Mary Beard

Bogen bringer antikkens verden til live på dynamisk, åndrig og autoritativ vis. Pompejis ruiner, som blev begravet da det vulkanske bjerg Vesuv eksploderede i 79 e. Kr., udgør det bedste vidnesbyrd vi har om dagligdagen i Romerriget. Denne bemærkelsesværdige bog tager udfordringen op med hensyn til at få disse levninger til at give mening, ligesom den gør op med mange myter: selve datoen for udbruddet, som formentlig fandt sted nogle få måneder senere end almindeligt antaget, eller hygiejnen i badene, som må have været et arnested for bakterier, eller det legendariske antal bordeller, som sandsynligvis blot var et enkelt, eller det enorme dødstal, som muligvis var mindre end ti procent af befolkningen. Et usædvanligt og medrivende portræt af en by i oldtiden, dens liv og fortsatte genopdagelse, af en af Storbritanniens førende antikforskere. "Verdens mest kontroversielle forsker i antikken piller vores filmagtige myter om den romerske by fra hinanden med grundig forskning og medrivende energi (…) I lige dele granskende og animeret.” Daily Mail ”Denne vidunderlige bog vandt Wolfson-prisen, og den udgør et forbillede for raffineret, men tilgængelig formidling om fortiden.” The Guardian ”Mary Beards rundvisning fra soveværelserne til bestyrelseslokalerne i en romersk by er uanstændigt underholdende for en så højlærd og skeptisk afmytologiserende bog.” The Independent ”Et fremragende portræt (…) Dette grundige, livlige studie af livet i byen (…) fokuserer berettiget og konsekvent på den levende by.” Sunday Times ”Antikforskeren Mary Beard har haft det forrygende mens hun rodede rundt i den spøgelsesagtige by, og hun har på storartet vis bragt den til live igen.” Sunday Telegraph ”Hun tilfører et menneskeligt element til Pompeji-forskningens enorme felt (…) Denne fængslende, nysgerrige og kærlige fortælling om Pompeji er et forbilledligt et af slagsen. Beard har fanget essensen af det som var, og som, i vor egen tilværelse i dag, stadig er det samme.” The Times ”Meget læselig og særdeles velunderbygget (…) Beards klarsynede og tilgængelige stil gør denne bog til et overbevisende blik ind i historien.” The Observer

"Jag fullkomligen sörplar i mig hennes text"Fokus”Alla som är intresserade av romarriket borde läsa Roms kejsare. Beard är den perfekta historieberättaren.” New York TimesGrymma, galet rika och maktfullkomliga – så beskrivs ofta det antika Roms kejsare. Men vilka var de egentligen, och vad innebar det att styra över ett av de mäktigaste imperierna världshistorien skådat? I den internationella succén SPQR berättade Mary Beard om det antika Roms tusenåriga historia. Med sin nya bok riktar hon fokus mot de härskare som ledde riket, från Julius Caesar (mördad 44 f. Kr.) till Alexander Severus (mördad 235 e. Kr.), hon gör upp med myter och skapar ett mer nyanserat porträtt av antikens mest glorifierade figurer. Vilken makt hade kejsaren egentligen? Varför blev så många kejsare avrättade? Vilka var det som drog i trådarna bakom kulisserna, och hur gick det ens att styra över ett så enormt rike? Än en gång visar Mary Beard varför hon är en av vår tids främsta historieförfattare. I Kejsare av Rom berättar hon Romarrikets historia som den aldrig berättats tidigare. En bred, lärd och underhållande bok om ett av historiens mest kända jobb.

An updated edition of the Sunday Times Bestseller Britain's best-known classicist Mary Beard, is also a committed and vocal feminist. With wry wit, she revisits the gender agenda and shows how history has treated powerful women. Her examples range from the classical world to the modern day, from Medusa and Athena to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton. Beard explores the cultural underpinnings of misogyny, considering the public voice of women, our cultural assumptions about women's relationship with power, and how powerful women resist being packaged into a male template. A year on since the advent of #metoo, Beard looks at how the discussions have moved on during this time, and how that intersects with issues of rape and consent, and the stories men tell themselves to support their actions. In trademark Beardian style, using examples ancient and modern, Beard argues, 'it's time for change - and now!' From the author of international bestseller SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome.

