Mary Beard shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE), . The view we have of Roman emperors today is one of decadent cruelty, opulence, and excess – the mad Caligula, the monster Nero.
In Emperor of Rome, Mary Beard takes us beyond the hype of politics, power and succession and into the palace corridors asking the bigger questions. What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace so bloodstained? Through the Emperor’s eyes she also explores the lives of ordinary Romans in a revolutionary approach which will change forever our idea of ancient history.
Dame Mary Beard is Emerita Professor and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge. Her bestselling, prize winning books include Pompeii and SPQR.
‘An accomplished scholar and lively debunker…Beard informs and entertains without ever patronising her readers. What she touches turns to light.’ The Independent
