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SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

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  • Create Date：2021-06-25 08:53:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Mary Beard
  • ISBN：1846683815
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Summary

Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

By 63 BCE the city of Rome was a sprawling， imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants。 But how did this massive city—the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria—emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy？

In S。P。Q。R。， Beard changes our historical perspective， exploring how the Romans themselves challenged the idea of imperial rule， how they responded to terrorism and revolution， and how they invented a new idea of citizenship and nation， while also keeping her eye open for those overlooked in traditional histories: women， slaves and ex-slaves， conspirators， and losers。

Like the best detectives， Beard separates fact from fiction， myth and propaganda from historical record。 She introduces the familiar characters of Julius Caesar， Cicero， and Nero as well as the untold， the loud women， the shrewd bakers， and the brave
jokers。

S。P。Q。R。 promises to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come。
100 illustrations; 16 pages of color; 5 maps

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Reviews

Bruce ，

Pedantic。 Impenetrable。

Johanne ，

DNFKept feeling like every chapters started in the middle of a story I hadn’t heard。 Not a Roman history primer。

Nelson Zagalo ，

Nos últimos anos tenho lido várias obras que abordam o império romano — em particular "O Infinito num Junco" de Irene Vallejo， "Augustus" de John Williams e "Memórias de Adriano" de Marguerite Yourcenar， ou ainda os próprios clássicos romanos "A Eneida"， Seneca ou Lucrécio — e por isso a curiosidade sobre a Roma Antiga foi aumentando。 Inevitavelmente fiz a aproximação primeiro através da monumental obra de Edward Gibbon， “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”， publicada em 177 Nos últimos anos tenho lido várias obras que abordam o império romano — em particular "O Infinito num Junco" de Irene Vallejo， "Augustus" de John Williams e "Memórias de Adriano" de Marguerite Yourcenar， ou ainda os próprios clássicos romanos "A Eneida"， Seneca ou Lucrécio — e por isso a curiosidade sobre a Roma Antiga foi aumentando。 Inevitavelmente fiz a aproximação primeiro através da monumental obra de Edward Gibbon， “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”， publicada em 1776， contudo， pouco depois de a iniciar descobri a existência de uma outra obra sobre Roma， “SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome” bastante mais recente， de 2015， de Mary Beard， professora de cultura clássica respeitada e por vezes equiparada a Gibbon。 Decidi então deixar Gibbon de lado e seguir com Mary Beard。 As razões para o fazer foram várias， como dou conta a seguir， mas no final sinto que fiz bem， essencialmente porque me permitiu encerrar a curiosidade que tinha， e explicarei porquê。[Ler no blog: https://virtual-illusion。blogspot。com。。。]Porquê ler Beard em vez de Gibbon？1。 A primeira razão é sem dúvida o tempo passado desde a publicação de Gibbon。 Ao contrário do que vou lendo， não é verdade que pouco se descobriu desde a sua publicação， muito pelo contrário。 É preciso ser ingénuo para acreditar que em quase 250 anos， particularmente estes últimos， pouco mudou sobre a nossa visão do mundo。 A ciência ganhou tecnologia como nunca teve e que lhe permitiu chegar aonde era completamente impossível。 Desde a análise dos glaciares à análise de papiros queimados enrolados de Pompeia， a tecnologia tem permitido aceder a muito que se desconhecia há 250 anos。 E no， entanto， Beard é muito mais cautelosa e menos assertiva que Gibbon， mas isso não se deve a ela saber menos que ele， mas antes saber mais。 Porque quanto mais sabemos， mais noção temos do que não sabemos。 Gibbon fala como se tivesse vivido em Roma， pleno de certezas assentes em relatos， muitos deles escritos séculos depois dos eventos， e muitos deles empolados pelo interesse de quem fala。 Mas naturalmente que à luz do tipo de análise feita em 1776， poderia parecer verdade completa。 Mas nos dias de hoje é impossível aceitar algo como verdade sem cruzamento de fontes， apenas baseado num relato， a maioria em segunda ou terceira mãos。2。 Além do desfasamento do conhecimento existente， ainda temos outra questão， a necessidade de durante a leitura realizar duas contextualizaççoes temporais simultaneamente — antiga roma e século XVIII — o que diga-se não abonaria muito em favor da ideia a criar no final por mim。 Não tenho nada contra obras de outras épocas sobre outras épocas， seria muito interessante caso o meu objetivo fosse estudar em profundidade o conhecimento existente sobre Roma。 Mas eu só queria aceder a uma imagem o mais fidedigna possível de um tempo remoto。3。 Nesse mesmo sentido， se o meu interesse por Roma era grande， não era o suficiente para ler 6 volumes de 600 páginas cada um escritos por Gibbon。 