Det klassiske Rom er vigtig. Imperiet, erobringerne, grusomhederne og udskejelserne er stadig en reference i vores samfund. Myterne og historierne – fra Romulus og Remus til Lucretias krænkede dyd – finder stadig klangbund hos os. Og i dag er de romerske idealer angående statsborgerskab, sikkerhed og individuelle rettigheder samfundsmæssige normer. I SPQR anlægger Mary Beard – en af verdens førende forskere i det antikke Roms historie – et nyt perspektiv ikke kun på den utrolige udvikling fra en ubetydelig landsby i det central Italien til en supermagt, der kontrollerede landområder fra Spanien til Syrien, men også på, hvordan romerne så sig selv og deres resultater, og hvorfor de stadig er vigtige for os. Vi følger tusind års historie, hvor der kastes nyt lys på velkendte forhold fra slaveri til rindende vand, og hvor også demokratiet, religiøse konflikter, social mobilitet og økonomisk udnyttelse udforskes i den store sammenhæng, som Det Romerske Imperium udgjorde. Mary Beard undersøger ikke blot, hvordan vi tænker på det gamle Rom, men udfordrer også de bekvemme historiske forestillinger, der har eksisteret i århundreder. Med et nuanceret blik på klasse, demokratiske kampe, og på hele befolkningsgrupper, som har været udeladt fra den historiske fortælling i århundreder, vil SPQR uvægerligt præge de kommende årtiers opfattelse af romersk historie. SPQR er en forkortelse af Senatus Populusque Romanus (”senatet og det romerske folk”) og er romernes eget udtryk for deres republiks højeste myndighed.

Kvinner og makt er et kortfattet men slagkraftig feministisk manifest og et betimelig innlegg i dagens debatt om behandlingen av kvinner i offentligheten. Storbritannias mest kjente autoritet på klassisk litteratur viser med ironi og vidd hvordan menn historisk sett har behandlet mektige kvinner. Beard utforsker misogyniens underliggende kulturelle årsaker og viser, med eksempler fra Medusa og Athene til Theresa May og Elizabeth Warren, hvordan kvinner behandles, hvordan vi ser på kvinner med makt, og hvordan mektige kvinner nekter å la seg måle etter mannlige modeller og sjablonger. Beard reflekterer også over egne opplevelser med kjønnsdiskriminering på nett og trakasseringen hun har måttet utstå som offentlig kvinne, og spør seg: Hvis kvinner ikke helt regnes som en del av maktens strukturer, må vi ikke da revurdere hva vi anser som makt? «Du kan ikke uten videre finne plass til kvinner i en struktur som allerede er kodet som mannlig – du må endre hele strukturen.»

Ancient Rome matters. Its history of empire, conquest, cruelty and excess is something against which we still judge ourselves. Its myths and stories - from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of Lucretia - still strike a chord with us. And its debates about citizenship, security and the rights of the individual still influence our own debates on civil liberty today. SPQR is a new look at Roman history from one of the world's foremost classicists. It explores not only how Rome grew from an insignificant village in central Italy to a power that controlled territory from Spain to Syria, but also how the Romans thought about themselves and their achievements, and why they are still important to us. Covering 1,000 years of history, and casting fresh light on the basics of Roman culture from slavery to running water, as well as exploring democracy, migration, religious controversy, social mobility and exploitation in the larger context of the empire, this is a definitive history of ancient Rome. SPQR is the Romans' own abbreviation for their state: Senatus Populusque Romanus, 'the Senate and People of Rome'.

The Colosseum was Imperial Rome's monument to warfare. Like a cathedral of death it towered over the city and invited its citizens, 50,000 at a time, to watch murderous gladiatorial games. It is now visited by two million visitors a year (Hitler was among them). Award winning classicist, Mary Beard with Keith Hopkins, tell the story of Rome's greatest arena: how it was built; the gladiatorial and other games that were held there; the training of the gladiators; the audiences who revelled in the games, the emperors who staged them and the critics. And the strange after story - the Colosseum has been fort, store, church, and glue factory.

WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2008 'The world's most controversial classicist debunks our movie-style myths about the Roman town with meticulous scholarship and propulsive energy' Laura Silverman, Daily Mail The ruins of Pompeii, buried by an explosion of Vesuvius in 79 CE, offer the best evidence we have of everyday life in the Roman empire. This remarkable book rises to the challenge of making sense of those remains, as well as exploding many myths: the very date of the eruption, probably a few months later than usually thought; or the hygiene of the baths which must have been hotbeds of germs; or the legendary number of brothels, most likely only one; or the massive death count, maybe less than ten per cent of the population. An extraordinary and involving portrait of an ancient town, its life and its continuing re-discovery, by Britain's favourite classicist.

WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2008 'The world's most controversial classicist debunks our movie-style myths about the Roman town with meticulous scholarship and propulsive energy' Laura Silverman, Daily Mail The ruins of Pompeii, buried by an explosion of Vesuvius in 79 CE, offer the best evidence we have of everyday life in the Roman empire. This remarkable book rises to the challenge of making sense of those remains, as well as exploding many myths: the very date of the eruption, probably a few months later than usually thought; or the hygiene of the baths which must have been hotbeds of germs; or the legendary number of brothels, most likely only one; or the massive death count, maybe less than ten per cent of the population. An extraordinary and involving portrait of an ancient town, its life and its continuing re-discovery, by Britain's favourite classicist.

Jane Ellen Harrison (1850-1928) is the most famous female Classicist in history, the author of books that revolutionized our understanding of Greek culture and religion. A star in the British academic world, she became the quintessential Cambridge woman--as Virginia Woolf suggested when, in A Room of One's Own, she claims to have glimpsed Harrison's ghost in the college gardens. This lively and innovative portrayal of a fascinating woman raises the question of who wins (and how) in the competition for academic fame. Mary Beard captures Harrison's ability to create her own image. And she contrasts her story with that of Eugénie Sellers Strong, a younger contemporary and onetime intimate, the author of major work on Roman art and once a glittering figure at the British School in Rome--but who lost the race for renown. The setting for the story of Harrison's career is Classical scholarship in this period--its internal arguments and allegiances and especially the influence of the anthropological strain most strikingly exemplified by Sir James Frazer. Questioning the common criteria for identifying intellectual "influence" and "movements," Beard exposes the mythology that is embedded in the history of Classics. At the same time she provides a vivid picture of a sparkling intellectual scene. The Invention of Jane Harrison offers shrewd history and undiluted fun.

This Very Short Introduction to Classics links a haunting temple on a lonely mountainside to the glory of ancient Greece and the grandeur of Rome, and to Classics within modern culture-from Jefferson and Byron to Asterix and Ben-Hur. We are all Classicists - we come into touch with the Classics daily: in our culture, politics, medicine, architecture, language, and literature. What are the true roots of these influences, however, and how do our interpretations of these aspects of the Classics differ from their original reception? This introduction to the Classics begins with a visit to the British Museum to view the frieze which once decorated the Apollo Temple at Bassae. Through these sculptures, John Henderson and Mary Beard prompt us to consider the significance of Classics as a means of discovery and enquiry, its value in terms of literature, philposophy, and culture, and its importance as a source of imagery. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'EastEnders for the 1st century AD... Beard's enthusiastic sense of wonder remains undimmed' THE TIMES 'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES 'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATOR What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the point? The life, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome have something to offer everyone. They are not the property of wealthy white men only. They make us wonder how to make sense of people who lived long ago (from angry landlords to giggling senators) - and to think harder about our own world, to look at it differently. In Talking Classics, Mary Beard points to the surprising connections between antiquity and the present. From revolutionaries to dictators, Bob Dylan to Beyoncé, she joins forces with the varied modern characters who have been transfixed by the ancient world. It's not compulsory, she argues, to be excited by antiquity, but it's a shame not to be. After half a century teaching and studying classics, she fills the book with lively stories, curious facts and some good gossip. Talking Classics explains why the deep past does really affect us all.

THE NUMBER 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 24 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS IN THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 Why the popular resonance of 'mansplaining' (despite the intense dislike of the term felt by many men)? It hits home for us because it points straight to what it feels like not to be taken seriously: a bit like when I get lectured on Roman history on Twitter. Britain's best-known classicist Mary Beard is also a committed and vocal feminist. With wry wit, she revisits the gender agenda and shows how history has treated powerful women. Her examples range from the classical world to the modern day, from Medusa and Athena to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton. Beard explores the cultural underpinnings of misogyny, considering the public voice of women, our cultural assumptions about women's relationship with power, and how powerful women resist being packaged into a male template. With personal reflections on her own experiences of the sexism and gendered aggression she has endured online, Mary asks: if women aren't perceived to be within the structures of power, isn't it power that we need to redefine? From the author of international bestseller SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome.

