Doce Cг©sares Mary Beard Epub File

: She challenges the reader to look at "famous" statues with a skeptical eye, questioning what they really represent and why we continue to be obsessed with these ancient dictators. EPUB & Availability Note

: Beard maintains her signature conversational and witty tone while deconstructing complex historical narratives.

Mary Beard’s (translated as Doce Césares in Portuguese and Spanish) is a fascinating exploration of how the portraits of Roman autocrats have shaped Western art and politics for over two millennia. Core Themes & Summary

: It is richly illustrated, making it as much an art history book as a classical study.

: A major thread of the book is the uncertainty of art history. Beard highlights how many "Caesars" in museums today were actually misidentified, faked, or heavily restored by collectors who wanted a complete set of the "Twelve Caesars" (based on the biographies by Suetonius).

Instead of a traditional chronological history of the emperors themselves, Beard investigates their . She examines how the likenesses of figures like Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Nero have been reproduced in everything from Renaissance paintings and marble busts to silver plates and tapestries.