Agree that Mary Beard is balancing between subjectivity and academic integrity. And I think she succeeded in writing a popular history book. Regarding that question mark, apart from the fact that it may just be an academic habit, Mary Beard is also an author of a book about the history of depiction of Roman emperors. For escaping one-sidedness, I love to read handbooks and "companions", like The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies or The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies.
I love Mary Beard, she's such an enthusiast, I am probably more drawn to Classical Greece than Rome, but I am addicted to Beard, unforgettable classical scholarship. You are a marvel, Emily - thanks for another wonderful video.
I read “SPQR” about five years ago. I’m pretty sure I’d never heard of Mary Beard, but she seemed to be an expert in her field, and I liked that her book felt nice and hefty, and was full of maps, illustrations, and bibliographical notes directing the interested reader to other lines of enquiry. I also liked the way she described the writing of history as “a work in progress” rather than a static set of facts about the past, which is the way, I suspect, much of the general public thinks of history. Professor Beard obviously knows what she’s talking about, and I liked the easy, conversational writing style she used to present her information. The one image from her book that has stayed in my mind is of the ivory figurine from India excavated at Pompeii, evidence of how far trading connections stretched in the ancient world. I recall reading in another Roman history book that, for a time, the Romans maintained a port on the Red Sea for purposes of trade with India. I find that really extraordinary. I sometimes like to imagine what might have happened if the Romans had conquered Scotland or Ireland, and used either one as a base for further exploration westwards into the North Atlantic. If the Vikings were able to find Newfoundland and the eastern coast of North America, then why not the Romans? I like to think of a Roman toehold somewhere in the Northeast of North America gradually expanding into an overseas Roman colony, with eventually its own capital and status as a Roman province. I have to admit that I wasn’t put off by the same idiosyncrasies in Professor Beard’s manner of expressing her opinions that you were. If we can’t be sure that the sculptured head on p. 286 is a contemporary portrait of Julius Caesar, then I don’t have a problem with the caption, “A portrait of Julius Caesar?”, including the question mark. Actually, I become more annoyed by the number of restaurant and fast-food joints that advertise “Ceaser Salad” or “Ceasar Salad” on their menus, as if it were that difficult to look up the correct spelling of “Caesar”. As for Professor Beard’s reference to the “rather tacky parades” that modern-day Italians stage to celebrate the founding of Rome, I checked out a few of them on RUclips. The people participating in these festivals seem to be enjoying themselves and appear to have enough genuine interest in ancient Rome to create their own, not-too-bad-looking, historical costumes. I can imagine a knowledgeable classics professor such as Professor Beard finding fault with the outfits, but in her place I’d either have commended modern-day Romans for their enthusiasm for their city’s heritage, or just kept my opinion to myself, unless she wanted to come across to her readers as a cranky, old, eccentric English classics professor.
I lived in Rome, and I took it personally. But honestly, she sounds bitter, like she wasn’t invited to the party or something. Also, if you ever go there on April 21, make sure you visit the Pantheon. The sun aligns perfectly with the oculus in the roof-it's a 2,000-year-old architectural wonder!
That's such a great question I had to sleep on it! But here's a good list: "The Histories" by Herodotus enganging account of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, blending history with myth and ethnography. Another Roman I love is Polybius. Explores the rise of Rome as a Mediterranean power, with a focus on its institutions and wars. "The Ancient Near East: A History" by Amélie Kuhrt A scholarly yet readable work that delves into the political, social, and cultural history of the region. I have not read much on it, hopefully in the future I'll get around to it! I just added Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World's Classics) Revised ed. Edition by Stephanie Dalley my cart. Thanks for watching!
I'm a person who usually reads the original Latin texts (I can't read Greek unfortunately, though) and/or translations, or papers on specific kinds of material culture, social strata, or language development in Rome, basically for answering a specific question. For example, I got a relatively academic (but still accessible) book on the profession of the Roman architect. So, this book of Mary Beard's is the one book I now have that is a more well-rounded history of Rome. I also completely focus on the Republic, whereas most people seem to care more for the Empire post Sulla, (although words and language-features reappearing in later stages, and other otherwise unknown cultural items, like cookery, often show a continuity that is hard to ignore), so the focus on Rome's development also was something that drew me to it!
I read Beard’s book Women and Power last year, and loved it! Now I absolutely plan to tackle SPQR as soon as I have the brain space for it 😅. Thanks so much for your review!
Thank you for watching! I'm currently trying to get my hands on A Rome of One's Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire by Emma Southon, I heard good things about it.
Hardcover edition of SPQR A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard amzn.to/4hPEgDb
eBook amzn.to/498Qv9L
Agree that Mary Beard is balancing between subjectivity and academic integrity. And I think she succeeded in writing a popular history book.
Regarding that question mark, apart from the fact that it may just be an academic habit, Mary Beard is also an author of a book about the history of depiction of Roman emperors.
For escaping one-sidedness, I love to read handbooks and "companions", like
The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies or
The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies.
Thank you for the recommendations! I enjoyed the book overall, she can write for sure.
Great review. I'm a new subscriber and I love your channel. Your enthusiasm for books is infectious.
