The untold story of how propaganda and power struggles toppled the Roman Republic, destroying centuries of political freedom.

In 49BC, Caesar crossed the Rubicon and Rome fell into a brutal civil war. The institutions that gave its people a voice crumbled and, after the dust settled, Rome was forevermore ruled by emperors.

But Rome didn't fall in a day. For centuries, its people had taken pride in the fact that they had overthrown their King and vowed that they would never have another. So why did the Roman people give up their political freedom? After the violent assassination of Caesar, why wasn't the Republic restored? Was it simply, as the Roman poet Juvenal claimed, because the people only cared about one thing: bread and circuses?

This is not just another history of Rome; Jessica Clarke takes us right into the heart of the wars, back-stabbings, uprisings and creeping normalisation of propaganda and disinformation that fractured the Republic. Lifting the veil on the political machinations of a series of ruthlessly ambitious oligarchs, Circus is a page-turning exploration of the spectacular culture and theatrical politics of the final battle for the Roman Republic.