I have been wanting to read Mary Beard's non-fiction work Emperor of Rome (#1,198) ever since I read the first review of it. It did not disappoint. Rather than one consecutive biography after another of Roman emperors from Julius Caesar (not technically the first emperor, but he might as well have been) through Alexander Severus, Ms. Beard discusses what gave the emperor his power, real and perceived; how and where he lived, what his day-to-day responsibilities might have been, how he entertained himself, and how he was in turn entertained. How did he die, and what happened next?
It was all very interesting, and presented a way of looking at things that I had not thought about before. Why were there so many statutes of the emperor all over the Roman world? Why did the statutes themselves look so much alike, no matter who they were purported to be? What was acceptable for the emperor to do, and what kind of behavior was frowned upon by the Roman elite - his peers, more or less.
In the roughly two-hundred-and-fifty-year period Ms. Beard covers, the empire and the role of the emperor himself were relatively stable. Not peaceful, but there were certain expectations of the succession of men who became emperor. After Alexander Severus, this all changed, but that's beyond the scope of this work.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about this book were the copious illustrations throughout the text and a handsome selection of colored plates. It's always fun to look at something and think "I've seen that!" If you've never had the good fortune to travel abroad, it certainly helps to visualize what the author is discussing in her text. She also provides an interesting timeline at the end, and recommendations for further reading on each chapter, along with places you can visit related to that chapter.
If you're a history buff, especially with an interest in the ancient world, Emperor of Rome should be on your bookshelf!
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