SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome By: Professor Mary Beard

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

By: Professor Mary Beard

     Ancient Rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a "mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war" that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria. Yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy? In S.P.Q.R., world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even two thousand years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty.

     This book is an excellent work of historical non-fiction. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it covers the time period 753 B.C. to 212 A.D.. This is interesting because we know the Roman Empire lasted much longer than that, but the date 212 A.D. represents the time that the Senate stopped being the dominate force in Rome. The title SPQR stands for Senate and the People of Rome. This book is an intriguing look at one of the most important times in western culture. There are many fundamental beliefs articulated and cultivated during this time period and they are for the most part glossed over by the popular renditions of the Roman Empire. Professor Mary Beard does an excellent job stressing the far reaching impact this time period has on western civilization. If you read only one book about Rome this book will not disappoint.