Mary Beard

玛丽·比尔德女爵士是英国最著名的古典学学者，一位剑桥教授，将古代史变成了必读的通俗非虚构作品。她是纽纳姆学院的研究员、大英博物馆的受托人，以及皇家艺术学院的古代文学教授。她的著作《SPQR》和《女性与权力：一份宣言》在全球销售了数十万册，而她的BBC纪录片如《遇见罗马人》和《终极罗马》则吸引了数百万观众。

比尔德还担任《泰晤士报文学副刊》的古典学编辑，并撰写博客“一位教授的生活”。《纽约客》曾称她“博学但易懂”，这句标语概括了她让古代世界显得紧迫而鲜活的罕见天赋。她是一位直言不讳的公共知识分子，挑战学术界和网络上的性别歧视，并于2018年被授予大英帝国女爵士司令勋章。

即使在2022年从教授职位退休后，比尔德仍然活跃在讲学、写作和荧幕上。她将罗马政治与当今政治联系起来的能力，使她成为人文学科中最受信任和最具辨识度的声音之一。[编辑]

玛丽·比尔德在什罗普郡的一个小镇Much Wenlock作为独生女长大。她的母亲乔伊斯·艾米丽·比尔德是一位女校长和热心读者。她的父亲罗伊·惠特布雷德·比尔德是一名建筑师，她后来形容他“是一个放荡的公立学校男孩类型，完全是个废物，但非常迷人”。

她就读于什鲁斯伯里高中，在那里她对古典学的热爱开始生根。暑假期间，她参加考古挖掘，部分是为了赚零花钱，部分出于对古代世界的真正着迷。18岁时，她参加了剑桥大学的强制性入学考试，并赢得了纽纳姆学院（当时是一所女子学院）的录取名额。她于1977年获得学士学位，并于1982年在约翰·克鲁克的指导下完成博士学位。她的论文题目是《罗马共和国晚期的国教：基于西塞罗作品的研究》。

她的第一份学术工作来得令人惊讶。1979年，她被聘为伦敦国王学院的古典学讲师，她后来承认在签约时他们称她为“博士”，她认为这“完全是个可怕的错误”。1984年，她回到剑桥大学纽纳姆学院担任讲师。1992年，她成为《泰晤士报文学副刊》的古典学编辑，这是一个关键转折点，这份工作给了她“离开剑桥的理由”，并与伦敦文学界建立了联系。她曾回忆在一次聚会上走到马丁·艾米斯面前问他是谁，然后意识到后感到极度尴尬。[编辑]

比尔德的突破是通过她的写作逐渐实现的。她2007年的著作《罗马凯旋式》于2009年获得了沃尔夫森历史奖，使她为更广泛的读者所知。但真正让她家喻户晓的是电视。2012年，她为BBC主持了《遇见罗马人与玛丽·比尔德》三集系列节目，因其接地气的风格而受到赞扬。随后她又推出了《庞贝：罗马城镇的生与死》和2016年的《玛丽·比尔德的终极罗马：无界帝国》。

她2015年的著作《SPQR：古罗马史》成为全球畅销书，被翻译成40多种语言。2017年，她出版了《女性与权力：一份宣言》，该书源于一场关于古代和现代世界厌女症的病毒式演讲。同年，她出现在BBC/PBS系列节目《文明》中。2018年，她因对古典学研究的贡献被授予大英帝国女爵士司令勋章。

在执教近40年后，她于2022年从剑桥教授职位退休，但她继续为《泰晤士报文学副刊》撰写定期专栏，并频繁出现在广播和电视上。她给大学的退休礼物是一笔价值8万英镑的奖学金，用于资助两名学习古典学的贫困学生。[编辑]

比尔德的公众形象建立在令人敬畏的学识和务实、常常顽皮的风格之上。她说话直率，常常让采访者和观众措手不及。她的标志性造型——灰色短发、眼镜，以及倾向于穿深色实用服装——本身已成为一种标志。她因直言不讳地谈论性别歧视和移民问题而成为网络辱骂的对象，但她始终拒绝沉默，利用自己的平台挑战成见。媒体常将她描绘为“博学但易懂”，这个短语概括了她不居高临下地解释复杂思想的能力。她的博客“一位教授的生活”让粉丝得以一窥她日常对从罗马政治到现代学术等一切事物的看法。没有正式的同人圈名称，但她的读者和观众非常忠诚。[编辑]