Hur kan en fyratusen år gammal brödbit vara relevant för oss idag? Är ens de klassiska mästerverken det längre? Mary Beard visar här de otaliga kopplingarna mellan antikens kultur och vår egen. Men för den skull ska antiken inte vördas och accepteras okritiskt, utan tvärtom stötas och blötas – än idag har den nämligen kraft kvar att förvåna, roa, äckla, tjusa och skrämma. Det finns ingen lag som tvingar oss att bekanta oss med det klassiska arvet, men nog borde det finnas! Det har något för alla, och det hjälper oss att betrakta vår egen tid. På få sidor lyckas Mary Beard övertyga oss om hur, och på köpet hinner hon dela med sig av åtskilliga historier och oväntade fakta, för att inte nämna en del riktigt bra skvaller. ”Antika Roms rockstjärna” Financial Times Mary Beard är en världsauktoritet på antiken, med åtskilliga populära böcker och tv-program bakom sig. Hon har undervisat och forskat i ett halvt sekel.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EMPEROR OF ROME AND SPQR 'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES 'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATOR What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the point? The life, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome have something to offer everyone. They are not the property of wealthy white men only. They make us wonder how to make sense of people who lived long ago (from angry landlords to giggling senators) - and to think harder about our own world, to look at it differently. In Talking Classics, Mary Beard points to the surprising connections between antiquity and the present. From revolutionaries to dictators, Bob Dylan to Beyoncé, she joins forces with the varied modern characters who have been transfixed by the ancient world. It's not compulsory, she argues, to be excited by antiquity, but it's a shame not to be. After half a century teaching and studying classics, she fills the book with lively stories, curious facts and some good gossip. Talking Classics explains why the deep past does really affect us all.

Julmad võimuhullud, usinad töörügajad või ekstravagantsed teismelised? Millised olid Rooma keisrid tegelikult?" Rooma keiser" uurib antiikaja Rooma maailma valitsejate kohta käivaid fakte ja väljamõeldisi, küsides, mida nad tegid, miks nad seda tegid ja miks on lugusid nendest räägitud sellistes ekstravagantsetes, mõnikord jubedates värvides. Vaatame suuri võimu, korruptsiooni ja vandenõude küsimusi. Aga samuti vaatame nende elu igapäevaseid praktilisi seiku. Mida ja kus nad sõid? Kellega nad magasid? Kuidas nad reisisid? Raamatu käigus kohtume paljude inimestega, kes polnud ise keisrid ega püüdnud selleks ka saada, aga kes muutsid keiserliku süsteemi võimalikuks: ettevaatlikud aristokraadid, orjaseisuses kokad, usinad sekretärid, õukonnanarrid, isegi arst, kes ravis noore printsi kurgumandlipõletikku. Rooma impeeriumi kui süsteemi säilimine poleks mõistetav, kui seda oleksid valitsenud üksteise järel vaid hullunud autokraadid. Mind huvitab, kuidas need hullumeelsuse lood tekkisid, kuidas impeeriumis tegelikult asju aeti, ja roomlaste hirmud, et keisrite võim polnud mitte niivõrd verine (see oli ootuspärane), vaid pettusele ja teesklemisele rajatud kummaline ja rahutuks muutev düstoopia. Mary Beard on Cambridge'i ülikooli antiigiteaduse emeriitprofessor ja iganädalase kirjandusülevaate The Times Literary Supplement antiigiteaduse toimetaja. Akadeemiliselt on ta tuntud kogu maailmas. Tema varasemate teoste hulgas on Wolfsoni auhinna võitnud "Pompeii", "Confronting the Classics", "Women & Power" ja viimati ka "Twelve Caesars". Ta on teinud arvukalt telesarju ning tema raamatuid on avaldatud rohkem kui 30 keeles. Eesti keeles on temalt varem ilmunud "SPQR".