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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I really liked this book. It was well written, and gave me a different way to think about Ancient Rome.
A very interesting read and a nice summary of roman history. I hadn't had prior exposure to much formal roman history and I think she made a very nice throughline of three main stages of rome (pre-republic (almost pre-history), republic (including all the major conflicts I had heard of) and then the transition to the imperial phase. She does a great job of comparing the differences in these periods, both how we describe them but also how the Romans saw themselves which I think is the most interesting part. Just a fascinating period of human history.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
Mary Beard effortlessly brings the ancient Roman world to life in this enlightening and hugely enjoyable book.
It never felt 'dumbed down' and is written in such an engaging manner, with wit and authority, that it was a joy to read.
It never felt 'dumbed down' and is written in such an engaging manner, with wit and authority, that it was a joy to read.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book; it’s obviously a huge undertaking to write a history of an entire millennium but I truly think Mary Beard manages it surprisingly well. There were certainly gaps — this is not the book to read if you want a fundamental understanding of chronology in the Roman Republic or Empire — but Beard never claims to be writing that kind of book. Instead, SPQR is a successful attempt at picking out the consistent themes over the years and of drawing the lines between Republican and Empirical history. I really enjoyed how she engaged with the ancient historiography; it was very clear that just because we’ve learned about something one way, that interpretation comes from an ancient person who was likely interpreting it from something else. I really feel like I learned more about the flow of history in Ancient Rome, and while I want to learn more about specifics, SPQR has now laid the perfect groundwork for me to do so without floundering in unfamiliar waters. A great introduction to Rome for anyone who wants to think about it a little more.
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced