[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
The present volume derives from the 2022 Laurence Seminar at the University of Cambridge which aimed to bring together “scholars whose recent work at key sites is helping to expand, change or challenge our current knowledge and understanding of Roman urbanism in Italy,” as the Introduction has it. The editor, authors, and press are to be commended for speedy publication.
The sites treated will be familiar to students (and teachers) of ancient Italy. Most are informed by recent archaeological work, especially the use of remote sensing in the form of geophysical survey of some kind. As Patterson notes in the conclusion, a number of the contributions serve as reports on recent years of (often still on-going) work, “appetisers” for upcoming fuller publication. Many of the chapters also include brief histories of work at their sites along with the summaries of recent work (often by the same author), all accompanied by relevant bibliography. On this account, scholars will perhaps find the volume most useful as a quick way to catch up on developments at the sites and as an entrée into more detailed publications.
The volume is divided into several thematic sections, though to my mind there is not as much difference between the chapters as the divisions might suggest. (That is not a complaint.)
The first section, “Methods and approaches”, does feature several chapters heavy on discussion of methodological questions. The first contribution on Falerii Novi in part traces the continuing history of the utilization of remote sensing techniques, with the passing years seeing the move from traditional survey to different kinds of technological applications (LIDAR and GPR). Chapter 2 is another in a series of publications on the massive and impressive “Rome Transformed” project (which is perhaps best explored through its website). The authors discuss not only some of the technical aspects of the project, but also some of their results, including important findings on the evolution of the area of the southeastern Caelian hill in Rome, around the area of the Lateran, especially in the Severan period. Those less familiar with this part of Rome would have been helped by a simple plan showing the whole area with its modern structures and monuments. The section is rounded off with a chapter on Aquinum where aerial photography is added to the methodological approaches already considered.
The second section, “Beyond the textbook,” features—as its name suggests—several “old standbys” for those teaching ancient Italy: Cosa, Fregellae, and Alba Fucens. In each case the authors highlight new findings (where “new” refers mainly to the decades of this century) and new questions, all of which require some change to the ways in which we have been thinking about and generalizing from these sites.[1] De Giorgi for example considers the early part of the history of Cosa, specifically its relationship to the surrounding Etruscan territory and the nearby settlement at Orbetello. Those of us whose syllabi or field trips include these sites will find these chapters of particular interest.
The third section looks at two towns, Lucus Feroniae and Septempeda, with emphasis on the technological approaches used to explore them. Finally, the remaining chapters are put into two sections, but both consider the later lives of their sites, providing interesting insights into the evolution and occasionally the disappearance of ancient urban centers with the arrival of the changes of Late Antiquity and beyond. The last content chapter, while providing an interesting look at the afterlife of Roman urban infrastructure, sits a little uncomfortably with the others, focusing as it does on one particular monument (the stone bridge at Parma) and relying heavily on archival research.
The quality of the paperback edition is very good with numerous drawings and images in each chapter. There are also eight pages of plates at the back, distinguished by being in a higher-quality format and in color. The quality of all the images is very good, though a few have text that is hard to read, likely a result of being originally intended for other formats. The volume is entirely in English, and while the quality of the editing is high, a few infelicities pop out now and then (e.g., “micro-Asian” for “Asia Minor”(?), p. 227). Each chapter has its own bibliography, and opinions will differ on the utility of this approach. Given the nature of the different contributions, the arrangement works well here, permitting the chapters to be easily used on their own.
In short, this is a useful collection of essays, diving into some of the specifics behind the on-going evolution of our understanding of Roman urbanism.
Authors and Titles
- Introduction (Alessandro Launaro)
Part I. Methods and approaches
- Approaches to Roman urbanism in Italy: the example of Falerii Novi (Martin Millett)
- The changing face of the eastern Caelian in the 1st-4th centuries AD: work by the Rome Transformed Project (Ian Haynes, Paolo Liverani, Thea Ravasi & Stephen Kay)
- Luck is in the research method: Aquinum, the rediscovery of an “invisible” town (Giuseppe Ceraudo)
Part II. Beyond the textbook
- Cosa, Orbetello, and the genesis of colony (Andrea U. De Giorgi)
- The archaeology of Fregellae: an update (Francesca Diosono)
- One should always dress like a marble column (Jackie Kennedy-Onassis): new insights on the urbanism of Alba Fucens (Cécile Evers)
Part III. Not your standard Roman town
- From sanctuary to settlement: mapping the development of Lucus Feroniae through geophysical prospection (Stephen Kay, Sophie Hay & Christopher Smith)
- Septempeda: integrated approaches for revealing a “small town” in Picenum (Frank Vermeulen)
Part IV. Roman towns in the longue durée
- Lunae: new perspectives from recent archaeological fieldwork (Simonetta Menchelli, Paolo Sangriso, Silvia Marini & Rocco Marcheschi)
- Interamna Lirenas: how special? (Alessandro Launaro)
- A town and its road: Aeclanum on the via Appia (Ben Russell & Girolamo F. De Simone)
Part V. Late Antiquity and beyond
- New archaeological perspective on Late Antique Aquileia (Patrizia Basso)
- Bridging the gap: new data on the settlement continuity in Parma from the stone bridge (Alessia Morigi)
- Conclusion: recent discoveries and new directions (John R. Patterson)
Notes
[1] Recent publications on Fregellae include one on two of the temples, reviewed by the present author for BMCR here. Cosa was the subject of a two-day conference on May 29–30, 2025, held jointly at the American Academy of Rome and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut in honor of Darby Scott.