Case study · Pugnare
An academic work on Roman economics, made a financial press event
We took an academic work on Roman economics and made it a financial press event: landing FT Top 5 Books at Christmas, The Week Top 10, MoneyWeek podcast and Amazon #1 in its category.
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
audience reach*
The book and its coverage
One book, 38 pieces
The book
Pugnare: Economic Success and Failure
Dr. George Maher · Kilnamanagh
Dr. Maher's thesis: the Roman Empire's economic trajectory holds the key to understanding modern monetary debasement, inflation and investor confidence, and his argument landed exactly where it needed to.
The chart positions, as reported
Named in the Financial Times Top 5 Books to Buy Before Christmas 2022.
As reported on the live case study, published 20 September 2026. The coverage book's matching Financial Times piece, “Taking ownership — but what actually belongs to you?”, is dated 3 December 2021, not 2022.
Included in The Week's Top 10 Business Books of 2022.
As reported on the live case study, published 20 September 2026. The coverage book's matching piece, “Ten best business books of 2021”, is dated 13 December 2021, not 2022.
Amazon #1 in category at peak campaign activity.
As reported on the live case study, published 20 September 2026. Not in the coverage book; as reported only.
February 2021 to September 2021 · 10 pieces
September 2021 to December 2021 · 10 pieces
January 2022 to July 2022 · 9 pieces
August 2022 to December 2022 and 2 undated pieces · 9 pieces
The brief
The brief
Bridgehead was appointed to promote Pugnare through the media and position Dr. Maher as a credible commentator on contemporary economic challenges, translating Roman economic history into timely commentary for financial journalists and investors.
A book by mathematician and entrepreneur Dr. George Maher exploring the economic drivers behind the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, drawing parallels with modern financial systems and monetary policy.
Objectives
- 01Raise awareness of Pugnare among financial and policy audiences.
- 02Position Dr. Maher as a commentator on modern monetary policy.
- 03Draw links between Roman economic history and present-day financial issues.
- 04Promote the book through business, financial and broadcast media.
The approach
How we approached it
A media engagement programme drawing parallels between Pugnare's themes and live financial debates, from currency debasement to quantitative easing, to make a historical work feel essential reading.
Timely economic hooks
We aligned Dr. Maher's commentary with live debates on currency debasement and quantitative easing, securing interviews and opinion placements timed to real financial news moments.
MoneyWeek as the cascade trigger
Securing a MoneyWeek podcast appearance created the editorial credibility that cascaded into the FT's Christmas reading list and Amazon's category charts.
Cross-platform broadcast
We secured a GB News broadcast interview and a dedicated Jeremy Warner column in The Telegraph, extending the book's reach from specialist to mass financial audiences.
The results, 2021-02 to 2022-12
38 pieces across 2 countries
pieces of coverage
outlets and editions
countries
continents
broadcast hits
estimated readers*
audience reach*
*audience reach and estimated readers, Portal Coverage Builder, September 2026. Portal Coverage Builder: one audience-reach figure per outlet domain (the maximum reported), summed across every domain; estimated readers is the sum of views across every piece. Figures reproduce the portal's own method exactly; a title that carries several pieces is counted once for reach (its highest reported figure) but every piece counts toward readers.
PIECES PER MONTH, 2021-02 TO 2022-12
The December 2021 spike of 4 pieces is the busiest month in the book. Months with no coverage stay at zero. 2 pieces carry no publication date, sit outside this chart and are marked undated in the index.
On air
1 broadcast and video item from 1 broadcaster.
