A beautifully constructed book of over a hundred years old, by one of the great archaeologists of the renaissance of archaeology in the late 19th century. Lanciani, a native Roman, earned degrees in Italy, Germany (Ph.D.), Scotland, and the US (Harvard), and was a long-time professor in Rome. The most interesting part of the book is his discussion of what happened to most of the art treasures in sculpture of ancient Rome. His prose style is good and not academic. ( )

From the recent wealth of artifacts unearthed by archaeologists, Lanciani weaves an entrancing story of the lives of the Romans. The book is imbued with the superb historical imagination of the writer who knows his subject as if he had lived it. The language has the sparkle of wit in the many incidents and anecdotes recounted. A pleasure to read.