Ancient Rome is a topic of general interest, experiences of acquaintance with its images and history accompany us in the sciences, literature, and art. But how close to reality are our ideas about that era? The book of Mary Beard, one of the world's leading experts in ancient history, will inevitably change many of them. The Senate and the people, Cicero and Catiline, Hannibal, Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus and Nero... Describing the relationship between power and man, the political structure and conflicts, the formation of statehood and empire, famous and unknown Romans, the author brings down many myths, makes take a different look at many events of ancient history. It has all the best that the reader can find in popular science literature: deep and comprehensive knowledge of the subject, excellent storytelling language, the ability to convey the pulse of everyday life. Reading about the distant past, we empathize with it as if we were reading the blog of Cicero himself, as if we were playing dice in a Pompeian tavern.