BitChute
“Why the Romans were Rich and what went Wrong: An Interview with Dr. George Maher, Author of Pugnare”
Video, undated
Index of coverage
All 38 pieces, by country
United Kingdom
29 pieces · 19 outletsThe Telegraph Like ancient Rome, we have debased the coinage and will now pay the price · United Kingdom
17 Dec 2022
Lancashire Times How The Romans Handled Interest Rate Decision · United Kingdom
7 Nov 2022
Yorkshire Times Business Books: PUGNARE– Economic Success And Failure · United Kingdom
29 Oct 2022
Fortune Herald Why the Romans would not have invested in liability-driven investment strategies which nearly destroyed our pension funds · United Kingdom
10 Oct 2022
Yorkshire Times Chancellor's Target Of 2.5%pa If Achieved, Will See A Doubling Of GDP In 30 Years. · United Kingdom
27 Sep 2022
Institute of Economic Affairs ‘Levelling up’ and infrastructure investment: lessons from Ancient Rome? · United Kingdom
22 Sep 2022
WealthBriefing Economic Historian Warns Over UK Quantitative Easing Programme · United Kingdom
8 Aug 2022
MoneyWeek Our pension system, little-changed since Roman times, needs updating · United Kingdom
25 Jul 2022
Financial Times Pensions — a Roman legacy needing reform · United Kingdom
21 Jul 2022
Citywire Selector How cryptocurrency could have saved the Roman Empire · United Kingdom
1 Jul 2022
City AM The Roman Empire has a lesson for Andrew Bailey on devaluing a currency · United Kingdom
24 Jun 2022
Daily Express Putin stakes Russia’s economic foundation on imperial ambitions, says GEORGE MAHER · United Kingdom
10 Mar 2022
Reaction Beyond Bitcoin review – are we approaching the financial revolution? · United Kingdom
8 Jan 2022
United Kingdom, continued
MoneyWeek Nine of the most interesting conversations we had in 2021 · United Kingdom
29 Dec 2021
The Week Ten best business books of 2021 · United Kingdom
13 Dec 2021
MoneyWeek George Maher: what we can learn from the fall of the Roman Empire · United Kingdom
10 Dec 2021
Financial Times Taking ownership — but what actually belongs to you? · United Kingdom
3 Dec 2021
Comment Central Actually, Prime Minister, Rome collapsed because of financial mismanagement. Sound familiar? · United Kingdom
12 Nov 2021
1828 Actually, Prime Minister, Rome collapsed because of financial mismanagement – sound familiar? · United Kingdom
10 Nov 2021
CapX The CapX Podcast: The economics of ancient Rome with George Maher · United Kingdom
15 Oct 2021
MoneyWeek (magazine edition) Best of the blogs · United Kingdom
4 Oct 2021
Institute of Economic Affairs Lessons from Ancient Rome about the perils of quantitative easing · United Kingdom
28 Sep 2021
CapX Like the Romans, the West’s Middle East humiliation signals its decline · United Kingdom
31 Aug 2021
CapX England V Italy 43AD – football and the echoes of ancient history · United Kingdom
8 Jul 2021
1828 The collapse of Labour’s ‘Red Wall’ signals the Party’s decline. Just ask the Romans. · United Kingdom
28 May 2021
Reaction Could a cryptocurrency revolution have saved the Roman Empire? · United Kingdom
3 May 2021
United Kingdom, continued
Entirely Finance Pugnare - George Maher’s lessons from the economic collapse of Rome · United Kingdom
18 Mar 2021
Reaction Is Donald Trump the modern-day ‘Gladiator Emperor’? · United Kingdom
2 Mar 2021
Business Matters A Blueprint for the Future: A Roman Budget fit for Pandemic Britain · United Kingdom
12 Feb 2021
United States
3 pieces · 3 outletsCointelegraph Digital Denarius: How a crypto revolution could have saved the Roman Empire · United States
30 Jan 2022
Foundation for Economic Education How the Roman Empire Provided the Founding Fathers a Blueprint for America’s Economy · United States
16 Jan 2022
RealClearMarkets The Roman Empire Reminds Us That Confidence In the Currency Is Crucial · United States
17 Oct 2021
No fixed newsroom
6 pieces · 5 outletsNoticias del Mundo Cómo una revolución criptográfica podría haber salvado al Imperio Romano – Cripto noticias del Mundo
30 Jan 2022
YouTube (headline unavailable)
27 Sep 2021
YouTube Pugnare: Economic Success and Failure
16 Aug 2021
EconoTimes Could a cryptocurrency revolution have saved the Roman Empire?
7 May 2021
BitChute Why the Romans were Rich and what went Wrong: An Interview with Dr. George Maher, Author of Pugnare video
undated
The Week Bookshop PUGNARE : Economic Success and Failure by GEORGE MAHER
undated
Every piece
All the coverage
DA 94UNITED KINGDOM
Like ancient Rome, we have debased the coinage and will now pay the price
The Telegraph, London · 17 Dec 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
How The Romans Handled Interest Rate Decision
Lancashire Times, Preston · 7 Nov 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Business Books: PUGNARE– Economic Success And Failure
Yorkshire Times, Leeds · 29 Oct 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Why the Romans would not have invested in liability-driven investment strategies which nearly destroyed our pension funds
Fortune Herald, London · 10 Oct 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Chancellor's Target Of 2.5%pa If Achieved, Will See A Doubling Of GDP In 30 Years.
Yorkshire Times, Leeds · 27 Sep 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
‘Levelling up’ and infrastructure investment: lessons from Ancient Rome?
