For any casual fan of Roman history, classicist Mary Beard, well known for her books on antiquity and BBC documentaries, is a familiar face. For diehard ancient history lovers, Beard is a veritable Olympian. Her sage insights into Rome, advocacy against Twitter and ageist trolls, promotion of feminism, and ability to make the ancient world relatable and comprehensible are second to none. And in her latest book, a monumental history of Rome called SPQR, Beard dons a laurel wreath and delivers an academic triumph.

Reexamining Roman history is a monumental labor. The scope of the task, covering centuries of antiquity and secondary and tertiary sources, is gargantuan. So where Beard kicks off SPQR is intriguing: not with the chronological beginning, but with one of the most infamous events in Roman history --- Cicero’s foiling of the aristocrat Catiline’s plot against the state in 63 B.C. The event is ingrained in the minds of generations of Latin students, thanks to the presence of Cicero’s speeches against Catiline in school curricula.

"Beard rallies her momentum each time to deliver a triumphant Roman read that is sure to appear on school curricula and holiday wishlists alike."

But Beard doesn’t rehash what many of her readers already know, instead crafting a story that sounds all-too-familiar to a modern audience in its historical implications. Her version of the Catalinarian conspiracies hints at issues we still face today, like questions over homeland security versus individuals’ rights. In short, Cicero and the Romans dealt with issues that every country still deals with; the problems of ancient Rome are just as relevant to the ordinary citizenry now as they were more than two millennia ago. This analogy is the perfect way to kick off an epic history of Rome.

Over the next 500 pages, Beard reconsiders traditional notions of Rome, all while attempting to construct a new historical narrative. This one is focused on the people, the individuals of all classes, as hinted in the title (SPQR = Senatus Populusque Romanus, the Senate and the People of Rome). She balances important chronological events with smaller details, like tombstone epitaphs, that illuminate fascinating points in ancient lives. And her intriguing insights and contemplations of Roman ideology never fail to enthrall.

The sheer immensity of SPQR can sometimes bog down the narrative, whether the reader is an avid or a casual history fan. But Beard rallies her momentum each time to deliver a triumphant Roman read that is sure to appear on school curricula and holiday wishlists alike.