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    Summary and Analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Based on the Book by Mary Beard
    Summary and Analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Based on the Book by Mary Beard
    Summary and Analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Based on the Book by Mary Beard
    Ebook51 pages32 minutes

    Summary and Analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Based on the Book by Mary Beard

    By Worth Books

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    About this ebook

    So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of SPQR tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Mary Beard’s book.
     
    Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
     
    This short summary and analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard includes:
     
    • Historical context
    • Chapter-by-chapter summaries
    • Detailed timeline of key events
    • Profiles of the main characters
    • Important quotes
    • Fascinating trivia
    • Glossary of terms
    • Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work
     
    About SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard:
     
    A sweeping history of the ancient capital of Italy, SPQR contains all of the excitement of Roman conquest and a fascinating view of everyday life in the days of Cicero, Mark Antony, and Julius Caesar. Renowned historian Mary Beard narrates the major battles, the betrayals, assassinations, and revolts, the remarkable reign of Augustus, and the delicate balance of maintaining peaceful relations across far-flung provinces.
     
    With brilliant analysis and vivid historical detail, SPQR was a New York Times bestseller and a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.
     
    The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9781504044066
    Summary and Analysis of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Based on the Book by Mary Beard
    Author

    Worth Books

    Worth Books’ smart summaries get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for fiction and nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.  

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      Book preview

      Summary and Analysis of SPQR - Worth Books

      Contents

      Context

      Overview

      Summary

      Timeline

      Cast of Characters

      Direct Quotes and Analysis

      Trivia

      What’s That Word?

      Critical Response

      About Mary Beard

      For Your Information

      Bibliography

      Copyright

      Context

      Cambridge University professor Mary Beard has a reputation for being a myth-buster, which is just a more exciting way of saying careful historian. As such, SPQR is concerned with getting the story of ancient Rome right and avoiding sensationalism. Her New York Times bestseller is built on a foundation of facts rather than thrilling biographies or breathtaking accounts of battles. Beard’s study is democratic: No one person or event is important in and of itself, only in how it relates to the story as a whole. The myths (including that of Rome’s founding by an abandoned set of twins adopted by a wolf) are included; the evidence is carefully weighed; and Beard suggests they be taken with a grain of salt.

      Beard also draws unique and compelling parallels between the modern world and that of the Romans. Lawyer, philosopher, and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero’s denunciation of Roman Senator Catiline and his followers (best known as the second Catilinarian conspiracy) mirrors the treatment of modern terrorists (or those simply suspected of being terrorists), while worries of cultural erasure plagued the Roman provinces as much as they linger today as the scars of imperialism. The result is an accurate and multi-dimensional take on the making of an empire.

      Overview

      Mary Beard takes her title from a famous Latin phrase, Senatus PopulusQue Romanus, meaning The Senate and People of Rome—a sunny view of Rome’s government that was, in fact, often ruled by dictators. SPQR spans the years from Rome’s foundation in the eighth century BCE to Emperor Caracalla granting full citizenship rights to those dwelling within the empire in 212 CE. During this period, Rome evolved from middling groups of clashing chieftains to a major world power through colonization and armed conflict abroad, all while managing civil wars and assassinations at home.

      Major events are covered, from the Punic Wars to the murder of Julius Caesar, the fascinating career of Cicero, and the illustrious reign of Augustus, while also giving plenty of space to more ordinary concerns, such as the lifestyle of average Roman citizens, their jobs, recreations, and worries, as well as the (often abysmal) conditions for women, children, and slaves.

      Additionally, Beard provides details of how the Roman government functioned and developed, how its elections were carried out, how the senate operated, and how the transition from

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