Thank you so much, happy to have you onboard!
I love Mary Beard, she's such an enthusiast, I am probably more drawn to Classical Greece than Rome, but I am addicted to Beard, unforgettable classical scholarship. You are a marvel, Emily - thanks for another wonderful video.
Thanks Phillip!
I read “SPQR” about five years ago. I’m pretty sure I’d never heard of Mary Beard, but she seemed to be an expert in her field, and I liked that her book felt nice and hefty, and was full of maps, illustrations, and bibliographical notes directing the interested reader to other lines of enquiry. I also liked the way she described the writing of history as “a work in progress” rather than a static set of facts about the past, which is the way, I suspect, much of the general public thinks of history.
Professor Beard obviously knows what she’s talking about, and I liked the easy, conversational writing style she used to present her information. The one image from her book that has stayed in my mind is of the ivory figurine from India excavated at Pompeii, evidence of how far trading connections stretched in the ancient world. I recall reading in another Roman history book that, for a time, the Romans maintained a port on the Red Sea for purposes of trade with India. I find that really extraordinary.
I sometimes like to imagine what might have happened if the Romans had conquered Scotland or Ireland, and used either one as a base for further exploration westwards into the North Atlantic. If the Vikings were able to find Newfoundland and the eastern coast of North America, then why not the Romans? I like to think of a Roman toehold somewhere in the Northeast of North America gradually expanding into an overseas Roman colony, with eventually its own capital and status as a Roman province.
I have to admit that I wasn’t put off by the same idiosyncrasies in Professor Beard’s manner of expressing her opinions that you were. If we can’t be sure that the sculptured head on p. 286 is a contemporary portrait of Julius Caesar, then I don’t have a problem with the caption, “A portrait of Julius Caesar?”, including the question mark. Actually, I become more annoyed by the number of restaurant and fast-food joints that advertise “Ceaser Salad” or “Ceasar Salad” on their menus, as if it were that difficult to look up the correct spelling of “Caesar”.
As for Professor Beard’s reference to the “rather tacky parades” that modern-day Italians stage to celebrate the founding of Rome, I checked out a few of them on RUclips. The people participating in these festivals seem to be enjoying themselves and appear to have enough genuine interest in ancient Rome to create their own, not-too-bad-looking, historical costumes. I can imagine a knowledgeable classics professor such as Professor Beard finding fault with the outfits, but in her place I’d either have commended modern-day Romans for their enthusiasm for their city’s heritage, or just kept my opinion to myself, unless she wanted to come across to her readers as a cranky, old, eccentric English classics professor.
I lived in Rome, and I took it personally. But honestly, she sounds bitter, like she wasn’t invited to the party or something. Also, if you ever go there on April 21, make sure you visit the Pantheon. The sun aligns perfectly with the oculus in the roof-it's a 2,000-year-old architectural wonder!
I wish you'd do more vedios like these on historical non-fictions if you ever get the time. This was a treat!
Love your other content too :))
Thank you! Will do!
I have a couple of videos on SPQR... But i might have a slightly different take on things??!
What other books do you recommend on the topic (ancient history/Mediterranean and Near East) ?
That's such a great question I had to sleep on it! But here's a good list:
"The Histories" by Herodotus enganging account of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, blending history with myth and ethnography.
Another Roman I love is Polybius. Explores the rise of Rome as a Mediterranean power, with a focus on its institutions and wars.
"The Ancient Near East: A History" by Amélie Kuhrt
A scholarly yet readable work that delves into the political, social, and cultural history of the region.
I have not read much on it, hopefully in the future I'll get around to it! I just added
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World's Classics) Revised ed. Edition by Stephanie Dalley my cart.
Thanks for watching!
I'm a person who usually reads the original Latin texts (I can't read Greek unfortunately, though) and/or translations, or papers on specific kinds of material culture, social strata, or language development in Rome, basically for answering a specific question. For example, I got a relatively academic (but still accessible) book on the profession of the Roman architect. So, this book of Mary Beard's is the one book I now have that is a more well-rounded history of Rome.
I also completely focus on the Republic, whereas most people seem to care more for the Empire post Sulla, (although words and language-features reappearing in later stages, and other otherwise unknown cultural items, like cookery, often show a continuity that is hard to ignore), so the focus on Rome's development also was something that drew me to it!
We're on the same page there, Latin yes, Greek no. I just subscribed to your channel--
I read Beard’s book Women and Power last year, and loved it! Now I absolutely plan to tackle SPQR as soon as I have the brain space for it 😅. Thanks so much for your review!
Thank you for watching! I'm currently trying to get my hands on A Rome of One's Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire by Emma Southon, I heard good things about it.
It's crazy how entertaining it is. Why don't they put books like this in the school curriculum? History class was unbearably boring.
True. It's almost criminal to make history boring
Great channel ❤ l hope you more success 😊
Thank you! You too!
Archeological alliteration ❤🔥❤
After a hundred years of struggle the video is out lol. Thank you for watching
@@TheLinguistsLibrary oh trust me, I've been there plenty of times. 🤭
Renovatio imperii Romanorum
Semper
Least biased Italian.