Something about the article was weird. I didn't grok that it was a book review until after I finished reading it, but I'm not sure exactly why that was.
That's kind of what high-end book reviews are like -- read The New York or Los Angeles Review of Books to see what I mean. Basically the reviewers write essays on a topic and tie it in loosely with a review of a new book published on the topic. Bonus points if the reviewer has also written a book on the subject and negatively compares the new book to their own.
It's also weird because it took awhile to realise it's about Rome the empire and not Rome the city, despite the title.