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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient World Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Mary Beard (Author, Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,124 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
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A sweeping account of the social and political world of the Roman emperors by “the world’s most famous classicist” (Guardian).

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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 43 minutes
  2. Author
    Mary Beard
  3. Narrator
    Mary Beard
  4. Audible release date
    October 24, 2023
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B0CJG1W63J
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 43 minutes
Author Mary Beard
Narrator Mary Beard
Audible.com Release Date October 24, 2023
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CJG1W63J
Best Sellers Rank #5,032 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#5 in Ancient Rome Biographies
#7 in Ancient & Classical Roman History
#19 in Ancient Roman History (Books)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,124 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They describe it as a well-researched, comprehensive history that is easy to read and understand. The prose is readable and the narrative style is humorous. Readers appreciate the organized chapters into themed topics. Overall, they find the book an enjoyable read with humor and wit.

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KnowledgeReadabilityReadableHumorOrganizability
25 customers mention "Knowledge"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They appreciate the author's deep study of this era and her comprehensive learning. The book explores everyday life and death for Imperial Romans, separating facts from myths in an entertaining way. Readers are fans of history, especially American and European history.

"The author is truly sharing a lifetime of insights into the Roman world...." Read more

"...humor, expertise and incisive analysis _Emperor of Rome_ is a marvelous history showing the complex and complicated nature of governance as well as..." Read more

"...Dr. Beard brings to this book comprehensive learning matched by a wonderful sense for the odd and funny. There is no one like her...." Read more

"...Her books are clearly written for the general reader and are full of good stories and intentional anachronisms but also treat her readers as..." Read more

19 customers mention "Readability"14 positive5 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They describe it as a comprehensive work that provides an understanding of the Ancient Roman world. Readers appreciate the author's writing style and consider it a valuable gem.

"...Incredibly well organized, and a joy to read, this book is a valuable gem worthy of being in anyone’s library, especially those like myself who are..." Read more

"...--an insistent mirror and source for today's world--this is a perfectly splendid book...." Read more

"Mary Beard's Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World is a comprehensive work, but in the end it turns out to be an off-course attempt at..." Read more

"...Worth a read." Read more

10 customers mention "Readable"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's prose readable. They appreciate the author's writing style, which blends humor and expertise to create an engaging narrative. Readers also mention that the book delves into the lives of Emperors.

"...Writing with humor, expertise and incisive analysis _Emperor of Rome_ is a marvelous history showing the complex and complicated nature of..." Read more

"I love reading Mary Beard. Her books are clearly written for the general reader and are full of good stories and intentional anachronisms but also..." Read more

"...Her prose is very readable...." Read more

"...This is about their lives and duties and her writing is as clear as ever." Read more

5 customers mention "Humor"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor and wit. They find it informative and entertaining, with great illustrations.

"...to this book comprehensive learning matched by a wonderful sense for the odd and funny. There is no one like her...." Read more

"...The book does have some strengths. It has a bit of cheeky British humor and Beard's comprehensive knowledge and research is impressive...." Read more

"Informative, entertaining, great illustrations. (Only wish it showed us how to pronounce all those Roman names.)" Read more

"...other books to be a bit more informative, but Beard does a great job of bringing humor and wit to her exploration of the Romans. Worth a read." Read more

4 customers mention "Organizability"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's organization. They find it well-organized into themed chapters, each addressing a topic. The narrative style is easy to read.

"...Incredibly well organized, and a joy to read, this book is a valuable gem worthy of being in anyone’s library, especially those like myself who are..." Read more

"Mary Beard does a good job of organizing the book where it flows and is very easy to understand...." Read more

"...book is not written in a linear fashion -- rather it is organized into themed chapters, each addressing a topic such as palaces, dinners and..." Read more

"Packed with information but written in an easy, narrative style...." Read more

Mary Beard covers the minutia of the Roman Emperors
5 out of 5 stars
Mary Beard covers the minutia of the Roman Emperors
Mary Beard is unarguably the greatest Classist of our time making apparent with this great work following her landmark SPQR where with this current book we learn that the elite of the entire world the Roman emperors themselves suffered greatly from disease often with disfigurement and impairment whereas in no way did they resemble the eye candy of Hollywood with erudite British actors and the likes of Elizabeth Taylor. It was a cruel world of great suffering lending credence to Mary Beard’s mantra, We are absolutely nothing like the Romans.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • M. T. Philipps
    5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book by Mary Beard
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The author is truly sharing a lifetime of insights into the Roman world. Incredibly well organized, and a joy to read, this book is a valuable gem worthy of being in anyone’s library, especially those like myself who are inveterately curious and studious. The book is written in such a way to be interesting not only to scholarly readers like myself, but also to the average reader who has some curiosity about the Roman Empire, even those readers who enjoyed films like ‘Gladiator’, but who have never read any history about the Roman Republic, or the Roman Empire.
    M. T. Philipps, author of Keeping Calm’
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  • John
    4.0 out of 5 stars Written well and informative but there are problems
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Mary Beard does a good job of organizing the book where it flows and is very easy to understand.

