I understand why this is necessary, because it needs to be underlined and reinforced that history is always being remade and reconceived to serve political and cultural ends. I found this distracting and definitely not as interesting as simply reading about the Romans themselves. All of the dramatic events and controversial characters who once thundered around on the earth are diluted by Beard’s digressions into the faulty nature of historical sources and what this writer or that writer thought of the Romans, and why they were right or wrong. I enjoyed that Beard focuses as much as she can on the lost and forever silent parts of Roman society: women, slaves, children and foreigners.Īlthough I struggled with this book because of the lack of a linear narrative and compelling storytelling about the saga of Roman history. And also there are insights into human nature and the world as it currently is today. There are plenty of insights to be gleaned from this book about the Romans, their lives, how they thought about the world and reconceived their own identity to suit their own ends. Throughout each chapter, Beard focuses heavily on the limitations inherent in historical sources and the myths espoused by the Romans themselves. I made my way through the first 200 pages of SPQR’s 600 or so pages. However, I couldn’t get through it because I found the style of writing too boring. About a decade ago, I waded through another tome of classical history by Robin Lane Fox ‘The Classical World’.
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