SPQR. A History of Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome matters : we still judge ourselves against its history of empire, conquest and excess, and its debates about citizenship, terrorism and the rights of the individual influence how we think about civil liberty today. Covering a thousand years of Roman history, SPQR reveals in vivid detail how Rome grew from an insignificant village in central Italy to the first global superpower. As well as casting fresh light on Roman culture from running water to democracy, and from slavery to migration, Mary Beard shows us how the Romans thought about themselves and their achievements.
SPQR is the Romans own abbreviation for their state : Senacus Populus Que Romanus. "the Senate and People of Rome" - and this magnificent book is an eloquent and a definitive account of their story.