Synopses & Reviews
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 , 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. promises to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come.
Review
"This book tracks the rise of Rome from backwater village to imperial city, spreading its power from Syria to Spain by 63 BCE, staring down resisters, and originating the idea of nation and citizenship. Included here are the stories not just of Julius Caesar but the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker--and certainly women and slaves." Barbara Hoffert
Synopsis
One of the world's foremost classicists presents a revolutionary history of the Roman Empire that will become the standard for our time.
About the Author
A Professor of Classics at Cambridge University, Mary Beard, the Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement, is the author of the best-selling The Fires of Vesuvius. A television presenter and the author of the universally popular blog "A Don's Life," Beard delivered the six-part A. W. Mellon Lectures in Washington, DC, in 2011. A frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, Beard lectures internationally and lives in Cambridge, England.