S.P.Q.R.: A History of Ancient Rome

Mary Beard, one of the world's foremost classicists, will present a revolutionary history of the Roman Empire. Rome was a sprawling imperial city of more than a million residents and a seat of power for one of the largest empires in history. Emerging from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy, the city transformed itself through imperial rule. In response to terrorism and revolution, this powerful city invented new ideas of citizenship and nationality. Beard separates fact from fiction, myth from historical record, bringing forth a grand picture of Roman history.