Sim， existem versões condensadas em 1000 ou 600 páginas， mas tendem a ser desconsideradas pela crítica。 Aliás， eu queria saber mais sobre o auge de Roma， sobre o modo como tinham incorporado o conhecimento grego， e principalmente como tinham criado novo conhecimento （de que falarei à frente）。 Não estava propriamente interessado na história de Roma ao longo de toda a idade média até ao século XV。O que podemos então ler na História de Mary Beard？Beard recorta a história de Roma no período que vai do seu surgimento mitológico， século VIII a。C， ao topo do bem-estar， o final século III d。C。 Ou seja， desde Rómulo e Remo a Marcus Aurelius， ainda que o grande enfoque se dê sobre Cícero， Júlio César e Augustus。 Beard escreve muito bem， com menos eloquência que Gibbon， mas de forma mais científica， levantando as dúvidas onde existem， não romantizando， ficando-se pelos factos， apresentando teorias sustentadas。 O trabalho é extenso e completo， ainda que para quem já conhece alguma coisa， sinta a redundância natural num trabalho generalista como tem de ser uma introdução a Roma。 Beard dedica uma boa parte à discussão sobre o nascimento de Roma， a parte que é de todas a que menos suporte factual possui， e que recai muito sobre histórias que passaram pelos séculos， e que nos parecem mais lenda do que História。 Mas não deixa de ser interessante para compreendermos a natureza da identidade da cidade， e do que ela viria a ser。 Depois disso， foca-se no trio central à volta do ano zero， sempre chamado em qualquer discussão sobre Roma: o orador Cícero， o ditador Júlio César， e o primeiro imperador， Augusto。 Depois， aproveita para em jeito de fechamento dar conta de muito do que se foi inventando sobre os imperadores dos primeiros dois séculos da nossa era。Ficou a faltar， do meu ponto de vista， a vida dos verdadeiros romanos， mais ainda quando o livro se chama SPQR （Senate e Povo de Roma）。 Eu sei que dos "fracos não reza a história"， e que os registos existentes foram criados pela e para a elite， mas talvez por isso mesmo fosse ainda mais relevante conhecer e perceber como vivia o verdadeiro povo de Roma？ Em que trabalhava， como ganhava a vida， o que comia， como se divertia， o que o incomodava e dava prazer？ Saber a história de todos os imperadores de Roma diz-me pouco ou nada sobre a época em si。 Dá-me apenas a ilusão de conhecer o que se passou， quando aquilo que me interessava era o olhar pela-para a janela-espelho， ou seja， ver a vida a germinar há 2000 anos e perceber o que mudou desde então。A minha experiência da leitura？A meio do livro já me sentia algo defraudado， não com Mary Beard， porque o que ela faz não é diferente de Gibbon， senti-me defraudado mas pelos romanos， pelo vazio das ideias do seu mundo， um mundo feito apenas de Poder e Política。 Ainda que o problema talvez não seja só dos romanos， mas da insistência em historiar os mesmos por este prisma， ou se existe esta insistência então é porque foi nisto que eles se destacaram。 Os romanos dominaram todo o MediterrâneoOs romanos foram máquinas de guerra， capazes de subjugar boa parte da Europa， Médio-Oriente e Norte de África， e para o fazer precisaram de poderio militar e muita política de bastidadores。 Ditadores e Imperadores， muita força， poder absoluto， máxima pressão。 Ali， nunca existiram condições para grande pensamento， artístico ou científico。 Senti no final que tinha aprendido mais sobre os romanos em Junco de Irene Vallejo， mas não é verdade， o que acontece é que aí fiquei a saber algumas coisas sobre a relação dos romanos com a produção do conhecimento， mas aí é também dado a perceber o quão afastado eles sempre estiveram da produção de conhecimento。 Essa relação nunca passou de algo em segunda mão， na cauda dos gregos， a quem escravizaram para ensinar o bê-á-bá aos seus filhos。"A Morte de César" （1804） de Vincenzo CamucciniSão centenas de páginas sobre tricas e mais tricas à volta de imperadores， senadores， territórios， mortes， assassinatos， desvarios， insanidades， subjugação， domínio， luxos e poder。 Por isso， no final do livro considero que tendo gostado de o ler， encerrou a minha curiosidade por Roma。 Não foi um lugar muito relevante do ponto de vista da criação humana。 Mesmo na política， subjugados a um sistema totalitário que usava senadores como fantoches， não me parece um exemplo a relevar。 Aliás， no final da leitura questionava-me sobre a ideia pré-feita de que as trevas da idade média se devem ao cristianismo， pensando se este não se deveria antes ao natural declínio de um império apenas construído sobre a ideia de poder e domínio do outro。 Não havia ali espaço para o florescimento humano。 Roma cresceu， foi a primeira grande cidade， e， diga-se multicultural， mas não foi além do comércio， entretenimento e poder。 Nunca se focou em criar nada além do útil e necessário — desde a construção e arquitetura à política e gestão urbana。 Para teatro， literatura， escultura， filosofia e ciência limitavam-se a usar os gregos。 Sei que exagero e que isto é em certa medida reducionista， mas é o sentimento com que saio do final desta longa viagem pela Roma Antiga。Publicado no VI:https://virtual-illusion。blogspot。com。。。 。。。more

