Mary Beard

At long last, Mary Beard addresses in one brave book the misogynists and trolls who mercilessly attack and demean women the world over, including, very often, Mary herself. In Women & Power, she traces the origins of this misogyny to its ancient roots, examining the pitfalls of gender and the ways that history has mistreated strong women since time immemorial. As far back as Homer's Odyssey, Beard shows, women have been prohibited from leadership roles in civic life, public speech being defined as inherently male. From Medusa to Philomela (whose tongue was cut out), from Hillary Clinton to Elizabeth Warren (who was told to sit down), Beard draws illuminating parallels between our cultural assumptions about women's relationship to power--and how powerful women provide a necessary example for all women who must resist being vacuumed into a male template. With personal reflections on her own online experiences with sexism, Beard asks: If women aren't perceived to be within the structure of power, isn't it power itself we need to redefine? And how many more centuries should we be expected to wait?

A Manifesto

Women & Power

In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? She tracks down the emperor at home, at the races, on his travels, even on his way to heaven. She introduces his wives and lovers, rivals and slaves, court jesters and soldiers--and the ordinary people who pressed begging letters into his hands. Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.

Ruling the Ancient Roman World

Emperor of Rome

Ruling the Ancient World

Keith Hopkins

Byron and Hitler were equally entranced by RomeÕs most famous monument, the Colosseum. Mid-Victorians admired the hundreds of varieties of flowers in its crannies and occasionally shuddered at its reputation for contagion, danger, and sexual temptation. Today it is the highlight of a tour of Italy for more than three million visitors a year, a concert arena for the likes of Paul McCartney, and a national symbol of opposition to the death penalty. Its ancient history is chock full of romantic but erroneous myths. There is no evidence that any gladiator ever said ÒHail Caesar, those about to die...Ó and we know of not one single Christian martyr who met his finish here. Yet the reality is much stranger than the legend as the authors, two prominent classical historians, explain in this absorbing account. We learn the details of how the arena was built and at what cost; we are introduced to the emperors who sometimes fought in gladiatorial games staged at the Colosseum; and we take measure of the audience who reveled in, or opposed, these games. The authors also trace the strange afterlife of the monumentÑas fortress, shrine of martyrs, church, and glue factory. Why are we so fascinated with this arena of death?

The Colosseum

From the bestselling author of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, the fascinating story of how images of Roman autocrats have influenced art, culture, and the representation of power for more than 2,000 years What does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this book—against a background of today’s “sculpture wars”—Mary Beard tells the story of how for more than two millennia portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the western world have been shaped by the image of Roman emperors, especially the “Twelve Caesars,” from the ruthless Julius Caesar to the fly-torturing Domitian. Twelve Caesars asks why these murderous autocrats have loomed so large in art from antiquity and the Renaissance to today, when hapless leaders are still caricatured as Neros fiddling while Rome burns. Beginning with the importance of imperial portraits in Roman politics, this richly illustrated book offers a tour through 2,000 years of art and cultural history, presenting a fresh look at works by artists from Memling and Mantegna to the nineteenth-century American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, as well as by generations of weavers, cabinetmakers, silversmiths, printers, and ceramicists. Rather than a story of a simple repetition of stable, blandly conservative images of imperial men and women, Twelve Caesars is an unexpected tale of changing identities, clueless or deliberate misidentifications, fakes, and often ambivalent representations of authority. From Beard’s reconstruction of Titian’s extraordinary lost Room of the Emperors to her reinterpretation of Henry VIII’s famous Caesarian tapestries, Twelve Caesars includes fascinating detective work and offers a gripping story of some of the most challenging and disturbing portraits of power ever created. Published in association with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern

Twelve Caesars

New York Times Bestseller National Book Critics Circle Finalist Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2015 Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015 Economist Books of the Year 2015 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books of 2015 A sweeping, "magisterial" history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists shows why Rome remains "relevant to people many centuries later" Atlantic). "

A History of Ancient Rome

SPQR

Silvia Furió

La representación del poder desde el mundo antiguo hasta la actualidad

Doce césares

Como culminación de cincuenta años de estudio e investigación sobre la antigua Roma, Mary Beard, profesora de la Universidad de Cambridge, nos ofrece una magistral visión de conjunto de su historia: una historia que, nos dice, «al cabo de dos mil años, sigue siendo la base de nuestra cultura y nuestra política, de cómo vemos el mundo y nuestro lugar en él». Un especialista como Peter Heather, profesor del King's College, señala que Beard triunfa en la ambiciosa tarea de «darnos una respuesta coherente a la cuestión de por qué Roma se expandió de un modo tan espectacular». Nada más alejado, sin embargo, de una síntesis académica al uso. En la mayoría de las reseñas críticas de este libro aparecen asociados los calificativos de «magistral» y «entretenido ». Catherine Edwards, por ejemplo, nos dice que «el análisis de las instituciones y de las estructuras se ve constantemente animado en estas páginas por episodios apasionantes».

