SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus.

A moreishly entertaining and richly informative miscellany of facts about Rome and the Roman world.

Do you know to what use the Romans put the excrement of the kingfisher? Or why a dinner party invitation from the emperor Domitian was such a terrifying prospect? Or why Roman women smelt so odd?

The answers to these questions can be found in SPQR, a compendium of extraordinary facts and anecdotes about ancient Rome and its Empire. Its 500-odd entries range across every area of Roman life and society, from the Empress Livia's cure for tonsillitis to the most reliable Roman methods of contraception.

For those inclined to ask what the Romans ever did for us, this is the perfect response. Broken down into themes it gives a pithy and concise look at aspects of Roman life... a great read, and a single-volume primer for Roman history and culture' * The Good Book Guide *

Anthony Everitt is a visiting professor at Nottingham Trent University. He is the author of CICERO, AUGUSTUS, and HADRIAN AND THE TRIUMPH OF ROME.