Stella82 ，

OVo je bila izuzetno zanimljiva knjiga zahvaljujuci kojoj sam saznala i naucila mnogo toga。 Napisana je na veoma jednostavan nacin da i neko ko ne zna nista o istoriji Rima moze da se snadje。 Na kraju knjige postoji i vremenska linija koja moze dosta da pomogne。

Jeffrey ，

SPQR is a fantastic read and overall account of Rome up to 212 AD when Caracalla granted citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire。 Beard's account does not just cover the main events， which are preserved in the canonical works - but also evaluates critically what has been written， what was the purpose and intent of the author， and most importantly what has been unwritten。 Beard also does a fantastic job exploring the story of the marginalised: the normal people in Rome and the periphery SPQR is a fantastic read and overall account of Rome up to 212 AD when Caracalla granted citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire。 Beard's account does not just cover the main events， which are preserved in the canonical works - but also evaluates critically what has been written， what was the purpose and intent of the author， and most importantly what has been unwritten。 Beard also does a fantastic job exploring the story of the marginalised: the normal people in Rome and the periphery， women， children， and slaves - often drawing on scraps here and there。 In doing so she provides a fuller and richer account of Rome。But despite the deep dive through history， Beard is also a fantastic writer - each chapter is centered on a specific theme and journey through that theme is extremely entertaining。 Beard will often provide the reader with the orthodox， accepted history - then go on to explore the other perspective。 For example， Brutus is seen as the last defender of the republic from dictatorial rule - but Beard argues perhaps he was actually fighting for his own version of one-man rule， as evidenced by the fact that he had coins minted with his head on one side。For anyone with an interest in learning more about Rome， I heartily recommend this book。 I only hope Beard reconsiders decision that the rest of the story of Rome is to be told by another writer。 。。。more

Brandon Banaschewski ，

Just wasn't what I was looking for - this is an in depth analysis of Roman's and daily life， not the story of the city and civilization itself。 Just wasn't what I was looking for - this is an in depth analysis of Roman's and daily life， not the story of the city and civilization itself。 。。。more

Adrian ，

SPQR may be the most comprehensive and scholarly of the titles available today on Ancient Rome。 Comprehensive in the sense that it covers the mythical founding of Rome right up to the reign of Caracalla， with a few brief mentions of Constantine， and scholarly in the sense that it draws on archaeological and biological evidence to gain insights into the diet and lifestyle of Romans。To attempt the key points of Rome over what is essentially a millennium is a daunting task， and Mary Beard has accom SPQR may be the most comprehensive and scholarly of the titles available today on Ancient Rome。 Comprehensive in the sense that it covers the mythical founding of Rome right up to the reign of Caracalla， with a few brief mentions of Constantine， and scholarly in the sense that it draws on archaeological and biological evidence to gain insights into the diet and lifestyle of Romans。To attempt the key points of Rome over what is essentially a millennium is a daunting task， and Mary Beard has accomplished this rather well。SPQR is in many mays a sociological study of Rome as well as a History， examining the social dynamics， the wealth， poverty， plagues and much else that afflicted the Eternal City。Mary Beard may be familiar to others through readers of contemporary history publications for her reassessment of what are traditionally considered Bad Emperors， such as Nero and Caligula， often because they were demonized after their assassination。SPQR is a highly comprehensive study， and is worth reading regardless of how familiar one is with the subject of Ancient Rome， particularly useful as a companion to historians such as Suetonius or Tacitus。 。。。more