Una historia de la antigua Roma

Mary Beard mostra-nos como o passado de Roma é o presente do mundo, séculos depois «Uma história arrebatadora e "magistral" do Império Romano, escrita por uma das nossas mais importantes classicistas, que demonstra porque é que Roma continua a ser "relevante para as pessoas muitos séculos depois".» The Atlantic SPQR («o Senado e o Povo de Roma») é um novo olhar sobre a história da Roma Antiga, de uma das mais aclamadas classicistas do mundo. Neste livro, Mary Beard, professora da Universidade de Cambridge, explora não só a forma como Roma passou de uma aldeia insignificante no centro de Itália a uma potência que controlava territórios da Península Ibérica à Síria, como também a forma como os romanos se consideravam a si próprios e às suas conquistas, e por que razão continuam a ser importantes para nós, e a influenciar o mundo no século XXI. Cobrindo mil anos de história, SPQR lança uma nova luz sobre os fundamentos da cultura romana, desde a escravatura à água potável, explorando temas como a democracia, a migração, a controvérsia religiosa, a mobilidade social e a complexa teia de relações sociais no contexto mais vasto do império. Oferece-nos, também, uma nova visão das vidas de grupos inteiros de pessoas omitidos na narrativa histórica durante séculos. Esta é uma história surpreendente, incontornável e definitiva da Roma Antiga. «Em SPQR , uma maravilhosa história concisa de Roma, Mary Beard desvenda os segredos do sucesso da cidade com uma clareza nítida e impiedosa que jamais vi igualada em parte alguma.» The New York Times «Mary Beard explica o que foi o Império Romano de forma clara e precisa, com paixão e sem jargões técnicos. SPQR é uma história cruel, mas contada de uma forma maravilhosamente intrigante.» The Wall Street Journal « SPQR é constantemente enriquecido pela atenção de Beard aos pormenores e pelo seu excelente sentido de humor.» The Times

SPQR - Uma história da Roma antiga

Elif Shafak

Margaret Atwood

Lola Shoneyin

Erica Benner

Lea Ypi

Yuan Yang

Kaja Kallas

Aditi Mittal

Vjosa Osmani

Adela Raz

A WATERSTONES BEST POLITICS BOOK OF 2024 This is an exceptional moment for democracy. In the year of elections, read Margaret Atwood, Mary Beard, Lea Ypi, Elif Shafak and more on what democracy means - and why it matters. In 2024, nearly half the world will take part in a national election, with billions heading to the polls. It's a thrilling, unprecedented opportunity for change - yet democracy is also under threat. Women are at the forefront of the fight for democratic rights, as well as being the most vulnerable when those rights disappear. Here, eleven extraordinary women - leaders, philosophers, historians, writers and activists - explore democracy's power to uplift our societies. Between its ancient origins and its modern challenges, they share a vision for a better future - one we can build together.

Eleven writers and leaders on what it is – and why it matters

Democracy

Pompeii is the most famous archaeological site in the world, visited by more than two million people each year. Yet it is also one of the most puzzling, with an intriguing and sometimes violent history, from the sixth century BCE to the present day. Destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE, the ruins of Pompeii offer the best evidence we have of life in the Roman Empire. But the eruptions are only part of the story. In The Fires of Vesuvius, acclaimed historian Mary Beard makes sense of the remains. She explores what kind of town it was—more like Calcutta or the Costa del Sol?—and what it can tell us about “ordinary” life there. From sex to politics, food to religion, slavery to literacy, Beard offers us the big picture even as she takes us close enough to the past to smell the bad breath and see the intestinal tapeworms of the inhabitants of the lost city. She resurrects the Temple of Isis as a testament to ancient multiculturalism. At the Suburban Baths we go from communal bathing to hygiene to erotica. Recently, Pompeii has been a focus of pleasure and loss: from Pink Floyd’s memorable rock concert to Primo Levi’s elegy on the victims. But Pompeii still does not give up its secrets quite as easily as it may seem. This book shows us how much more and less there is to Pompeii than a city frozen in time as it went about its business on 24 August 79.

