Senatus Populus Que Romanus: an ancient motto meaning the Senate and People are Rome. But even in the days of the Republic, the Senate was mostly what mattered.
The book is a primer on Ancient Rome from the days of it's founding as a tiny but aggressive village on the banks of the Tiber to the time of Caracalla-about 200 BCE. It manages to be sweeping and detailed, written for the reader of "today" and with humor. Mary Beard really enjoys her subject and seems to love telling others about it.
I never studied Ancient History in any depth, even with a university degree. I went to Rome last May without knowing much about it; when we lived in Europe in the 1950's, our family never thought of going to Rome (tho I did). So this solid little history book was just what I wanted; full of maps, photos, sources, bibliographies, time lines. The book almost "reads like a novel". You will enjoy it.
Probably every Roman emperor and most major military heroes could be subjects of a book or novel each; very exciting people.
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