Vidur Kapur ，

In this immensely readable single volume， Beard provides a masterclass in how to seamlessly integrate narrative and technical history into one fluid whole。 With a sceptical but entertaining eye， and an admirable realism about what we can （and should） learn from Ancient Rome， she illuminates many of the debates that continue to rage among historians。 The book is largely structured chronologically， but this is interrupted at the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty， with a reflection on the limitatio In this immensely readable single volume， Beard provides a masterclass in how to seamlessly integrate narrative and technical history into one fluid whole。 With a sceptical but entertaining eye， and an admirable realism about what we can （and should） learn from Ancient Rome， she illuminates many of the debates that continue to rage among historians。 The book is largely structured chronologically， but this is interrupted at the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty， with a reflection on the limitations of viewing Roman history through the prism of the emperors。 Though this is perhaps self-serving — it is likely that Beard simply got bored of writing about the emperors — it serves as a segue to a fascinating discussion of the lives of ordinary Romans and of the regions that the Romans conquered。 Overall， highly recommended。 。。。more

Dominic Forbes ，

Always fascinating to learn more about what we do， don't and can never know about ancient civilisations。 One thing is clear， technology advances aside， many issues facing society are identical。 Gaslighting， re-writing history， corruption， justice， altruism， personal avarice， wealth distribution， governance。 Always fascinating to learn more about what we do， don't and can never know about ancient civilisations。 One thing is clear， technology advances aside， many issues facing society are identical。 Gaslighting， re-writing history， corruption， justice， altruism， personal avarice， wealth distribution， governance。 。。。more

George Morrow ，

Mary Beard presents an excellent primer to ancient Rome。 She begins SPQR by discussing Cicero and the Cataline conspiracy before going back to the roots of ancient Rome and proceeding to and finishing with the death of Commodus in 192 CE。I quite liked how the author shows how we know what we do about the Romans and the even handed approach she takes in presenting the facts and her opinions。 It does take some time to get going but if you're just looking for an overview of Rome， how the Romans liv Mary Beard presents an excellent primer to ancient Rome。 She begins SPQR by discussing Cicero and the Cataline conspiracy before going back to the roots of ancient Rome and proceeding to and finishing with the death of Commodus in 192 CE。I quite liked how the author shows how we know what we do about the Romans and the even handed approach she takes in presenting the facts and her opinions。 It does take some time to get going but if you're just looking for an overview of Rome， how the Romans lived and where the different era （Republic， Empire， Pax Romana） fit together then look no further。 。。。more

Edoardo Dalmonte ，

I love this book so much I never want it to end

Jackie ，

Wow！ What a read。 This book covers an entire millennia of history - truly a labor of love by one of my heroes， Mary Beard！ I would love to hear her narrate this as an audio book， as I read this with her voice in my head already。Perfectly paced， very interesting， and incredibly thorough。

Karen S。 ，

DNF at page 269I had high expectations when starting this book， partly because of its popularity and because I generally enjoy Mary Beard's documentaries。 I was hoping for an approachable introduction， but am sad to say it didn't work for me， at least not at this point in time。 It was too dry for my taste and I found myself struggling to make progress， which in turn made me less motivated to pick it up。 It might be better if you have more of a background of the classical world， which I lack。I do DNF at page 269I had high expectations when starting this book， partly because of its popularity and because I generally enjoy Mary Beard's documentaries。 I was hoping for an approachable introduction， but am sad to say it didn't work for me， at least not at this point in time。 It was too dry for my taste and I found myself struggling to make progress， which in turn made me less motivated to pick it up。 It might be better if you have more of a background of the classical world， which I lack。I do hope to come back to this at some point in the future when I might enjoy it more。 。。。more

Moses ，

I've got to say I'm deeply disappointed， and almost didn't finish the book。 Beard's book is pedantic， lacks a strong narrative flow， spends too much time trying to explain Roman mores in contemporary language， and is altogether too self-aware。 She does not ever fade into the background and let her subjects speak for themselves; she is always there， telling me how "we moderns naturally feel" about Cicero or Catiline。 Is Mary Beard a noted expert on the Romans？ Of course。 Does Mary Beard actually I've got to say I'm deeply disappointed， and almost didn't finish the book。 Beard's book is pedantic， lacks a strong narrative flow， spends too much time trying to explain Roman mores in contemporary language， and is altogether too self-aware。 She does not ever fade into the background and let her subjects speak for themselves; she is always there， telling me how "we moderns naturally feel" about Cicero or Catiline。 Is Mary Beard a noted expert on the Romans？ Of course。 Does Mary Beard actually like the Romans？ Unclear。 Can Mary Beard use her knowledge to tell the story of the Romans in a way that brings it thrillingly to life？ The evidence points to no。 。。。more

