the subject from a fresh and compelling angle。 She instead uses the evidence from ancient sources and archaeology to illuminate the role of the emperor， focusing on institutions and traditions rather than individuals and dates。 This truly immerses the reader in the Roman world， allowing them to identify with how the emperor saw the world， felt and acted， as well as how those around him （from imperial wives and courtiers to common people and conquered adversaries） saw the emperor）。 While Beard is too wise to make heavy-handed overt parallels with our modern world， the structure of the book makes the emperors， and the Roman Empire more generally， feel tangibly alive。 Much of the iconography and language of power in our time originated in these men， and many of the revelations feel especially timely in the era of populist politics the world is currently experiencing。 This fascinating and unique spin on the subject is allied to Beard's usual mixture of scholarly research， witty writing and subtle references to the modern world to produce an excellent read for anyone， regardless of whether you have the faintest passing interest in the subject or you think about the Roman Empire 5 times a day or more （as I do）。。。。more

Andrea Wenger ， 2023-10-16 00:00

This fascinating book unveils the personal lives of Rome's emperors from Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus。 Journey inside the palace walls， into the streets of the capital， to far-flung corners of the empire， and even to the afterlife as Romans understood it。 Witness tense power dynamics with rivals and personal relationships with lovers。 Meet the everyday citizens seeking imperial aid， and the servants tending to daily needs。 This unprecedented perspective challenges assumptions about life in This fascinating book unveils the personal lives of Rome's emperors from Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus。 Journey inside the palace walls， into the streets of the capital， to far-flung corners of the empire， and even to the afterlife as Romans understood it。 Witness tense power dynamics with rivals and personal relationships with lovers。 Meet the everyday citizens seeking imperial aid， and the servants tending to daily needs。 This unprecedented perspective challenges assumptions about life in ancient Rome， inviting you to reimagine these iconic figures through the lens of their humanity。This book is so interesting and fun！ It's smart， informative， and authoritative， but still enjoyable and easy to read。 It's sure to become one of the leading works in the field。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。。。。more

Lindsay S ， 2023-10-14 00:00

Mary Beard structures this book in such a way that if you have a curiosity for a certain period or emperor， you can read the sections you’d like。 Beard has a way of immersing the reader， which is so lovely and inviting。 I highly recommend！

Edward ， 2023-10-14 00:00

This book is a great primer on all the pressing interpretive issues surrounding the figure of the Roman emperor up to the third century AD。 It is highly accessible and follows a nice readable style （albeit with far too many qualifications hidden within parenthesise）。 It tackles the idea of the emperor and how the many men who held the position chose to present themselves to their subjects， their dining habits， piety， sex life， and the day-to-day bureaucratic practicalities of "running" a contine This book is a great primer on all the pressing interpretive issues surrounding the figure of the Roman emperor up to the third century AD。 It is highly accessible and follows a nice readable style （albeit with far too many qualifications hidden within parenthesise）。 It tackles the idea of the emperor and how the many men who held the position chose to present themselves to their subjects， their dining habits， piety， sex life， and the day-to-day bureaucratic practicalities of "running" a continent-spanning empire。 It achieves this with a good mix of anecdotes from the sources， art history， archaeology， and a brief taster of the kinds of scholarship written on the subject over the last few centuries。 If anything， I wish there was more for me to sink my teeth into！ There are no footnotes or bibliography， but this is made up for partly by a very thorough Further Reading section。 Unlikely to read it again， but pleased I did！ 4/5 。。。more

Ula Tardigrade ， 2023-10-14 00:00

Ever since I read her brilliant "SPQR，" I have considered Mary Beard to be the best possible guide to ancient Rome。 Her deep knowledge of the subject， combined with her dry wit and eye for surprising detail， make her a great storyteller。 And she confirms that reputation in her latest book。 I think it may attract new readers because this time she focuses on the Roman emperors， but even if you are familiar with the most famous names， be prepared for many unexpected turns。 A fascinating volume！Than Ever since I read her brilliant "SPQR，" I have considered Mary Beard to be the best possible guide to ancient Rome。 Her deep knowledge of the subject， combined with her dry wit and eye for surprising detail， make her a great storyteller。 And she confirms that reputation in her latest book。 I think it may attract new readers because this time she focuses on the Roman emperors， but even if you are familiar with the most famous names， be prepared for many unexpected turns。 A fascinating volume！Thanks to the publisher， W。 W。 Norton & Company， Liveright， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。。。。more

