zoe_werdy's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
An interesting audiobook, gave me an overview of roman history I felt like I was missing. The audiobook was mostly on in the background so I didn't absorb everything, one to go back a reread at some point to properly take the in.
sillypunk's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great read. Highly recommend: https://blogendorff.ghost.io/book-review-spqr/
holdenn93's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating dive into the rise of Imperial Rome, this book examines the crude cast of early-day kings and eventually emperors who ruled it, their exploits and the oftentimes brutal impact of their autocratic reign.
Mary Beard explores some of the bloody conflicts with foreigners, back stabbing feuds within the senate, and more stories concerning scheming senators, the day-to-day lives of citizens and the places in which they live.
As the malleable, ever changing entity that Rome was, this book constantly asks what it means to be Roman, throughout the centuries of its dominating presence. A really cool read.
Mary Beard explores some of the bloody conflicts with foreigners, back stabbing feuds within the senate, and more stories concerning scheming senators, the day-to-day lives of citizens and the places in which they live.
As the malleable, ever changing entity that Rome was, this book constantly asks what it means to be Roman, throughout the centuries of its dominating presence. A really cool read.
zaklaw97's review against another edition
5.0
A very entertaining read that provides a very good introduction to the rise of the Roman republic and its transition int an empire. The book never feels like it gets bogged down with unnecessary information but still manages to give you a great insight into what we know about the Romans.
ramiroabt's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
This book is one of my favourites from now on. The writing made the information easier to digest but still retained proper writing. How Beard did not idolized Romans but also gave them credit when it was due was something important for me. I wished some figures showed up more but I learned about many more that I used to brush off. Highly recommend if you have 10 months to slowly dissect it.
dashadashahi's review against another edition
4.0
Much of this book synthesizes the development of our historical understanding of Ancient Rome. It does an excellent job of providing a critical understanding of what it means to “study history” or to “read history.” That is to say, history is constructed by the writers and the lenses they adopt and the sources they use. Beard brings this important perspective to a field that is often dominated by passionate casual “historians” who romanticize Roman history. As such, while much of this information was not ~new~ (if you’ve taken a couple courses on the topic in your undergrad you’ll know quite a bit), it is accessible and highly important.