Rome Past Present

Few other cities can compare with Rome's history of continuous habitation, nor with the survival of so many different epochs in its present. This volume explores how the city's past has shaped the way in which Rome has been built, rebuilt, represented and imagined throughout its history. An imaginative approach to the study of the urban and architectural make-up of Rome, this volume will be valuable not only for historians of art and architecture, but also for students of cultural history and film studies.

Explores a fundamental building block of Roman life

A practical and unique guide, Rome Past Present appeals to the kid in all of us, with photographs of 18 of Rome's most important sites as they are today and illustrated acetate overlays showing each site in its heyday. In addition, a straight-forward text and additional photographs help bring the Eternal City to life.

The catacombs -- including several labyrinthine burial grounds and underground places of worship -- along with numerous Roman churches and basilicas are depicted with overlays that show how they look today and how they likely appeared in early Christian times.

Illustrations, text, and reproductions of historical items provide an overview of the history and culture of ancient Rome, including information on its sites, monuments, protagonists, religion, language, political and legal system, armies, economy, architecture, and everyday life.

Brought vividly to life on screen, the myth of ancient Rome resonates through modern popular culture. Projecting the Past examines how the cinematic traditions of Hollywood and Italy have resurrected ancient Rome to address the concerns of the present. The book engages contemporary debates about the nature of the classical tradition, definitions of history, and the place of the past in historical film.

This is the first urban history of Rome to span its entire three-thousand-year history. It examines the processes by which Rome's leaders have shaped its urban fabric by organizing space, planning infrastructure, designing ritual, controlling populations, and exploiting Rome's standing as a seat of global power and a religious capital.

Contains transparent overlays, artists reconstruction of original Roman buildings.