The Roman History Book Club discussion

Our starting book is SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard, to provide an overview of Roman history in many different areas. Future books of the month will be voted for.

Synopsis
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 S.P.Q.R., 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. S.P.Q.R. promises to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come. 100 illustrations; 16 pages of color; 5 maps.

In discussions, please remember to post how far you are into the book, and use spoiler tags if necessary.

Finally got round to reading the introduction. A promising start. I've always loved Mary Beard's easy to follow writing style and the humour she injects into it. I also caught her most recent documentary series (adapted from this release, I believe) and was thoroughly impressed, particularly due to the incorporation of sites from all across the Empire, rather than the sole focus on Rome.

Alright, it's October and I just bought this on Kindle.

Beard's "Confronting the Classics" is a great book of short essays covering the entire span of Roman existence. I would recommend it for this group.

I am up to the Etruscan kings in Beard's book. I love her approach in that she doesn't just tell the story, but looks at the body of evidence and talks about how we came to believe that this was the story. And she is a great story teller. The opening section on Cicero and Cateline (sp) is like listening to a great talker tell their favorite story.

Also, saw this in paperback in the airport. Roman history is having a moment with the masses,

Gary wrote: "I am up to the Etruscan kings in Beard's book. I love her approach in that she doesn't just tell the story, but looks at the body of evidence and talks about how we came to believe that this was th..."

I agree with you about the approach of this, and the discussion of historiography. It's a book which is useful for both academics and the public, and it's nice to not be so dumbed down!

As for Roman history, I hope you're right - though it seems nothing can quite beat the Tudors or Wars of the Roses at the moment!