Ann Della bitta ，

Great book as was Beard's 2016 documentary "Rome"I was amazed at how much ancient Rome reminded me of the current day USA。 Great book as was Beard's 2016 documentary "Rome"I was amazed at how much ancient Rome reminded me of the current day USA。 。。。more

Luis Munoz ，

SPQR es un libro monumental que vale la pena leerlo y por eso es que con tristeza le dedico solo tres estrellas。 Esto es porque Mary Beard es una mujer con un saber enciclopédico del tema que intenta， en un solo volumen， volcar demasiado contenido， con densidad relativa， y en el proceso el libro （o la traducción） se vuelve soporífero， con capítulos que inician con una fuerte imagen， una promesa interesante， una pregunta curiosa， pero el tema va desarrollándose de forma arbitraria， en meandros na SPQR es un libro monumental que vale la pena leerlo y por eso es que con tristeza le dedico solo tres estrellas。 Esto es porque Mary Beard es una mujer con un saber enciclopédico del tema que intenta， en un solo volumen， volcar demasiado contenido， con densidad relativa， y en el proceso el libro （o la traducción） se vuelve soporífero， con capítulos que inician con una fuerte imagen， una promesa interesante， una pregunta curiosa， pero el tema va desarrollándose de forma arbitraria， en meandros narrativos， idas y venidas， sobrecarga de información y luego retoma en un discurso conciso y vuelve a perderse。。。 y así durante doce largos capítulos。Casi al final， uno nota dos cosas: que el libro no tiene ninguna nota al pie， lo que habría alejado todos esos detalles que no enriquecen el texto sino que desconectan el hilo a desarrollar， y que leer en voz alta es mucho mejor que hacerlo en silencio。 Y es que al final parece ser que Beard escribe un guion de un documental。 Y efectivamente， al ver algunos videos de sus especiales para la BBC se nota el mismo estilo del texto， pero esta vez apoyado de imágenes y escenas que provocan y llevar a engancharse con lo expuesto。 Creo que ese es el principal problema de SPQR， que parece ser el guion de un documental para la televisión que no llego a ser （a diferencia del monumental El Ascenso del Hombre de Bronowski que es una transcripción exacta de un programa que si existe） y en donde el estilo narrativo no funciona。Me apena todo esto pues es libro trata de dos cosas que no suelen encontrarse en los libros de historia: un relato sobre el ascenso de Roma y -sobre todo esto último- un libro sobre como se construye la historia。 Sobre esto vale cinco estrellas: no leeremos anécdotas harto conocidas de emperadores o frases famosas de figuras históricas; aquí Beard descifra， apoyándose de la interpretación de diversas fuentes directas， lo que pensaba el romano de a pie， de la naturaleza del pueblo， de los sentimientos de los emperadores， consules y senadores， de lo que significaba ser romano y que cosa era serlo。 En eso Beard insiste y da cátedra sobre como la historia es una obra en construcción。 Es un relato fascinante que vale la pena el esfuerzo。Pero si de juzgar un libro como producto final， creo que -lamentablemente- me quedo con las tres estrellas。 。。。more