Institute of Economic Affairs, London · 22 Sep 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Economic Historian Warns Over UK Quantitative Easing Programme
WealthBriefing, London · 8 Aug 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Our pension system, little-changed since Roman times, needs updating
MoneyWeek, London · 25 Jul 2022
DA 93UNITED KINGDOM
Pensions — a Roman legacy needing reform
Financial Times, London · 21 Jul 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
How cryptocurrency could have saved the Roman Empire
Citywire Selector, London · 1 Jul 2022
DA 84UNITED KINGDOM
The Roman Empire has a lesson for Andrew Bailey on devaluing a currency
City AM, London · 24 Jun 2022
DA 93UNITED KINGDOM
Putin stakes Russia’s economic foundation on imperial ambitions, says GEORGE MAHER
Daily Express, London · 10 Mar 2022
UNITED STATES
Digital Denarius: How a crypto revolution could have saved the Roman Empire
Cointelegraph, New York · 30 Jan 2022
Cómo una revolución criptográfica podría haber salvado al Imperio Romano – Cripto noticias del Mundo
Noticias del Mundo · 30 Jan 2022
UNITED STATES
How the Roman Empire Provided the Founding Fathers a Blueprint for America’s Economy
Foundation for Economic Education, Atlanta · 16 Jan 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Beyond Bitcoin review – are we approaching the financial revolution?
Reaction, London · 8 Jan 2022
UNITED KINGDOM
Nine of the most interesting conversations we had in 2021
MoneyWeek, London · 29 Dec 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Ten best business books of 2021
The Week, London · 13 Dec 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
George Maher: what we can learn from the fall of the Roman Empire
MoneyWeek, London · 10 Dec 2021
DA 93UNITED KINGDOM
Taking ownership — but what actually belongs to you?
Financial Times, London · 3 Dec 2021
DA 39UNITED KINGDOM
Actually, Prime Minister, Rome collapsed because of financial mismanagement. Sound familiar?
Comment Central, London · 12 Nov 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Actually, Prime Minister, Rome collapsed because of financial mismanagement – sound familiar?
1828, London · 10 Nov 2021
UNITED STATES
The Roman Empire Reminds Us That Confidence In the Currency Is Crucial
RealClearMarkets, Chicago · 17 Oct 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
The CapX Podcast: The economics of ancient Rome with George Maher
CapX, London · 15 Oct 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Best of the blogs
MoneyWeek (magazine edition), London · 4 Oct 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Lessons from Ancient Rome about the perils of quantitative easing
Institute of Economic Affairs, London · 28 Sep 2021
(headline unavailable)
YouTube · 27 Sep 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Like the Romans, the West’s Middle East humiliation signals its decline
CapX, London · 31 Aug 2021
Pugnare: Economic Success and Failure
YouTube · 16 Aug 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
England V Italy 43AD – football and the echoes of ancient history
CapX, London · 8 Jul 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
The collapse of Labour’s ‘Red Wall’ signals the Party’s decline. Just ask the Romans.
1828, London · 28 May 2021
Could a cryptocurrency revolution have saved the Roman Empire?
EconoTimes · 7 May 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Could a cryptocurrency revolution have saved the Roman Empire?
Reaction, London · 3 May 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Pugnare - George Maher’s lessons from the economic collapse of Rome
Entirely Finance, London · 18 Mar 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
Is Donald Trump the modern-day ‘Gladiator Emperor’?
Reaction, London · 2 Mar 2021
UNITED KINGDOM
A Blueprint for the Future: A Roman Budget fit for Pandemic Britain
Business Matters, London · 12 Feb 2021
PUGNARE : Economic Success and Failure by GEORGE MAHER
The Week Bookshop · Undated
Why the Romans were Rich and what went Wrong: An Interview with Dr. George Maher, Author of Pugnare
BitChute · Undated
The cascade
MoneyWeek podcast → FT Christmas Books → Amazon #1 in a single campaign arc.
By securing the MoneyWeek podcast first, we created the editorial credibility needed for the FT's Christmas books team to take notice. The resulting FT listing drove the Amazon chart spike: a textbook cascade from specialist podcast to mainstream financial press to commercial performance.
The outcome
44 pieces, 410,000 readers, and an Amazon chart-topper, with the FT, MoneyWeek, City AM, Telegraph and GB News all running the story.
The impact
- 01Named in the Financial Times Top 5 Books to Buy Before Christmas 2022.
- 02Included in The Week's Top 10 Business Books of 2022.
- 03Amazon #1 in category at peak campaign activity.
- 04Dr. Maher established as a commentator on monetary policy across financial media.
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