Cambridge Classics Professor Emerita and Fellow of Newnham College, Mary Beard, is known across the world. She has written numerous books including the prize-winning Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, best-selling SPQR – A History of Ancient Rome and the highly-acclaimed Women & Power and Twelve Caesars – Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern, all of which have been translated into multiple languages. 

Mary is a regular media commentator and has presented several BBC Radio and TV series on history and culture including Meet the Romans, Civilisations, The Shock of the Nude, Meet the Roman Emperor and the BBC podcast series Being Roman with Mary Beard. Mary also writes a thought-provoking blog, A Don’s Life. For services to Classical scholarship, Mary was made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2018 and is a trustee of the British Museum. Her latest book, Emperor of Rome explores one of the most extraordinary roles in history.