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SPQR
- A History of Ancient Rome
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
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Great first listens
Publisher's Summary
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.
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What listeners say about SPQR
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mac
- 2018-03-01
informative and unique
great fresh take on an old topic. well placed and informative with lots of fun stories and broad topics and themes.
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2 people found this helpful
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- R Jill Simpson
- 2018-09-13
#Audible1 SPQR
I have watched several TV programs by Mary Beard but it was wonderful to listen to the whole story. If you are a devotee of Roman history this is the audio book for you. It is logical, well researched and entertaining. Phyllida Nash does a remarkable job of reading the book, she is always excellent in any book she reads.
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- Tyler
- 2024-01-15
Deep dive
The intricacies of ancient Rome are fascinating and Mary Beard does not disappoint. This book is a great overall synopsis of Ancient Rome that will allow the user to find eras they want to investigate further.
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- JohnS
- 2019-05-23
History writing at its best!
This is a wonderful history book of a period that has fascinated me for a long time. Mary Beard's writing ropes you in from the start and holds you to the end. I really enjoyed this millennium history of Rome and Romans. As the title of this review states, it is history writing at its best. Also, a very efficient and easy narration by Phyllida Nash.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Lannes
- 2023-08-05
thoughtful and well researched
Well structured, informative and challenging ways of looking at history, this is both an enjoyable read and a well performed reading .
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- Mackenzie
- 2019-07-12
watch her on tv
The narrator is slow and toneless making actually exciting moments of the book boring. The book although highly informative completely lacked the charm and humor that the author gives to her television audience. As a fan of Mary Beard I was left wanting more.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon_addict
- 2021-08-23
Little more enthusiasm
I was looking forward to this book and love history books. However, the reader was very monotone and made it hard to stay engaged.
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- damagedovertime
- 2020-05-10
an excellent short history
Mary Beard's tale of Rome is a restrained but relatable history. Despite the limitations of narratives of a past time that is ultimately beyond our grasp, it is still close enough that one might hear the echos of senatorial oratory and see the roots of our own society.
A thoughtful exploration.
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