Ben Moyers ， 2023-10-10 00:00

Emperor of Rome is a triumph and displays the benefits of blending educational content with an accessible， fun， and engaging writing voice for wider audiences。Beard's use of vivid and entertaining stories that coordinate with the arguments presented throughout Emperor of Rome is a very effective presentation。 Whilst providing these engaging stories of emperors and their wacky （and sometimes downright disturbing） antics， Beard frequently reminds us of the importance of questioning and analysing t Emperor of Rome is a triumph and displays the benefits of blending educational content with an accessible， fun， and engaging writing voice for wider audiences。Beard's use of vivid and entertaining stories that coordinate with the arguments presented throughout Emperor of Rome is a very effective presentation。 Whilst providing these engaging stories of emperors and their wacky （and sometimes downright disturbing） antics， Beard frequently reminds us of the importance of questioning and analysing the motives behind the dissemination of these stories， how they came to be in the first place， and whether they are even true or not。 She convincingly highlights how delving deeper into the contextual factors of where sources come from can tell us just as much about Roman emperors， and what that role entailed， as the stories do themselves。 This style of analysis would not be out of place in a classical studies seminar but it is presented in this book in a way that works well for those unfamiliar with the historical content so as to not overwhelm people with information。 It would also seem tempting， or sensible， for a book discussing the key characters of the Roman Empire to take on a chronological or emperor-by-emperor approach。 Instead， Beard tackles the topic through a thematic lens by picking out carefully selected and interconnected components/themes apparent for all Emperors （dining halls， palace complexes， workers etc。）。 In my opinion， this purposeful approach works phenomenally well and is a key success of the book。 Beard thoroughly analyses these themes to present an overall view of what it meant to be imperator， and she convincingly shows how everything surrounding those in this position can be drawn on as evidence and clues。 This approach is welcome because focus on Roman emperors can easily be reduced to the individual characters， military conquests， or dramatic and violent deaths。 It is refreshing to see an approach that highlights some of the more background components of emperorship that are no less important such as the significance of the buildings from which these emperors worked and what the presentation of these can tell us about projections of power and influence， as just one example of many in this book。Books like Emperor of Rome are what initially ignited my own interest in studying classics at university， and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish。 Books on classical history like this are always a welcome sight， and it is authors like Beard who champion the blend between education and accessibility that are so desperately needed at a time when classical studies are under threat and sadly often removed from school syllabuses and university course lists across the country。 Gratias tibi ago， Mary Beard！。。。more

Elwood ， 2023-10-08 00:00

I had the absolute joy of attending a talk by Mary Beard in Cambridge regarding this book， so of course I've got to come and write a deservedly glowing review。I actually took this book on holiday to Rome with me and read it in between visiting some of the ancient ruins mentioned within。 It was exciting to see in person the sheer scope of locations like the Colosseum or the Baths of Caracalla， and then read about their significance within the society of Ancient Rome。 This book was written in such I had the absolute joy of attending a talk by Mary Beard in Cambridge regarding this book， so of course I've got to come and write a deservedly glowing review。I actually took this book on holiday to Rome with me and read it in between visiting some of the ancient ruins mentioned within。 It was exciting to see in person the sheer scope of locations like the Colosseum or the Baths of Caracalla， and then read about their significance within the society of Ancient Rome。 This book was written in such a playful， engaging， informative manner。 The decidedly complex subject of what makes an emperor of Rome was broken down into often amusing anecdotes about one of a handful of the emperors themselves （ranging in a historical timeline from Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus）。 These anecdotes were then used to illustrate whatever point the author was expanding upon in the given chapter。 For example， want to know how emperors approached the act of governing the extreme edges of their empire？ How about a funny little tale concerning Emperor Augustus intervening in a murder case in what is now Turkey， where a slave threw a chamber pot onto a man's head， killing him？ Want to know what happened during dinners the emperor hosted with his friends？ How about a morbid account of Elagabalus inadvertently killing his guests by showering them with so many rose petals they suffocated？ Want to know how reliable historical records are about the more murderous emperors？ How about an exploration of whether madman Caligula really did plan to make his favourite racehorse consul， or whether it was a misunderstood jest used to further darken his reputation？There's something in this book for everyone， I think。 If you're completely new to Ancient Rome， everything is approached in such an accessible way。 If you're a bit of a classical history buff， and are already familiar with some/most of the events enclosed within， the author will put a new spin on it and make you wonder whether we can really believe anything at all， especially when it all happened so long ago。As for the subject matter， it really boiled down to one major conclusion: the Emperor of Rome was， at the end of it all， a man as mortal and flawed as the millions he ruled， regardless of what was written about him during his life and after his death。 Thanks to Mary Beard's insightful and impressively broad but detailed exploration， I feel like I almost know a lot of the major players。 At least， I know them well enough now to question whether the 'good' emperors were really good， and the 'bad' bad。。。。more

