Mary Beard

Mary Beard (born 1955 in Much Wenlock, Shropshire) is a British ancient historian. She taught ancient history at the University of Cambridge and served as editor of the classics section of the Times Literary Supplement. She also worked as a writer and presenter of the BBC series Meet the Romans. In 2008, she received the Wolfson History Prize for her history of Pompeii; in 2010, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Her best-known books include SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and Women & Power.