SPQR

A History of Ancient Rome

De: Mary Beard

Narrado por: Phyllida Nash

A sweeping, revisionist history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists.

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 SPQR, world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even 2,000 years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty. From the foundational myth of Romulus and Remus to 212 CE, nearly a thousand years later, when the emperor Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to every free inhabitant of the empire, SPQR (the abbreviation of "The Senate and People of Rome") not just examines how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries by exploring how the Romans thought of themselves: how they challenged the idea of imperial rule, how they responded to terrorism and revolution, and how they invented a new idea of citizenship and nation.

Opening the audiobook in 63 BCE with the famous clash between the populist aristocrat Catiline and Cicero, the renowned politician and orator, Beard animates this "terrorist conspiracy", which was aimed at the very heart of the republic, demonstrating how this singular event would presage the struggle between democracy and autocracy that would come to define much of Rome's subsequent history. Illustrating how a classical democracy yielded to a self-confident and self-critical empire, SPQR reintroduces us, though in a wholly different way, to famous and familiar characters.

©2015 Mary Beard (P)2015 Recorded Books

Agree with other reviewer..."A Rambling Mess"

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I just couldn't keep up with all the rambling, non consequential , "side Commentary" and "zig zag style of history reporting" that this author seemed to like to use.

History should be offered in a more scholarly & organized way than this! (hard to believe that the author is also a professor at Cambridge University in England!

Also watched her documentaries on Rome too. "Meet the Romans" and etc. ..same "messy history" there too....too much Mary Beard riding a bicycle and not enough on roman history.

History doesn't have to be studied chronologically

A lot of reviewers seem to think this is disorganized and boring, but I disagree. Beard's studies Roman history by themes as well as by dates, which brought home certain patterns of behavior in Roman life which are reflected throughout Western civilization in general, up to the modern day. This emphasizes the relevancy of Roman history more than a book organized solely by chronology.

Also, it absolutely isn't boring. It requires background knowledge of Roman history, and it helps if you're familiar with the way classicists have traditionally studied Rome. It's heavier on interpretation and discussion than on anecdotes. It's much denser and more detailed than most pop history books, so it definitely requires a certain amount of focus. But if you're willing to put in the intellectual work, you'll get a lot out of this.

However, as with all history books, this isn't definitive. I found Beard's interpretation and organization fascinating and informative, but I'm interested to read the interpretations of other historians, especially some who disagree with her.

Overall, I learned a lot from this book, and it helped me apply Roman history to the modern world. Human nature doesn't change, so comparing the way Romans and modern people approach the same problems makes for very interesting reflection.

Great Book But....

I'm confident the reader who has a lovely voice is exceptional in other formats. However here with exciting historical information it was lackluster at best.

Insights

Would you listen to SPQR again? Why?

yes-too much information to assimilate in a single reading/listening.

Which scene was your favorite?

Many "favorites" Peter and Paul-one was crucified and one executed-why this happened. The origins of many of the latin phrases that we use and misuse today

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hopefully a series!

Any additional comments?

Insights into what we really know and don't know about that time. I read this after completing the Robert Harris Cicero trilogy. This was a sober look at the actual "data" behind what we were all taught abut the Roman era. I got the book and read and listened. I made many annotations in the book for future reference. This is to be savored and contemplated.

Comprehensive

No one should imagine a the story of a thousand year history is easily told or understood. If it was possible to tell the history of an evolving people as a linear tale, it would be a fantasy telling more about the historian's opinions that the complex realities of the people he or she is writing about.

Amazingly deep.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If you are in love w/ pre-Christian Rome, this is the book for you. However, it is very dry, though Ms. Beard's depth of knowledge is quite astounding.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

N/A

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes. Not sure how the narrator could've made the text more interesting. It's rather dry and dense, but not all history can be exciting.

Could you see SPQR being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

Very thorough pre-Christian Roman history. If you want to be entertained, don't get this book. If you are looking to learn more about Rome, Ms. Beard is the authority.

Comprehensive

The author presents many phases of Roman history in depth. She has a tendency to back-track and tie them together, particularly to capture the context of what she's explaining at that time.

It's very clear that she's passionate about the topic and has put a great deal of thought into this book. Covering a total of about 1000 years in amazing detail, I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in a detailed, and sometimes philosophical, perspective of ancient Rome.

It's Alive!

In the movie based on the book by another Mary--Mary Shelley--Dr. Frankenstein screams with joy at his creation coming to life. In SPQR, Mary Beard brings what could have been dead Roman history to life. Spanning 63 BCE to 212 CE, the novel gives context to who the Romans were and how they were formed, including not only emperors, senators, patricians and citizens, but slaves and freedmen as well.

Ms. Beard's 38-page chapter titled, "The Haves and Have-Nots" is, in my opinion, worth the price of admission. The vast majority of histories in these early centuries came from the hands of the ridiculously wealthy (Seneca, the philosopher, was so wealthy that recalling his personal loan to Britain helped foment Boudicca's revolt). Kudos to Ms. Beard for her detective work sussing out the lives of the common people. And the narration by Phyllida Nash is well done.

Thank you, Mary Beard, for that rare gift--bringing history to life.

Outstanding work

This book provides great insight into the first 1,000 or so years of the Roman Empire, and covers some of what led to the downfall of the early Roman Republic, and the seeds to the later fall of the eastern half of the Roman Empire during the 5th century C.E. Professor Beard also takes the time to examine what we do know of the kind of lives led by Romans both poor and rich. It made for great reading at home, and great listening on here as well. Get a copy if you can.

fate per bene

well crafted and rich, with humor and layers of quotidian and grandiose sewn together . molto bene