Budd Margolis ， 2023-10-08 00:00

One of the best and realistic analysis of life for Emperors in ancient rome。

Meggie ， 2023-10-07 00:00

Another Mary Beard special 😀 I love her and her writing and this was just as enjoyable as her other books。 Both entertaining and informative！ Big up the Beard！！！

Colin Adams ， 2023-10-07 00:00

At a basic narrative level， not as exciting as SPQR because the period she’s covering is inherently more stable。 As a result， Beard takes a more general approach to life as an emperor and what imperial rule looked like rather than a chronological history。 It is insightful and interesting even if it doesn’t always set the blood racing like the skulduggery of the late republic does （but then again， what can？）

Jon ， 2023-10-05 00:00

An excellent book with many remarkable insights into what being Emperor of Rome actually meant， written in a learned but accessible style。 But far too short！

ancientreader ， 2023-10-04 00:00

A book like this probably has at least two kinds of reviewers: 1。， experts in the field， who are in a position to evaluate the author's claims against their own knowledge， and who may， academia being what it is， have bones to pick; and 2。， general readers hoping to inform themselves and， maybe， already familiar with the author's reputation and one or more of her other books。 I'm in the second category。 What I know about ancient Rome comes from reading a few histories for general readers， includi A book like this probably has at least two kinds of reviewers: 1。， experts in the field， who are in a position to evaluate the author's claims against their own knowledge， and who may， academia being what it is， have bones to pick; and 2。， general readers hoping to inform themselves and， maybe， already familiar with the author's reputation and one or more of her other books。 I'm in the second category。 What I know about ancient Rome comes from reading a few histories for general readers， including other books by Professor Beard。 Are her theses here original and her insights fresh？ I couldn't say -- but they were new to me， and so I found them illuminating。 Beard's overarching theme here is that "Emperor of Rome" was a persona -- a screen， almost， behind which the real individual remains unknowable。 We have whatever relatively scant evidence survives after a couple of thousand years， and most of that is either indirect （what does Pliny's "Speech of Praise" actually tell us about its subject， Trajan？ or does it chiefly tell us what one prominent Roman thought a good emperor ought to be？） or frankly unreliable （if you had your predecessor assassinated， your narrative about him would depict him as a Wicked Emperor; if he had adopted you and thus provided your claim to rule， your narrative would depict him as a Good Emperor）。 Apart from Marcus Aurelius's "Jottings to Himself" （as Beard calls what most of us know as his "Meditations"） and some letters （which may have been written by aides）， we have no personal writings by any emperor。 I did a great deal of highlighting， between the factual information and the insights that were new to me。 Beard's prose is， as always， lively and engaging， with flashes of humor。 She's not an apologist for the empire -- I'm pretty sure the conservative "greatness of Rome" nonsense makes her gag -- and she's alert to hints of what life under a man with （ostensibly） absolute power might have been like， in particular for people held as slaves but also for the mighty "enjoying" evenings with the likes of Eliogabalus。 She also brought to my notice the surprising precarity of life as an emperor of Rome: since there was no provision for the transfer of power except by the death of the previous incumbent， a great deal of assassination went on。 It's most unfortunate that in the ARC， captions for the illustrations are represented by strings of Latin gibberish -- at least， I assume it's gibberish！ -- so I can say nothing about how useful the figures are or what the captions may add to the information in the text proper。 Thanks to W。W。 Norton / Liveright and NetGalley for the ARC。。。。more

Lauren ， 2023-10-04 00:00

A good nonfiction book should make you want to learn even more about the topic。 I left this book with two potential papers and a thesis that I want to research， so I'd say Mary Beard went above and beyond！ A good nonfiction book should make you want to learn even more about the topic。 I left this book with two potential papers and a thesis that I want to research， so I'd say Mary Beard went above and beyond！。。。more

Samantha ， 2023-10-02 00:00

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ My sincere compliments to Mary Beard for being able to write so informatively， while still being very understandable。 I'm very impressed with how this book is perfect for people who seriously study history or Ancient Rome， and for people with just a simple interest。 Emperor of Rome is well-researched and introduces readers to such really interesting concepts that it will definitely make for a fascinating read。 Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ My sincere compliments to Mary Beard for being able to write so informatively， while still being very understandable。 I'm very impressed with how this book is perfect for people who seriously study history or Ancient Rome， and for people with just a simple interest。 Emperor of Rome is well-researched and introduces readers to such really interesting concepts that it will definitely make for a fascinating read。 I promise you'll learn so much you never knew about the office of Ancient Roman emperors！。。。more

Barbara Bruce ， 2023-09-27 00:00

Rome buffs will rejoice in this book。 Give it to your husband who is constantly thinking about the Roman Empire。

Tia ， 2023-09-27 00:00

Mary Beard’s documentaries are ELITE。 I seriously need to read her books。

Richard Hayden ， 2023-09-24 00:00

Mary Beard returns to the fecund history of SPQR with this sideways look at the life of the Emperors of Rome。 Crucially， it is not a history of events or a character study of individual leaders but rather an analysis of the trappings of office and the wider systems of power。Beard’s chief contention is that power could not have started and ended with the emperors alone。 Otherwise， a succession of psychopaths， narcissists and incompetents would surely have brought the empire to a premature collaps Mary Beard returns to the fecund history of SPQR with this sideways look at the life of the Emperors of Rome。 Crucially， it is not a history of events or a character study of individual leaders but rather an analysis of the trappings of office and the wider systems of power。Beard’s chief contention is that power could not have started and ended with the emperors alone。 Otherwise， a succession of psychopaths， narcissists and incompetents would surely have brought the empire to a premature collapse。 Instead， she sets out to demonstrate through a close look at the aspects of imperial life more typically ignored that power must have been partly decentralised， sometimes into unexpected hands。 This includes looking in detail at the layout and number of imperial buildings; the role of dining in status; which emperors travelled and why; the cycling and recycling of statues and other state-sponsored art; and the uneven bestowal of godhood。Further， she declines to join the scrabble to define ‘good’ and ‘bad’ emperors， pointing out that almost all character history comes after the individual’s death and likely featured as propaganda during succession squabbles， requiring lionization or demonisation （as appropriate） of prior leaders。Consequently， Emperor of Rome takes a fresh look at a much studied aspect of ancient Roman history， all written in Beard’s customary clear and accessible style。（Proof copy supplied。 Opinions my own。）。。。more

richard mortimer ， 2023-09-14 00:00

This is a very in depth writing of the Emperors of Rome。 The author utilizes multiple primary sources to provide the trials and tribulations of the Empire。 Very well written and would be great for anyone becoming a scholar in this area

Michael Smith ， 2023-09-11 00:00

Beard is a classicist and has become one of the most widely known “public historians” in the English-speaking world。 Her field is ancient Rome and her previous book， SPQR， which won awards and was a best seller， provided a throught-provoking and highly readable overview of how Rome was founded and how it evolved over its first thousand years into the largest and most powerful political entity of the ancient world。 This volume， more of a companion work than a sequel， examines the Roman imperial s Beard is a classicist and has become one of the most widely known “public historians” in the English-speaking world。 Her field is ancient Rome and her previous book， SPQR， which won awards and was a best seller， provided a throught-provoking and highly readable overview of how Rome was founded and how it evolved over its first thousand years into the largest and most powerful political entity of the ancient world。 This volume， more of a companion work than a sequel， examines the Roman imperial system from Julius Caesar， a dictator who made one-man rule acceptable to the Romans， and his nephew， Octavian （Augustus）， the first actual “emperor，” through almost three centuries and thirty rulers to Alexander Severus。 After Alexander， the Roman imperial system changed rapidly and dramatically into something quite different， but the idea of one-man rule itself was accepted by all levels of society until the fall of the Eastern Empire to the Ottomans in 1453。This isn’t just a collective biography of monarchs， though -- that’s been done hundreds of times and we really don’t need another one -- but an exploration of how the imperial system developed， how it functioned， what the emperors did day-to-day， how they were viewed by their subjects， how the succession was managed from one emperor to the next， and who actually ran an empire that might take several months for news and the ruler’s orders to travel across。As in the earlier book， the author’s plan is to address these topics from on high， drawing explanatory examples from throughout the period under discussion。 Nearly all of this is based， of course， on the surviving writings of a number of Roman historians who often were talking about events during their own lifetimes -- and there’s more of that material still around than you might think， from famous public speeches to private notes and compendiums of case law。 She also points out that all those authors were members of the elite -- the senatorial class -- so there’s an obvious inherent bias。 She also considers probably fictional anecdotes and obvious personal attacks because they tell us as much about both the author and his imperial subject as a dryly factual account would do。But she also makes it clear that while primogeniture was the rule in Europe in later centuries （you were stuck with the eldest male child， like it or not）， the Emperors of Rome preferred to “adopt” a successor -- and the word meant something quite different to them than it does to us。 But while one could thereby pick and choose the best man for the job， this also brought a great deal of pressure to bear in making the selection。 And if it was a hostile takeover by assassination， the new incumbent usually found it politically necessary to spread scurrilous stories about his predecessor -- and it’s those stories that have come down to us。That’s only a sampling of the subjects Beard delves into， and by the time you finish the volume， you’ll have a list of things to think about。 My undergraduate degree was in Classical History （“G & R” -- Greek and Roman -- as we called it）， and while graduate school took me in a somewhat different direction， I’ve never lost my interest in how the world of the Romans worked。 Beard is a real find for people like me。 I’ll be very interested to see what she takes on next。。。。more

