Book · Other fiction
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
by Mary Beard
Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.
- Pages
- 674
- Reading time
- ≈ 12 h 10 min
- Checkpoints
- 19
- Genre
- Fiction
Free on iPhone and Android.
How long does it take to read SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
At 674 pages, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is a long book. Expect about 12 hours 10 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.
At 30 minutes a day, that is about 25 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 10 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).
- 30 minutes a day25 days
- Vread median pace (72 pp./day)10 days
Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.
Prove you read it
The Vread challenge: 19 checkpoints
- Checkpoint 1, page 35
- Checkpoint 2, page 71
- Checkpoint 3, page 106
- Checkpoint 4, page 142
- Checkpoint 5, page 177
- Checkpoint 6, page 213
- Checkpoint 7, page 248
- Checkpoint 8, page 284
- Checkpoint 9, page 319
- Checkpoint 10, page 355
- Checkpoint 11, page 390
- Checkpoint 12, page 426
- Checkpoint 13, page 461
- Checkpoint 14, page 497
- Checkpoint 15, page 532
- Checkpoint 16, page 568
- Checkpoint 17, page 603
- Checkpoint 18, page 639
- Checkpoint 19, page 674
In Vread, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is split into 19 checkpoints, one every 35 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.
The challenge: validate all 19 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.
Also available in French on Vread.
Illustrative example
What a checkpoint looks like
A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.
The answer is in the text: reply in the app.
This is not a question from SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.
Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.
Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions
How many pages is SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
How long does it take to read SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
Is there a quiz on SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
Where can I find a summary of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome?
Read SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome with Vread
Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.
Take the challenge