mel024 's review for:

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

4.25

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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.