Jackie ， 2023-09-06 00:00

I got this as a Goodreads giveaway。 My husband had read the author's first book， SPQL， so I gave him this one to read。 He said it was unreadable。 More like a textbook。 Did not finish。 I got this as a Goodreads giveaway。 My husband had read the author's first book， SPQL， so I gave him this one to read。 He said it was unreadable。 More like a textbook。 Did not finish。。。。more

Selena ， 2023-09-05 00:00

Mary Beard's fresh take on the history of the Roman empire immerses us in what it was like to be， around and living under Emperors of Rome。 The book covers the reign of 26 emperors from Julius Caesar's adopted heir， Augustus （ascended 27 BCE） through to Severus Alexander （assassinated 235 CE）。 It includes famous names such as Nero， Claudius， Caligula， Marcus Aurelius as well as unfamiliar ones such as teenager Elagabalus。 It's not a chronological account but a look at aspects of Emperors' lives。 Mary Beard's fresh take on the history of the Roman empire immerses us in what it was like to be， around and living under Emperors of Rome。 The book covers the reign of 26 emperors from Julius Caesar's adopted heir， Augustus （ascended 27 BCE） through to Severus Alexander （assassinated 235 CE）。 It includes famous names such as Nero， Claudius， Caligula， Marcus Aurelius as well as unfamiliar ones such as teenager Elagabalus。 It's not a chronological account but a look at aspects of Emperors' lives。 How they ate， where they lived， how they worked， how they travelled around their empire， how they relaxed， how they projected themselves and used their image， their quirks of character and their legacy。 Through this， we learn how Rome itself worked and the impact of Emperor on its citizens。 It ranged from life or death， to sweeping tax cuts to dictating what could be sold in cafes。 One-man rule also had its downsides。 I was amused by tired responses to officials who were tempted to refer to the Emperor's judgement for everything。This is the first Mary Beard book I've read and it's history at its most engaging。 I very much liked her conversational style。 She's a marvellous communicator and storyteller。 Beard makes good use of memorable as well as less known anecdotes and myths to paint lively pictures of the characters involved。 But she makes sure to pick apart fact from fiction。 She draws on all manner of resources - art， inscriptions， ruins， letters （both private and official） and records， down to Roman graffiti。 It reminds me of the BBC values to "inform， educate and entertain" and Beard succeeds on all fronts。 She manages the delicate balancing act of presenting comprehensive research and rationale in a captivating read。 I was fortunate to have this as my holiday reading while visiting Roman ruins in Turkey and Beard brought it all to life for me。 Despite the Emperors' aspiration to become gods， Mary Beard paints very human portraits。 Of course， there's opulence， murder， sex， vanity， rumours and plotting。 But there's also wisdom， humour and relatable moments of humanity。 A fantastic read。Many thanks to the publisher for a proof copy。 I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished article。 It looks like this will have plenty of illustrations which I was missing and referenced in the text， as well as useful maps and dramatis personae。 I'll certainly be buying the completed book and will be adding more Mary Beard to my to-read pile。。。。more

Anshuman ， 2023-09-03 00:00

"Emperor of Rome" is the first book I’ve read that's written by Prof Mary Beard。 It provides a fairly good overview of Roman Emperors， their foibles， excesses， and eccentricities。 My only issue with the book was that it moved too quickly， covering a large period of history in a rapid fashion。 I suppose some of this pacing is by design。 Prof Mary Beard’s writing is very engaging and keeps the reader engrossed。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a swift overview of Roman imperial "Emperor of Rome" is the first book I’ve read that's written by Prof Mary Beard。 It provides a fairly good overview of Roman Emperors， their foibles， excesses， and eccentricities。 My only issue with the book was that it moved too quickly， covering a large period of history in a rapid fashion。 I suppose some of this pacing is by design。 Prof Mary Beard’s writing is very engaging and keeps the reader engrossed。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a swift overview of Roman imperial history。I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。。。。more