Labijose ，

Mary Beard es un personaje muy popular como historiadora y arqueóloga， con un curriculum impresionante。 Yo he visto una serie documental sobre Roma， y otra sobre Pompeya， escritos y presentados por ella。 No exenta de polémicas， esta clasicista y académica inglesa levanta pasiones， tanto a favor como en contra。En “SPQR” nos presenta una visión de Roma desde su “supuesta” fundación por Rómulo y Remo， hasta el 212 d。C。 Fecha en la que Caracalla concedió la ciudadanía romana a todos los habitantes “ Mary Beard es un personaje muy popular como historiadora y arqueóloga， con un curriculum impresionante。 Yo he visto una serie documental sobre Roma， y otra sobre Pompeya， escritos y presentados por ella。 No exenta de polémicas， esta clasicista y académica inglesa levanta pasiones， tanto a favor como en contra。En “SPQR” nos presenta una visión de Roma desde su “supuesta” fundación por Rómulo y Remo， hasta el 212 d。C。 Fecha en la que Caracalla concedió la ciudadanía romana a todos los habitantes “libres” de su vasto imperio。 No es tanto un repaso a los hechos históricos sino más bien una descripción analítica de los diversos factores que influyeron en el devenir de tan importante civilización。 Se basa mucho en recientes descubrimientos arqueológicos， muchos de los cuales han venido a desmentir parte de las creencias que sobre los romanos se tenían。 No va en orden cronológico， pues empieza con Cicerón y sus catilinarias， y， tras un repaso a los padres fundadores y a los reyes， vuelve a enlazar en este punto， para seguir avanzando por la república hacia César y los principales emperadores posteriores。 Interesante que la autora se cuestione constantemente sí lo que habíamos asumido hasta la fecha fue realmente así， no dudando incluso en “despreciar” alguna de las fuentes clásicas de las que hemos bebido。 También pormenoriza la vida cotidiana del ciudadano de a pie （capítulos 8 y 11）， y， por supuesto， hace un repaso a la cultura de la época， sin olvidar a los griegos， a los que tanto debían los nuevos conquistadores。 Es interesante su abordaje sobre temas que hoy creemos actuales （la inmigración， la integración del extranjero， la multiculturalidad， los abusos de poder， la corrupción）， pero que están ahí desde la noche de los tiempos， y los romanos no fueron ajenos a ellos。 La autora debe mucho de este conocimiento a la correspondencia， tanto de Cicerón como de Plinio el Joven， que afortunadamente se ha conservado en bastante buen estado hasta nuestros días。 También es muy interesante el análisis de la “Res Gestae” de Augusto， una especie de auto biografía， que nos dice mucho de la personalidad de este primer emperador。 Y hace un pequeño repaso a los mejores escritores y filósofos de la época， sin olvidar a sus precedentes griegos。A los que busquen una descripción detallada de emperadores y personajes varios quizás les resulte insuficiente。 Como ya he dicho， este ensayo es más un análisis del concepto de Roma per se。 Como erudita del tema， la autora no se corta a la hora de dar su visión personal de aquello que nos está contando， lo cual puede ser positivo o no en una obra de este tipo。 Además， sabiendo que se dirige a un público muy amplio， y no necesariamente entendido en la materia， MB simplifica bastante el relato， cosa que veo que a los estudiosos de Roma no les ha gustado mucho。 Si esta obra ha servido para abarcar a un mayor número de lectores， y， al mismo tiempo， despertar su curiosidad por el siempre interesante tema de la historia de Roma， creo que es entendible y hasta deseable。 “Senatus Populus Que Romanus” está llamada a ser su obra。 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsSlaveryRapeMurder

Yannic Dosenbach ，

Phenomenal read！ Easy to read and engaging and giving you a holistic overview of what we know today about Ancient Rome—not just from the great man tradition of history telling

Greg ，

Excellent book detailing the creation of the Roman Empire。 Very well written with a nice flow。 The most entertaining parts where the discussion of the early emperors including Augustus。 He created the model for the ultimate Roman emperor。 He expanded the empire and ruled with centralized authority。 He kept the lower classes dependent on his autocratic rule by gifting cash payouts and the encouragement of mindless entertainment such as gladiator games， which speaks to a model that is still used b Excellent book detailing the creation of the Roman Empire。 Very well written with a nice flow。 The most entertaining parts where the discussion of the early emperors including Augustus。 He created the model for the ultimate Roman emperor。 He expanded the empire and ruled with centralized authority。 He kept the lower classes dependent on his autocratic rule by gifting cash payouts and the encouragement of mindless entertainment such as gladiator games， which speaks to a model that is still used by governments today。 Bread and circuses。My only criticism of the book is that I would have liked more attention to the interaction between the Roman government and the early Christians。 Surprisingly only a few pages of this large book is dedicated to that issue。 I would highly recommend this book to any student of history。 。。。more

