About this book
SPQR follows Rome from its murky founding myths to AD 212, when the emperor Caracalla extended citizenship to almost every free person in the empire. Along the way it covers the kings, the long life of the Republic, the civil wars and the first two centuries of rule by emperors.
Mary Beard writes as a guide who keeps showing you the evidence. She explains what the sources can tell us and where they fall silent, and she gives real space to people who rarely appear in the grand narratives: soldiers, slaves, women and ordinary town dwellers. Familiar stories such as Romulus and Remus or Cicero's clash with Catiline are taken apart to show how the Romans themselves used them.
What makes the book stand out is its tone. It is curious, frank about uncertainty and often funny, without losing sight of the big question of how Rome held together for so long. If you want the drama of the Republic's collapse told as a story, pair it with Rubicon.
Who it’s for
A very good first book on Rome for curious general readers; lively and accessible, though it covers a lot of ground.
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