Ancient Lives of Roman Buildings

The project is inspired by two observations: that when considering Roman architecture for its ancient meaning, scholars train their sights on the moment of initial dedication, the ancient equivalent of the ribbon-cutting ceremony; and that when they contemplate the lives of Roman buildings, they focus on post-antique times, from the Early Christian period to the present. The goal of this book is to assess diverse moments in the Roman lives of Rome’s public buildings, from conception and construction to demolition, and it will argue that their valency was far from fixed: it remained in flux throughout their ancient lives. Cambridge University Press, publisher of my previous two books, has expressed interest in the project.