Rome: History and Treasures of an Ancient Civilization

A fascinating, concise and comprehensive description of the rise, glory and fall of the Roman civilization. From obscure Neolithic pastoral village to "capital of the world," the history of ancient Rome is not merely one of the most incredible adventures of mankind, but constitutes the start of an uninterrupted "bridge" between the dawn of Italic civilization and the modern West. In its 1200 years of existence, the city founded on the values established by Romulus' patres, has expanded and diversified its influence incessantly and in all spheres, progressively absorbing peoples and customs, ideas, techniques and beliefs. This journey to the origins of the present is a pictorial representation of the development of the Roman world in the light of the historical, urban, architectural and artistic aspects that characterized the main periods of this extraordinary civilization, from its formative years to the crisis of the 5th century BC, following the conquests of Rome: the Italian peninsula, the Mediterranean and the Hellenic East. A vast iconography, consisting of photographs, reconstructions and plans, accompanies the text, written by an acknowledged authority in the field of Italic archaeology, which helps to clarify the dynamics of the exceptional development of the Roman world. AUTHOR: Maria Teresa Guaitoli is a researcher in classical archaeology at the Archaeology Department (Faculty of Literature and Philosophy) of the University of Bologna and a course lecturer in Archaeological Museology. She has participated in numerous archaeological excavations, covering periods from protohistory to the Middle Ages, collaborating with the Archaeological Superintendency of Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Puglia. As well as monitoring the Department of Archaeology's projects in Italy and abroad, she has organized numerous exhibitions within the Department and at the Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento. Her most recent books include Lost Cities of the Ancient World, White Star Publishers 2002. 208 colour illustrations