本书概述了罗马的历史，条分缕析、言之有序的行文令这部简史颇为引人入胜。作者带领读者追溯罗马的滥觞肇迹，并由此而始，依次纵览了罗马早期的对外斗争，共和国的危机，帝国的形成及在政治、经济、社会等方面的一系列问题，直至古典时代晚期罗马帝国的改革尝试。此外，他还述及了民族大迁徙、西部帝国的分崩离析以及东部帝国的复兴之举。最后，罗马留给后世的遗产则构成了这部通俗易懂的简史的终章。

Ancient Rome matters. Its history of empire, conquest, cruelty and excess is something against which we still judge ourselves. Its myths and stories - from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of Lucretia - still strike a chord with us. And its debates about citizenship, security and the rights of the individual still influence our own debates on civil liberty today. SPQR is a new look at Roman history from one of the world's foremost classicists. It explores not only how Rome grew from an insignificant village in central Italy to a power that controlled territory from Spain to Syria, but also how the Romans thought about themselves and their achievements, and why they are still important to us. Covering 1,000 years of history, and casting fresh light on the basics of Roman culture from slavery to running water, as well as exploring democracy, migration, religious controversy, social mobility and exploitation in the larger context of the empire, this is a definitive history of ancient Rome. SPQR is the Romans' own abbreviation for their state: Senatus Populusque Romanus, 'the Senate and People of Rome'.