Tiffany ，

Minor Spoiler Alert: I quote the last lines of SPQR and Stacey Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life。 Review also available on my blog: https://tiffanyhyunkyung。wordpress。co。。。。Do I know what the Punic Wars were fought over？ Absolutely not。 Are the legends of Hannibal， his elephants， and the phrase “Carthago delenda est” somehow encoded deep in my long-term memory？ For some reason， yes。 As a long suffering classics student， I’ve internalized my fair share of popular Roman references and literary quotations Minor Spoiler Alert: I quote the last lines of SPQR and Stacey Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life。 Review also available on my blog: https://tiffanyhyunkyung。wordpress。co。。。。Do I know what the Punic Wars were fought over？ Absolutely not。 Are the legends of Hannibal， his elephants， and the phrase “Carthago delenda est” somehow encoded deep in my long-term memory？ For some reason， yes。 As a long suffering classics student， I’ve internalized my fair share of popular Roman references and literary quotations。 If I could visually represent my understanding of the ancient Roman world， it’d probably look like an AI-generated word cloud of random phrases from Roman literature。 There’d be the obligatory “O tempora， o mores！” from Cicero， Vergil’s famous invocation of the Muse in the opening lines of the Aeneid， and some spicy stuff from Catullus。 Parts of my word cloud might be grounded in actual historical knowledge and context， but lots of it wouldn’t be。 That’s why I recently read Mary Beard’s SPQR， which covers Roman history and lore from its legendary foundation in 753 BCE to Emperor Caracalla’s extension of citizenship to all the free men in the Roman empire in 212 CE。 Lots of hardcore classics students （and instructors） have contributed to the cerebral and somewhat （no， very） exclusive culture of classics by choosing to trade in a culture of witty allusions and inside jokes over good old fashioned storytelling。 I wanted to know if， after reading SPQR， I would finally feel like I was in on the joke。Overall， I got both a lot more and a lot less than I expected。 Beard is too good of a historian to tell a straightforward narrative。 What she does instead is explore core themes within eras， jumping fearlessly between historical accounts that might have been written decades or even centuries apart from each other to track the trajectory of Roman history as both a discipline and a narrative。 This lit-review type of approach pairs well with her use of the archaeological record to illustrates the limitations of the literature and provide valuable insights into unwritten histories and vernacular Latin （I especially enjoyed learning about the ancient graffiti）。 Beard’s methods do have their limitations。 I often felt like I was expected to simultaneously follow multiple branching storylines， and I didn’t always appreciate Beard’s inclination towards vagueness or ambivalence in the face of gaps in the historical or archaeological record。 Sure， there might be “more than thirty versions of what really lay behind the conflict” that sparked the Punic Wars， but it would have been nice to get a narrative retelling （or at the very least a selection of choice perspectives） on the key parts of the conflict （Beard， 181）。 In this respect， Beard’s style differs significantly from the approach taken by the book which I once idolized （and still do to some extent） as the gold standard for historical writing， Stacey Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Life。 Schiff’s history ends:“What is it to lose your country – a great suffering？” a queen asks her son in Euripides。 “The greatest， even worse than people say，” he replies。 The fear and fury must have shattered Cleopatra as she realized she was to become the woman “who destroyed the Egyptian monarchy”…For her monumental loss there were no consolations， including – assuming she believed in one – a brilliant afterlife” （Schiff， 302）。 Beard’s history ends: “But， more than anything， this careful prefabrication points to the historical distance between the first millennium of ancient Rome， which is the subject of my SPQR， and Rome’s second millennium， which is a story for another time， another book – and another writer” （Beard， 533）。 Schiff’s writing drips with elegance and charisma。 It captures Cleopatra’s enigma while also peeling back the layers of her legend to retell her history to a modern audience， creating a brilliant afterlife with an equally brilliant feat of storytelling。 Beard’s writing， while clear and precise， doesn’t have the same emotional impact or intimacy factor。 Even while analyzing colorful descriptions of the depravity of Nero， the gluttony of Claudius， and the pompous self-righteousness of Cicero， Beard remains neutral， logical， and clinical。 Her conclusion is the humanities equivalent of the dreaded “we leave this exercise to the reader” instruction that you might find in the problems of a math textbook。I draw comparisons between these two works， even knowing that Beard’s and Schiff’s projects can’t really be compared， because Beard’s work is special for a subtler yet just as important reason。 Reading Beard provides a new （for me） paradigm for writing about history – one that is based in tracing a research journey rather than telling a story。 SPQR is a master class in historical reasoning and research methods。 It sacrifices the elegance and spirit of a polished single narrative to place the reader at the same level as ancient and contemporary historians tasked with the assignment of parsing through myth， legend， and hearsay to come up with novel insights。 It’s this practice， of identifying the various sources that inform our understandings of Roman history and their limitations， that I’ve never really been taught in any of the Latin classes I’ve taken。 I think that the natural tendency to treat Roman literature as the end all be all of classical education， especially at the introductory level， only sets classics students up for failure and imposter syndrome when they’re expected to draw insightful connections between whatever paragraphs they’re translating and the overall body of work or era of history that those paragraphs fit into。 In many ways， SPQR feels like an investment in the future of the discipline and the next generations of classicists。 It reminds us that we cannot learn the tools of Roman literary analysis without also learning how to think as historians， and that to think as historians requires us to look behind the veil of narrative – as beautiful and alluring as it may be – to embrace the chaos of alternate storylines。 Of course， there are hidden lessons in SPQR， too， and perhaps unintentional ones。 The names of the white men who dominate its bibliography show us that there is still work to be done， and Beard is not a perfect model for progressive politics herself （see: Priyamvada Gopal’s Response to Mary Beard）。 The longer I stay in classics， the more I realize that to provide roots to the word cloud floating around in my head might require me to engage with historical perspectives and scholarship that I find myopic or limiting。 But， to close this review in the tradition of the Don herself， I suppose I’ll leave those problems to another day。 。。。more

