Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Currently Reading

Currently reading SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. SPQR takes its title from a famous Roman catchphrase, Senatus Populus Que Romanus, "the Senate, and People of Rome." The book is about "how Rome grew and sustained its position for so long, not about how it declined and fell." 

The books begins in 63 BCE with the the rebellion of Catiline who wanted to assassinate all Roman elected officials and burn the city to the ground, burning all records of all debts in the process. The book  ends in 232 CE when the emperor Caracalla made every free inhabitant of the Roman Empire a Roman citizen.

Enjoying the book so far and will hope to put a dent into it on the flights home from Las Vegas,  

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3 comments:

  1. JKS9:58 AM

    Reminds me of the SPQR series of novels by John Maddox Roberts, set in the late Republic and early Empire. Very entertaining and does a great job of bringing to life most of the key figures such as Caesar, Cicero, Crassus, Augustus, etc. Highly recommended.

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  2. Borepatch10:59 AM

    I recommend Tom Holland's "Rubicon" and Michael Grant's "Twelve Caesars". If you still need more ancient Rome, then Mike Duncan's "The Storm Before The Storm" is very good.

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  3. chris12:53 PM

    Read Rubicon and thought The Storm Before the Storm was one of the best history books I've read - not just Roman history.

    May have to add the John Maddox Roberts books to my list if I enjoy SRQR as much as I've enjoyed the start to the book

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