SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is a 2015 book by English classicist Mary Beard that was published in the United Kingdom by Profile Books and elsewhere by Liveright & Company. SPQR appeared on the New York Times hardcover, non-fiction bestseller list in December 2015. It was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction). SPQR or S.P.Q.R., an initialism for Senatus Populusque Romanus (Classical Latin: [sɛˈnaːtʊs pɔpʊˈɫʊskʷɛ roːˈmaːnʊs]; transl. "The Senate and People of Rome"), is an emblematic phrase referring to the government of the Roman Republic. It appears on documents made public by an inscription in stone or metal, in dedications of monuments and public works, and on some Roman currency.