INTERVIEW
Mary Beard on cancel culture: ‘It’s politically stirred up’
Our foremost expert on the ancient world talks about sex on campus, online abuse, her book Emperor of Rome and why she’s not getting involved in the gender debate. By Sathnam Sanghera
Mary Beard is appointed a dame at Buckingham Palace in 2018, and at home in Cambridge
PA, TOM JACKSON FOR THE TIMES MAGAZINE
The Times
Dame Mary Beard’s new book, Emperor of Rome, a companion piece to 2015’s internationally bestselling SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, is packed with quotable facts about the men who ruled the Roman empire. For example, did you know that after dying, the bodies of VIPs were often displayed in the Forum and occasionally made to appear to be standing? Or that Nero was so eager to compete in all the major Greek festivals — including the Olympics — that they were rescheduled to coincide with his visit and then arranged so that he would win every artistic and athletic competition he entered?
Though even more interesting than the insight into the imperial elite is the light the book sheds on the modern