Mark ，

It’s worth pointing out that SPQR is primarily about Rome - the city rather than Rome - the Empire。 Mary Beard describes how in the infancy of Rome - the city， a clan， then a small kingdom blossomed into the Republic and expanded into the empire， and how this dramatic change influenced the city over the centuries。 While some parts of the history feel rushed or glossed over， other key events or periods are covered in remarkable detail。 The prose is exciting and scholarly without being patronising It’s worth pointing out that SPQR is primarily about Rome - the city rather than Rome - the Empire。 Mary Beard describes how in the infancy of Rome - the city， a clan， then a small kingdom blossomed into the Republic and expanded into the empire， and how this dramatic change influenced the city over the centuries。 While some parts of the history feel rushed or glossed over， other key events or periods are covered in remarkable detail。 The prose is exciting and scholarly without being patronising。 I recommend SPQR for amateur history buff。 。。。more

Daniel ，

This is an interesting revisionist view at the Roman empire。 Beard makes some very good points about the evolution of the empire—essentially that its growth was both planned and the result of random events。 Beard's writing is lucid and mostly relevant; I found myself skipping over introductory elements to most sections because they seemed superfluous and sometimes simplistic。 Aside from that， it was an interesting and sometimes compelling read that offers some fresh insights into a topic that mo This is an interesting revisionist view at the Roman empire。 Beard makes some very good points about the evolution of the empire—essentially that its growth was both planned and the result of random events。 Beard's writing is lucid and mostly relevant; I found myself skipping over introductory elements to most sections because they seemed superfluous and sometimes simplistic。 Aside from that， it was an interesting and sometimes compelling read that offers some fresh insights into a topic that most of us know only in passing。 。。。more

Amparo ，

Primer milenio de Roma y lo romano con la visión amplia， miscelánica y siempre interesante de Beard。

Amelia Valentino ，

2。5 stars。 Some chapters are Hit or miss。 I found it overall too broad。 I think I prefer a cultural/political history to following emperors and kings。 I enjoyed Cicero and Caesar sections and home front and cultural analysis。 Somewhere in between an academically broad book and pop history that I don’t think hit that sweet spot。 Quarantine read。

Dee Sanfilippo ，

I learned a lot from this book。 It is engaging enough to have kept me focused and interested， even though I've never had any interested in ancient Rome before。 Mary Beard's writing style reminds me of the better professors I had in college， those who could make you want to know more just from their enthusiasm。 Particularly good at presenting alternate versions of things， she encourages readers to review their previous understanding。I got a bit ready to move to the next book on my shelf， but this I learned a lot from this book。 It is engaging enough to have kept me focused and interested， even though I've never had any interested in ancient Rome before。 Mary Beard's writing style reminds me of the better professors I had in college， those who could make you want to know more just from their enthusiasm。 Particularly good at presenting alternate versions of things， she encourages readers to review their previous understanding。I got a bit ready to move to the next book on my shelf， but this did not happen until the Epilogue。 If you have any curiosity about the topic， you'll enjoy this book。 。。。more

Hélder Filipe ，

Com a leitura deste livro ganhei enorme respeito pela historiadora Mary Beard， pela sua honestidade intelectual e pela forma como não adopta conclusões fáceis sem antes apresentar as suas dúvidas em relação a algumas questões。

Anne Boleyn ，

Gayet kapsamlı，açıklayıcı ve Antik Roma'ya giriş için yararlı bir kitaptı。 Gayet kapsamlı，açıklayıcı ve Antik Roma'ya giriş için yararlı bir kitaptı。 。。。more

Paige Nicole ，

DNF at 23%This book has sat untouched on my nightstand for like 4 months now。 I was enjoying it， so I’m not sure why I didn’t feel compelled to read it。 Hopefully I’ll pick it up again someday， but I need to accept that today is not that day。

Morgan ，

Reads like a ramble。 Too meandering for a history sorta book for me。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0