SPQR

While I have enjoyed dense and detailed books in the past, this one was not interesting enough to keep me engaged. Beard writes a multifaceted account of the first millenia of ancient Rome, where care is taken to not just take the Romans’ own words at face value. Instead, a critical reading is given by Beard, which definitely adds nuance. However, it also creates a very vague and meandering narrative.

The most interesting bits were the Romans’ perspective on themselves and the chapter on normal Romans’ lives — that is, the not well-to-do.