Mary Beard - SPQR History of Ancient Rome book

SPQR by Mary Beard is a history book that traces the thousand-year story of ancient Rome, from a modest settlement to the first superpower of the known world. The author examines how the city grew into an empire and reshapes our view of Roman culture and everyday life.

The book covers a wide range of subjects, from aqueducts and early state institutions to slavery and the question of migration in the Roman period. Together these chapters give a vivid picture of how people in the empire lived and how they thought about their world.

Written in a gripping style yet grounded in careful, detailed scholarship, the book is a standout example of popular historical writing. This 2018 hardcover edition with dust jacket, published by Kossuth Publishing, suits readers with an interest in the ancient world.