    Writing about the roles and intricacies of a Roman emperor can easily become boring so kudos to Beard for avoiding this problem.

    My biggest issue is much of what she writes about is what an emperor isn’t versus what it is. She will often point out anecdotes and say why that isn’t likely and reliable and continues to do this page after page.

    Almost everything she brings up, she counters immediately by saying we can’t really trust the source because of this or that. And to be fair, she is right. She’s not saying anything wrong but this style eventually wears you down as a reader

    I get tired of reading about why we can’t trust sources and just want to be told what is actually accurate.

    After 300 pages it just starts to feel negative and you can already sense where she is headed as soon as she goes to a new topic.

    It’s a good book but does start to feel exhausting towards the last few chapters
    One person found this helpful
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  • doc peterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars "The emperor in flesh and blood"
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
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    Contrary to what one might expect given the title, Dr. Beard's _Emperor of Rome_ is neither a biography nor a summary of the rule of Roman emperors; rather, it is a brilliant examination of the conventions of imperial rule: the expectations (what made one a "good" emperor"? what was the criteria for a "bad" emperor"), the idea of "emperorship" writ large (how it was understood by not just the Roman elite, but by workaday citizens as well) in addition to an insightful exploration of the difficulties wading through contemporary Roman accounts given the tendency to either suck-up to the current emperor or run-down predecessors.

    Beard has a difficult task seeking to understand the persons at the center of the empire: what was administration like, what was expected of these people, how were decisions made and communicated and executed - and of particular interest to me, what was the perception and role of the women behind the throne? Beard writes that Roman emperors "present an extreme case of the historian's dilemma. How do we understand the Roman emperor on his own terms, and yet not lose sight of our own moral compass, and our obligation to evaluate, as well as to describe, the past?" I think she has hit the sweet spot in addressing this problem.

    Writing with humor, expertise and incisive analysis _Emperor of Rome_ is a marvelous history showing the complex and complicated nature of governance as well as providing unique insights into its political culture. Highly recommended, as is her _SPQR_ on the Roman republic.
    19 people found this helpful
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  • Roger Lipsey
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's View, Amazingly Enough
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2023
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    For anyone who can't help returning periodically to the ancient world--an insistent mirror and source for today's world--this is a perfectly splendid book. Dr. Beard takes us as close as possible to understanding the emperor's role and concerns from global politics to the telling minutiae of his life. She offers as well a critique of his critics over the centuries; much was written about them, true and false. Dr. Beard brings to this book comprehensive learning matched by a wonderful sense for the odd and funny. There is no one like her. A disagreement between us, but no matter: she has no sympathy whatever with Marcus Aurelius, whose classic notes on life and consciousness she mockingly calls his "Jottings," as if they were mental doodles. But read the first entry in his Book Two, and much else. . .
    13 people found this helpful
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  • J. P Spencer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ancient history for the (educated) masses
    Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024
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    I love reading Mary Beard. Her books are clearly written for the general reader and are full of good stories and intentional anachronisms but also treat her readers as intelligent educated people. Her she does not present the expected biographies of the Roman emperors but rather presents what life was like for those emperors and those around him. What did they eat, how did they manage the government, did they travel, how they were selected etc? She tells us much but she also tells us what we don't know as well.
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  • T.R.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Ancient Rome Enthusiasts
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a big fan of Beard's previous book, SPQR, and this is about the same time period more or less (Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus). Her prose is very readable. For this book, it is helpful if the reader knows something of Roman history as it is arranged by topic, that is, what it was like to be emperor (what were his duties, what was his life like), rather than chronologically. If you don't already know which emperor followed which, it could be confusing (though she provides a list of the emperors at the back of the book).
    She uses the sources available critically, examining their own motives for writing what they did and the times in which they were writing. Overall, I liked it very much. It's not your typical "history book."
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Rick K
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative
    Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Very enjoyable read. So well written and researched by Prof. Beard. More than military campaigns or gossipy excessive indulgences. A text on how a great empire was run or expected to be run by great and not so great men and their staff, no matter the obstacles. I felt that I was allowed to walk in the background and observe. Recommended.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars About the book
    Reviewed in Germany on November 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The book is educational and entertaining; I read it in one sitting.
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  • Alien
    4.0 out of 5 stars Slecht verpakt tijdens verzenden
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on October 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Boek is erg mooi, heb het natuurlijk nog niet (uit)gelezen.
    Maar wat me opviel, dat het niet verzonden wordt in plastic of papieren verpakking.
    Allen verzenddoosje erom heen. Het boek was vochtig verzonden :(
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  • lao hang
    5.0 out of 5 stars one-man rule: he basics
    Reviewed in France on October 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    une analyse du fonctionnement de l'empire romain très instructive qui donne à penser concernant les régimes “présidentiels“ actuels
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  • Geoman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent book by Mary Beard
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A fresh take on Emperors of Rome by an accomplished academic in this field. Mary structures her writing in a cohesive and coherent academic style that ensures the reader can follow. Her writing conveys the same bounce, clarity and enthusiasm as on TV and you can hear her voice speaking to you in the text. I wish Mary had been my teacher at school and I would have been captivated and never given up on History in my teens.
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