Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The book’s opening shows the scene of Cicero’s confrontation of Catiline. How did this choice to start in medias res affect your entry into the story? Did you find it more engaging than a strictly chronological approach?

2. How does SPQR compare to traditional works of popular history you may have read? Do you feel her focus on social history and the lives of ordinary people alters your perspective and experience as a reader?

3. The book aims to challenge many common myths about ancient Rome. Which of Beard’s arguments did you find most surprising or thought-provoking, and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The Roman concept of libertas carried a meaning distinct from how we understand liberty today, yet it remains foundational to Western thinking on the subject. In what ways does liberty matter to you personally, and how do you seek or experience it in your own life?

2. Beard shows that the Romans compared otium (leisure and control over one’s time) and negotium (the working world of business). What is your approach to work-life balance, and in what ways do you combine working and leisure in your life?

3. Beard explores Rome’s practice of integrating conquered peoples into its citizenry, creating a multiethnic society. Think of a time when you worked or spent time in a diverse group; how did this alter your perspective on our own identity and its meaning? What did you learn?

4. Augustus created the idea of the “Pax Romana,” the “peace” achieved by conquest and control. How is your life and outlook impacted by modern-day shows of expansionist global military and political power? 

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Beard suggests that the debate surrounding Cicero’s execution of the Catilinarian conspirators without trial raises timeless questions. How do the Roman arguments over security versus civil liberties echo in modern political conversations around the world?

2. The transition from the Republic, theoretically governed by the “Senate and People of Rome,” to the permanent one-man rule of the emperors was a messy, century-long process. What lessons, if any, does this Roman experience offer about the fragility of representative forms of government?

3. Tacitus’s words that Romans “create desolation and call it peace” provide a critique of imperialism. How does the Roman model of expansion compare with more modern examples of colonialism you are familiar with?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Throughout the book, Beard frequently contrasts literary sources, like the speeches of Cicero, with archaeological evidence, such as inscribed sling bullets or the epitaph on Scipio Barbatus’s tomb. How did this use of different kinds of evidence affect your engagement with Roman history and culture?

2. Beard chooses to end her narrative in 212 CE with Caracalla’s decree granting universal citizenship. Do you agree that this is an effective or useful endpoint? Why or why not?

3. Augustus is presented as a complex and enigmatic figure, symbolized by the sphinx on his signet ring. Focusing on narrative form and imagery, analyze how Beard builds this portrait of a leader who was both a ruthless warlord and a masterful political architect.

4. SPQR presents three different men—Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Caesar Augustus—as potential candidates as the “first” emperor. Which figure do you think the book most strongly supports as being the “first,” and how does Beard’s argument support this reading?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The epitaph of Scipio Barbatus proudly lists his public offices and military conquests. If you were to design a public memorial for a prominent modern figure meant to last for centuries, what accomplishments and qualities would you celebrate, and how would your design reflect these?

2. Choose an event from the book, like the destruction of Carthage or the Social War, and design a monument from the perspective of the non-Romans involved. What symbols, materials, and design would you use to tell their side of the story?

3. An elite Roman house was partly a public stage for projecting status, where the main hall was used for meeting clients and displaying family history. Imagine you are designing a space to communicate your family’s values, connections, and interests to the community; what would you include, and why?