Two writers of historical literature transport their readers to the ancient world. Cambridge University professor, editor at The Times Literary Supplement, member of the US Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the British Academy, and winner of the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, Mary Beard is the author of 18 books, most of them set in ancient Rome. A recent book, Civilizations. How We Look (2018), is about civilizations and their history, as told through their representations of the body and the figure of God. Santiago Posteguillo (Spain), winner of the 2018 Planeta Prize for Yo, Julia, lectures in English Language and Literature at the Jaume I University in Castellon, is author of two trilogies and a two-part series set during the Roman Empire. His most recent book is Y Julia retó a los dioses (2020), the sequel to Yo, Julia.