The Latin Inscriptions of Rome: A Walking Guide

by Tyler Lansford

Overview

Rome's oldest known Latin inscription dates from the sixth century BC; the most recent major specimen was mounted in 2006--a span of more than two and a half millennia. Remarkably, many of these inscriptions are still to be found in situ, on the walls, gates, temples, obelisks, bridges, fountains, and churches of the city. Classicist Tyler Lansford has collected some 400 of these inscriptions and arranged them--with English translations--into fifteen walking tours that trace the physical and historical contours of the city.

Each itinerary is prefaced by an in-depth introduction that provides a survey of the history and topography of the relevant area of the city. The Latin texts appear on the left-hand page with English translations on the right. The original texts are equipped with full linguistic annotation, and the translations are supplemented with historical and cultural notes that explain who mounted them and why.

This unique guide will prove a fascinating and illuminating companion for both sophisticated visitors to the Eternal City and armchair travelers seeking a novel perspective into Rome's rich history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801891502
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	600
Sales rank:	559,276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tyler Lansford is an independent scholar and the cofounder of Seattle Language Academy.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Arms of Selected Popes
General Abbreviations and Symbols
Latin and Greek Abbreviations
General Map
1. The Capitoline Hill
2. The Forum & Environs
3. The Subura & Environs
4. The Esquiline Hill
5. From the Forum Boarium to San Paolo fuori le Mura
6. From San Clemente to the Via Appia
7. The Lateran & Environs
8. The Quirinal Hill
9. From San Marco to Piazza di Spagna
10. From Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Colonna
11. The Pantheon & Environs
12. From Corso del Rinascimento to Via Giulia
13. From Via del Pellegrino to Santa Cecilia
14. From Ponte Sisto to the Acqua Paola
15. The Borgo & the Vatican
Glossary
Metrical Schemes
Index of First Lines
Index of Sites

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This book is wonderful. My head is full of information I didn’t know about Rome, despite my many years there. Lansford’s evocative depictions of monuments, cityscape, and memorable humans have inspired me anew with the fascination of Rome.
—Mary T. Boatwright, Duke University

Mary T. Boatwright

This book is wonderful. My head is full of information I didn’t know about Rome, despite my many years there. Lansford’s evocative depictions of monuments, cityscape, and memorable humans have inspired me anew with the fascination of Rome.

— Mary T. Boatwright, Duke University

Editorial Reviews

The Latin Inscriptions of Rome is a delight, one to which I shall turn and to which I shall send my students when in Rome, and which I recommend to everyone interested in gaining a wealth of detailed information about 'the epigraphic habit' and its importance to our understanding not just of ancient Rome, but of every era of the Eternal City's incredible history.
--James C. Anderson, Classical Outlook

Latin is a less and less common attainment even among educated travellers, so Tyler Lansford has come to the rescue . . . If this book is not slipped into many a Rome-bound suitcase, there is no justice in the world. I can think of few more enjoyable companions on a prowl through the city.
--Jane Stevenson, Times Literary Supplement

Tyler Lansford . . . has put together the most original and stimulating guide to the Eternal City of the hundreds published in recent years.
--Masolino D'Amico, La Stampa

From the Publisher

Latin is a less and less common attainment even among educated travellers, so Tyler Lansford has come to the rescue . . . If this book is not slipped into many a Rome-bound suitcase, there is no justice in the world. I can think of few more enjoyable companions on a prowl through the city.

Times Literary Supplement - Jane Stevenson

Tyler Lansford... has put together the most original and stimulating guide to the Eternal City of the hundreds published in recent years.

— Masolino D'Amico

La Stampa

The Latin Inscriptions of Rome is a delight, one to which I shall turn and to which I shall send my students when in Rome, and which I recommend to everyone interested in gaining a wealth of detailed information about 'the epigraphic habit' and its importance to our understanding not just of ancient Rome, but of every era of the Eternal City's incredible history.

— James C. Anderson

Classical Outlook

Latin is a less and less common attainment even among educated travellers, so Tyler Lansford has come to the rescue... If this book is not slipped into many a Rome-bound suitcase, there is no justice in the world. I can think of few more enjoyable companions on a prowl through the city.

— Jane Stevenson

Times Literary Supplement

Tyler Lansford . . . has put together the most original and stimulating guide to the Eternal City of the hundreds published in recent years.

La Stampa - Masolino D'Amico

The Latin Inscriptions of Rome is a delight, one to which I shall turn and to which I shall send my students when in Rome, and which I recommend to everyone interested in gaining a wealth of detailed information about 'the epigraphic habit' and its importance to our understanding not just of ancient Rome, but of every era of the Eternal City's incredible history.

Classical Outlook - James C. Anderson