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Roman Architecture: A Visual Guide
Diana E. E. Kleiner has shared her deep knowledge and passion for the history and architecture of ancient Rome with thousands of students, travelers, and enthusiasts through her lectures. She is indeed “the traveler’s best friend”—and now she has created an enhanced eBook that richly deserves that encomium as well. Professor Kleiner personally guides you through the great ruins of Rome and the Roman Empire, highlighting their most fascinating and important features with an extraordinary wealth of knowledge, insights and anecdotes. Roman A Visual Guide offers readers over 250 appealing and enlightening visual images alongside accessible, concise descriptions that focus on precisely the most pertinent and meaningful information.. Roman A Visual Guide is an indispensable—and enchanting—resource for travelers, architecture enthusiasts, historians, and all those with an interest in any aspect of the richly multi-faceted subject that is Roman architecture.
At its most expansive, the Roman Empire stretched from the British Isles to Egypt; Rome was the ancient world’s greatest superpower. Roman A Visual Guide takes us to the great buildings and engineering marvels of Rome and its empire, exploring not only Rome but also buildings preserved at Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, Tivoli, North Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Jordan, Lebanon, and North Africa—allowing readers to trace the growth and expansion of the Roman Empire chronologically through its cities.
Roman Architecture’s wealth of photographs and site plans of these intriguing structures are presented from the fresh perspective of an author who has journeyed to nearly all of the sites, revealing most of them through her own digital images. In addition, this interactive e-book makes learning about these monuments easier than ever, with handy maps and geolocation links that show you just where the monuments are and, if you’re traveling, how to get there. A fascinating introduction to some of history’s most compelling and influential architecture, Roman A Visual Guide is an enthralling resource, whether one wishes to visit Rome in person or from afar.
About the Author
DIANA E. E. KLEINER is the Dunham Professor of History of Art and Classics at Yale University. A pioneer in online education, she is the Founding Director of Open Yale Courses, where she offers Roman Architecture as a free self-directed course. Kleiner has resided in Rome and Athens and has traveled extensively throughout what was once the Roman Empire, experiencing firsthand nearly every site and building featured in Roman A Visual Guide.
At its most expansive, the Roman Empire stretched from the British Isles to Egypt; Rome was the ancient world’s greatest superpower. Roman A Visual Guide takes us to the great buildings and engineering marvels of Rome and its empire, exploring not only Rome but also buildings preserved at Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, Tivoli, North Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Jordan, Lebanon, and North Africa—allowing readers to trace the growth and expansion of the Roman Empire chronologically through its cities.
Roman Architecture’s wealth of photographs and site plans of these intriguing structures are presented from the fresh perspective of an author who has journeyed to nearly all of the sites, revealing most of them through her own digital images. In addition, this interactive e-book makes learning about these monuments easier than ever, with handy maps and geolocation links that show you just where the monuments are and, if you’re traveling, how to get there. A fascinating introduction to some of history’s most compelling and influential architecture, Roman A Visual Guide is an enthralling resource, whether one wishes to visit Rome in person or from afar.
About the Author
DIANA E. E. KLEINER is the Dunham Professor of History of Art and Classics at Yale University. A pioneer in online education, she is the Founding Director of Open Yale Courses, where she offers Roman Architecture as a free self-directed course. Kleiner has resided in Rome and Athens and has traveled extensively throughout what was once the Roman Empire, experiencing firsthand nearly every site and building featured in Roman A Visual Guide.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2014
80 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 6, 2017
This concise guide to Roman architecture accompanies an excellent Yale MOOC I took this fall. It is illustrated. There’s a list of monuments and a helpful glossary at the back. It came free with the course in kindle format. I’m glad to have it.
February 19, 2022
I wish I had read this before my first trip to Rome! it's chuck full of buildings, monuments, not just in Rome but throughout the Roman Empire. The book provides historical information about the construction of the buildings, general architectural and artistic styles used, and is filled with photos and diagrams. While it may sound dry, the author writes in a manner that is readable. She also offers tips for her favorite places to eat near many of the monuments.
April 29, 2015
Moderately useful as a supplement to the Roman Architecture video lectures offered through Coursera. Not so great as a standalone book.
December 12, 2016
Highly recommended for anyone traveling to Rome. The title sounds a bit dry, but the tone is conversational and enthusiastic. Always a pleasure to witness a proper geek-out!
May 12, 2020
Fast paced, lively and historically informative
Very much inspirational. Classical learning would be incomplete without a knowledge of Roman architecture, the author's enthusiasm is refreshing, could not ask for a better guide.
Very much inspirational. Classical learning would be incomplete without a knowledge of Roman architecture, the author's enthusiasm is refreshing, could not ask for a better guide.
May 18, 2020
This book was an optional companion piece to an on-line course in Roman architecture. The author has selected outstanding photographs and plans for her examples, and shows a good deal of humor in the text (not always present in her lectures, alas).
A useful reference.
A useful reference.
May 19, 2020
Wonderful
Professor Kleiner's course on Roman architecture is not to be missed, and this book is a wonderful companion to read while taking her course online. It of course can be read in its own as well.
Professor Kleiner's course on Roman architecture is not to be missed, and this book is a wonderful companion to read while taking her course online. It of course can be read in its own as well.
March 6, 2023
This book was part of my class and I learned a lot more than I knew before. I recommend this book to lovers of ancient Rome architecture
December 8, 2016
An accompaniment to Kleiner's online course on Roman Architecture, this book is fabulous in providing the reader with chronological and historical details of all the Roman ruins and buildings to encounter in Rome and Pompeii, as well as in other parts of Italy and the Roman Empire. I found it especially interesting after having seen the majority of these buildings, but reading it before you travel may help in formulating your itinerary.
May 13, 2016
Bordering the travel companion type of book, this visual guide to architecture is more of a visual guide to standard ruins.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews