Beautifully detailed maps, unparalleled 3D constructions and excellent accompanying texts. Archaeologist Andrea Carandini and colleagues deliver a masterpiece with their two-volume atlas of ancient Rome.
Did you know that cows used to graze on the Roman Forum, the ancient political center of Rome? Or that a hairdresser cut customers under the triumphal arch of Emperor Septimus Severus? That is now almost unthinkable. Rome is such a fascinating city because its inhabitants continued to use the buildings and space around them in new ways. Those who visit Rome now see ancient temples and theaters, but of course they didn't look the way we see them now. In addition, they are now isolated from their native environment; some buildings have been demolished and another building or a new road now stands on the same spot. Rome is constantly transforming.
Many buildings from antiquity are therefore no longer part of the life of the Romans. They have become the domain of tourists and archaeologists and isolated from the rest of the city. That provides a lot of knowledge, but it is also a shame. For the power of the eternal city has long been that the inhabitants of the city bend and took over everything in the city. Like the living quarters that people built in the Theater of Marcellus. So what was a theater in Roman times was used as a residence in the twelfth century.
Great performance
It makes Rome an attractive city to study, but also difficult to understand. What did that collection of stones, pillars and statues look like in Roman times? And where did temples, theatres, homes and markets relate to each other then? If you want to know that, you can now read a new book edited by professor of archeology Andrea Carandini (University of Rome). The Atlas of Ancient Rome is full of excellent lyrics, but above all it is a feast for the eyes. It contains the best and most beautiful maps, images and 3D reconstructions I have ever seen of the Italian city. In The Atlas of Ancient Rome Carandini presents reliable information about more than five hundred buildings in an accessible way.
The starting point for this is the work that archaeologists, classicists and ancient historians have done on ancient Rome. They often publish their research in professional journals, which are mainly read by their colleagues (specialists). Now it can be found as clearly as possible in this masterpiece of 1280 pages with 452 colored illustrations and 97 colored maps.
Carandini and colleagues therefore make use of all the scientific research that has already been done and deliver an unprecedented achievement. Because how do you show what can still be seen when you visit an old building and also what it (probably) has looked like over the years?
Heavy, expensive and beautiful
The authors use different colors to clearly show the sources. Take the above image of the Forum of Augustus, which is located near the Roman Forum and Colosseum. You see two different views with mainly the colors red, blue and black. In red you see data that the authors found based on excavations by archaeologists, blue comes from iconography (e.g. statues) and black is a reconstruction. The numbers clarify which part stands for what. Admittedly, at first glance it sometimes seems a bit cluttered, but together with the accompanying text it all becomes clear and a treasure chest of information opens up.
There are many other maps that scientists made of ancient Rome. But they are often not so beautiful. Take the book Mapping Augustan Rome. That is a book with a map (and descriptions) of the city at the time of Emperor Augustus. Very clear, but so much more boring:it covers a much shorter period of time and you need to have considerable prior knowledge to understand it.
The Atlas of Ancient Rome is of a different caliber and offers so much more. In my opinion, the book has only two drawbacks. It is expensive (169 euros), although it is more than worth the price in my opinion. And it is very heavy, so you can't easily take it with you to Rome. Let's hope there's another pocket edition with the most important buildings at a bargain price. Because this book deserves a large audience and should actually be studied while looking at the old buildings in the eternal city.