Pompeii Lost and Found

The Fires of Vesuvius

John Henderson

Mary Beard y John Henderson nos descubren en este libro el mundo antiguo de Grecia y Roma como nunca lo habíamos imaginado, con sus esculturas pintadas de brillantes colores y sus edificios totalmente decorados con frescos y mosaicos. Su análisis, revelador y emocionante, recorre las delicadas pinturas de las villas pompeyanas, aventura cómo debieron ser las estatuas en todo su esplendor cromático, revela cuál era el sentido de la desnudez femenina en el mundo clásico y nos sorprende con la utilidad que tuvieron los monumentos. Así, nos demuestra cómo las innovaciones artísticas de la Antigüedad se han convertido hoy en las convenciones de nuestra cultura. Nuevo prólogo a esta edición de Mary Beard

De Grecia a Roma

El arte clásico

Qual é a face do poder? Quem será celebrado pela arte, e por quê? E como reagir a estátuas de governantes que deploramos? Neste livro assombroso — escrito em meio a um questionamento global sobre esculturas políticas —, Mary Beard conta a história de como, ao longo de mais de 2 mil anos, os ricos, famosos e poderosos foram retratados aos moldes dos imperadores romanos, do brutal Júlio César ao torturador de moscas Domiciano. Doze Césares faz uma pergunta fundamental: por que esses assassinos autocratas impactaram tanto a arte, do Renascimento aos dias de hoje, quando líderes ainda são retratados à maneira de Nero, tocando seu violino enquanto Roma queima? O ponto de partida é a própria importância do retrato imperial para a sociedade romana e o que ele significava para a política da época. Como uma detetive, Mary Beard investiga a difusão dessas imagens ao longo de dois milênios e mostra em que medida elas se transformaram e foram adaptadas para atender aos mais diversos desígnios. Doze Césares revela um mundo de apropriações indevidas, identidades trocadas, falsificações e representações ambivalentes do poder. Numa era dominada por imagens, Mary Beard segue o fio de séculos de construção da autoridade política por meio de retratos e esculturas.

Imagens de poder do mundo Antigo ao Moderno

Doze Césares

Charles Beard

The History of the United States is a comprehensive, topical history of the United States written in the early 20th century. The first part, The Colonial Period, covers the history of the U.S. until the Revolutionary War.

The Colonial Period

The History of the United States Part I

Elaina Williams has a happy life until one day everything tragically changes. She is kidnapped and her fiance is killed trying to save her. Will she ever find love again or has she already in the arms of her rescuer?

Losing to Find Herself

Michael Hewson Crawford

This textbook outlines the factors that every student must assess for a proper understanding of the period, from the attitudes of the aristocracy and the role of state religion to the function of political institutions. This second edition also contains a new introduction and an updated bibliography.

Rome in the Late Republic

Beautiful and wealthy, Anabelle Brice has it all. That is until she meets two men that divide her. Will she choose practical or excitement?

Running to Find Herself

What was it really like to rule and be ruled in the Ancient Roman world? In her international best-seller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now, she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.

"För Beard är den klassiska antiken levande och vid bästa hälsa och hon har den stora gåvan att kunna visa precis varför de klassiska texterna fortfarande är ett ämne värt att diskutera." Sunday Times "Om de hade haft Mary Beard på sin sida när det begav sig skulle romarna fortfarande ha sitt imperium kvar." Daily Mail Antikens Rom är viktigt. Berättelsen om imperiet, erövringarna, grymheterna och överdrifterna ger oss fortfarande idag en måttstock för vårt samhälle. Och än idag är de romerska idealen när det gäller medborgarskap, säkerhet och individens rättigheter samhälleliga rättesnören. Här tittar en av världens främsta forskare inom den klassiska antiken på Roms historia från en ny synvinkel inte bara på dess förbluffande utveckling från en obetydlig by i Mellanitalien till en supermakt, men också på hur romarna såg sig själva och sina bedrifter, och varför de fortfarande är viktiga för oss. Vi följer tusen år av historia, där nytt ljus kastas över det välkända, från slaveri till rinnande vatten, och där demokrati, religionskonflikter, social rörlighet och ekonomiskt utnyttjande utforskas inom det stora sammanhang som är romarriket. Detta är en uttömmande och klargörande historia över det antika Rom.

Mary Beard

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