Listen free for 30 days

  • SPQR

  • A History of Ancient Rome
  • Written by: Mary Beard
  • Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
  • Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (97 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
SPQR cover art

SPQR

Written by: Mary Beard
Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $34.24

Buy Now for $34.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A sweeping, revisionist history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists.

Ancient Rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a "mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war" that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria. Yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy?

In SPQR, world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even 2,000 years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty. From the foundational myth of Romulus and Remus to 212 CE, nearly a thousand years later, when the emperor Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to every free inhabitant of the empire, SPQR (the abbreviation of "The Senate and People of Rome") not just examines how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries by exploring how the Romans thought of themselves: how they challenged the idea of imperial rule, how they responded to terrorism and revolution, and how they invented a new idea of citizenship and nation.

Opening the audiobook in 63 BCE with the famous clash between the populist aristocrat Catiline and Cicero, the renowned politician and orator, Beard animates this "terrorist conspiracy", which was aimed at the very heart of the republic, demonstrating how this singular event would presage the struggle between democracy and autocracy that would come to define much of Rome's subsequent history. Illustrating how a classical democracy yielded to a self-confident and self-critical empire, SPQR reintroduces us, though in a wholly different way, to famous and familiar characters.

©2015 Mary Beard (P)2015 Recorded Books
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about SPQR

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

watch her on tv

The narrator is slow and toneless making actually exciting moments of the book boring. The book although highly informative completely lacked the charm and humor that the author gives to her television audience. As a fan of Mary Beard I was left wanting more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

History writing at its best!

This is a wonderful history book of a period that has fascinated me for a long time. Mary Beard's writing ropes you in from the start and holds you to the end. I really enjoyed this millennium history of Rome and Romans. As the title of this review states, it is history writing at its best. Also, a very efficient and easy narration by Phyllida Nash.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mac
  • 2018-03-01

informative and unique

great fresh take on an old topic. well placed and informative with lots of fun stories and broad topics and themes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Deep dive

The intricacies of ancient Rome are fascinating and Mary Beard does not disappoint. This book is a great overall synopsis of Ancient Rome that will allow the user to find eras they want to investigate further.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

thoughtful and well researched

Well structured, informative and challenging ways of looking at history, this is both an enjoyable read and a well performed reading .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Little more enthusiasm

I was looking forward to this book and love history books. However, the reader was very monotone and made it hard to stay engaged.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

an excellent short history

Mary Beard's tale of Rome is a restrained but relatable history. Despite the limitations of narratives of a past time that is ultimately beyond our grasp, it is still close enough that one might hear the echos of senatorial oratory and see the roots of our own society.

A thoughtful exploration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

#Audible1 SPQR

I have watched several TV programs by Mary Beard but it was wonderful to listen to the whole story. If you are a devotee of Roman history this is the audio book for you. It is logical, well researched and entertaining. Phyllida Nash does a remarkable job of reading the book, she is always excellent in any book she reads.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!