Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308

In the transition from antiquity to medieval times Rome went from the largest city in Europe to a small provincial town. Most histories only discuss Rome as the center of the Catholic church. This book covers the physical development of Rome during this period. As a result it also discusses the cultural and political history of the city. I had always wondered how the ruins remained so undisturbed. I discovered that the center of the town moved away from the hills towards the river and St. Peter's (which was originally a grave site outside the town and across the river). Also, the process of reusing pieces of old buildings was going on from ancient times. (Today we call that an ecologically good practice.) The photos and illustrations show the development of the town, before the rapid reurbanization of the 20th century. Many of the photos appear to be from the 1950s or 60s. There are a few color illustrations, but most are in black and white. The book was written in 1980, it has a new forward, which is almost completely unrelated to the book.

Too many histories jump lightly and quickly from the grandeur of pagan Rome to the grandeur of Renaissance and Baroque Rome --ignoring the thousand year artistic and architectural history in between. This book fills in a long and fascinating gap in the history; and brings to our attention works of art that, if they are outshone by the splendours before and after, are not to be despised. The only problem with this book is the relative paucity of pictures and plans, and the absence of any in colour. If printing photographs or reproductions is expensive, why can't they provide a DVD to go with the book?