Dame Mary Beard stands as a preeminent figure in the global dissemination of classical studies, yet her standing within the iFANN Global Fame Engine reflects a specific evaluation status rather than a numerical placement. As of August 2026, the engine has assessed her profile but determined that she does not currently hold a position within the published Global Top 1,000 or any scope-specific top-100 lists. This absence of a ranked ordinal indicates that while her cultural footprint is substantial and her intellectual influence is profound, her fame operates through sustained academic and media presence rather than the viral spikes or mass-consumption metrics typically required for those specific rankings. Her audience comprises a dispersed network of educators, history enthusiasts, and documentary viewers who engage with her work through books like SPQR and Women & Power: A Manifesto, rather than an organized collective identity. There is no formal name for her supporters, nor are there documented fan campaigns, birthday billboards, or coordinated streaming initiatives driven by a dedicated fandom. Unlike pop culture icons who inspire street closures or fainting crowds, Beard's legacy is built on the accessibility of ancient history and sharp political commentary, such as her recent comparisons of modern leaders to Roman emperors. Her interactions remain professional, centered on her publications, BBC documentaries, and social media updates where she shares insights on current events. The narrative surrounding her is one of scholarly authority and public engagement rather than mythologized celebrity worship, marking her as a unique case where immense respect coexists with a lack of traditional fandom structures.[编辑]

Mary Beard once taught from a chaise longue, gradually sliding further down as the hour progressed until students could only see her feet. At a conference, she introduced herself with the overture, "Give us a fag, darlin'." She established a £80,000 scholarship for disadvantaged classics students at Cambridge as a retirement gift. Her first academic job at King's College London came as a surprise; she thought it was a mistake when they called her "Doctor." She has a cameo in the BBC comedy series W1A, playing herself. While she lacks the physical chaos of a rock star, a popular sentiment among readers describes her work as a "gateway drug" to Ancient Rome, a metaphorical label that has become a standard introduction for new students of the subject. In media analysis, she is frequently compared to Sir David Attenborough as a female icon of documentary teaching, a parallel that underscores her role in making complex historical narratives accessible to the general public. Recent discussions on podcasts like Stateside with Kai and Carter regarding Homer's wit and her 2026 book Talking Classics continue to generate significant literary discourse without descending into the folklore of crowd disruptions or legendary incidents.[编辑]

比尔德于1985年9月27日与古典学家和艺术史学家罗宾·科马克结婚。他们有两个孩子。女儿佐伊·特洛伊·科马克是牛津大学非洲研究中心的考古学家和历史学家。儿子拉斐尔·克里斯蒂安·科马克是一位作家和翻译家，专攻阿拉伯文化史和文学。这个家庭在剑桥生活了几十年。比尔德形容她的母亲是一位热心的读者，鼓励了她对书籍的热爱，而她的父亲则是一个迷人但轻浮的人物。[编辑]

Beard 与古典学家、艺术史学家 Robin Cormack 结婚。她的博士导师是 John Crook。她与 Michael Crawford 合著了《罗马在共和国晚期》，与 Keith Hopkins 合著了《罗马斗兽场》。她的前学生 Emily Kneebone 也成为了一位著名的古典学家。[编辑]

Mary Beard 于1985年9月27日与古典学家和艺术史学家 Robin Cormack 结婚。他们通过共同的学术领域相识。这对夫妇有两个孩子：Zoe Troy Cormack，牛津大学人类学家，和 Raphael Christian Cormack，作家兼翻译。可信来源中没有记载之前的关系、离婚或高调恋情。截至2026年，她仍与 Cormack 保持婚姻关系。[编辑]

As of 2026, iFANN currently estimates Mary Beard's net worth at $12 Million. The bulk of this wealth derives from her long academic career at Cambridge University, where she held a personal professorship until her retirement in 2022. She has published 18 books, several of which, including SPQR and Women & Power: A Manifesto, have been international bestsellers, generating substantial royalties. Her BBC television documentaries, such as Meet the Romans and Ultimate Rome, brought in production fees and repeat broadcast payments. She also earns speaking fees for public lectures and appearances, and a salary for her ongoing role as classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement. Her net worth has grown steadily over the past decade as her media profile has risen, and in 2018 she was awarded a damehood, which, while not a financial prize, has increased her earning potential. No major real estate holdings or business ventures are publicly known.[编辑]

比尔德因她的学术研究和公共参与获得了多项重要奖项。她于2009年凭借《The Roman Triumph》获得沃尔夫森历史奖。2016年，她同时获得了阿斯图里亚斯公主社会科学奖和博德利奖章。她于2013年被授予OBE勋衔，并于2018年晋升为大英帝国女爵士司令勋章。[编辑]