Mary Beard first went to Rome over 40 years ago and immediately fell in love with its history and culture. Over the decades, she has written nearly a dozen books on various aspects of Rome and in this nearly six hundred page volume covers from the founding of Rome (with its legends and myths), through the first 1000 years of its existence, ending with the rule of Caracalla, son of the “last good Emperor” Septimius Severus. Caracalla did not, unfortunately follow in his father’s footsteps and has been described as “the enemy of all mankind”. One must wonder about that title as he is noted for granting citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire, some thirty million of them, but then as all citizens were required to pay taxes, one must wonder if his grant was all that valuable.
Ms. Beard obviously knows her Roman history and this volume is not so concerned with the details of famous battles or even in-depth portraits of the famous and well known Romans, but she does give the average reader excellent insight into the life of women, slaves, and losers who fought against Rome. You can get a good feel of everyday life within the Empire, the people’s gods, daily routines, meals, etc. and it makes the reader realize that when all is said and done, nothing is really terribly new in the human condition. We may believe life is faster, but then it is more secure. We may have more information and yet we may understand less of the world outside of our modern-day bubble. The hopes, fears and dreams of those ancient Romans were not so different from ours today and this book does an excellent job of bringing that point home.
This book may be a bit dry for the non-specialist, especially if the reader is not familiar with many of the names and personalities of the time; the Cataline conspiracy, Cicero, the personal luck of Caesar, etc. could be better explained, but in a book covering a thousand years of history, it is important to make allowances. I am not too sure who would be the best reader of this book; the novice who knows little of Rome, or someone who has a grasp of Roman history and is looking for more everyday detail. Whomever picks up this book should be prepared to make numerous notes as it is filled with many interesting details which will be difficult to find elsewhere.
