Mary Beard is a classicist who specializes in ancient Rome. In this 2023 history, she focuses on the time period from Julius Caesar, 44 BCE, to Alexander Severus, 235 CE. Rather than look at the emperors in chronological order or in depth, she lumps them together, with chapters describing what daily life was like for them in general. The topics she addresses include clothing worn, food consumed, official duties, and what their households were like. There are also chapters on their travels, deaths, burial ceremonies, and views of an afterlife at the time. She goes great lengthens to emphasize that many of the stories about individual emperors are based more on fantastical thinking than fact. Much of the information about them was written after their deaths and colored by the political needs of succeeding emperors.
Reflecting her background as a former professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, this book has the feel of attending a series of lectures recreating what life was like for these emperors and their families. Delving into the historical record, she provides numerous nuggets of information in an entertaining and accessible style. While there is a forward that gives a brief synopsis of each emperor’s time in office, there is no expectation for the reader to memorize their individual names. Her aim is simply to provide a generalized picture of what ruling the ancient world was like. While there is no denying that their surroundings were luxurious, she also shows that being an emperor was by no means an easy job. After all, few of these men died peacefully in their beds. Many were assassinated or poisoned, and they too were prone to early deaths from diseases or misadventure. An adept group portrait, Emperor of Rome provides a vivid overview of this time period.
Robert Up At Dawn 