Mary Beard's Twelve Caesars

Has anyone read this book? If so, what do you think? Many thanks in advance!

I have recently re-read S.P.Q.R. and it is such a great book! There were things about the history of Ancient Rome that we took for granted, and she really showed that they are not as certain as we thought they were.

Later insertion to post below: I see Mary has 6 hours of sober sounding lectures forming a basis for the book starting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8p9o7xYsUE which I will sample and maybe change my concerns in original blather below:

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21 hours ago, caesar novus said:

Later insertion to post below: I see Mary has 6 hours of sober sounding lectures forming a basis for the book starting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8p9o7xYsUE which I will sample and maybe change my concerns in original blather below:

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Wonderful, thank you!

On 12/23/2021 at 1:53 PM, caesar novus said:

Later insertion to post below: I see Mary has 6 hours of sober sounding lectures forming a basis for the book starting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8p9o7xYsUE which I will sample and maybe change my concerns in original blather below:

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I watched all the lectures from the Twelve Caesars series and I must say they were brilliant!I don't want to spoil anything but I now know everything about the Grimani Vitellius in Venice and its impact on western art (as well as many other fascinating things about the depiction of the "Caesars" in the history of western art). Highly recommended for those with an interest in ancient history and art history.

I finally bought the book as well, planning to read it asap.

Mary Beard is a great communicator and anything she produces is worth checking out. Don't agree on absolutely everything she says but so many times she's reminded me that Romans were human. Different times, different standards, different ways. Yet at times we can't help recognising a little bit of our modern experience that we share with them. Mary is very good at describing that.

I wonder how other scholars are accepting her sometimes provocative or assumption-busting conclusions. I mean beyond the generic praise for her efforts. I got the sense in her articles and documentaries on youtube that she has immense mental firepower but maybe only ordinary aim. She seemingly likes to prick the experts for sport, but in some cases they stand firm rather than being persuaded. I think it is an Ox-Bridge tradition to admire cleverness of debate over actual truth-finding, so I don't know what to accept

It depends. 'Expert' academics are notoriously conservative, who often rely on conformity to underpin their public reputation. As I'm merely an enthusiast who earns a living outside of academia, I have little to lose when reconsidering Roman history though for most of it I happily agree with mainstream opinion. Mary Beard however isn't that far removed from the mainstream, it's just that she's more perceptive of clues from existing archeology. Her mission has more to do with revealing the human side of Roman history and in that she performs a very useful role.