I’m sure there were tweaks here and there from Beard but there wasn’t a single page where I found myself thinking ‘Oh! I didn’t know that before’. No new information, no revelations, no new interpretation of old data, no new way to think of how Romans lived and worked. There was nothing new in this huge volume. That doesn’t make me any kind of expert, of course, but I am, at least, reasonably informed. I love this period of history and I’ve taught it to pre-GCSE students many times. Sorry, but for me the book missed the spot. I shouldn’t be giving less than 4/5 stars at the very least, surely? The book is reasonably(ish) easy to read which makes it welcoming to the newcomer to the Greco-Roman world. I know, I know, Mary Beard is hailed as the best, most exciting and most praised Roman historian in living history. Possibly the worst book I’ve read on Roman history certainly the most boring. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beardįlying in the face of other reviews for this book, I can honestly say I lost precious hours reading this book that I will never get back.
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