English Classical scholar Mary Beard explores the myths and revolutions of the Roman Empire, looking at it with an epic scope, and gives her own personal take on the world-defining period. In the first edition, she gains an insight into the deep-rooted psyche of the people of Rome, looks at the expansion of the city, and travels to Greece, where Rome adopted a complex mix of brute force and cultural cringe, and France, where she finds evidence of war methods akin to genocide