Building Mid-Republican Rome

Reviews / Votes

...an important attempt to use building remains as a source of evidence to analyse the complexity of ancient economies and it will certainly enrich the historical debate on the social changes which occurred in Mid-Republican Rome. * Gabriele Cifani, Vorlagen und Nachrichten * Bernard's study offers a cogent argument for the reappraisal of the period prior to the Second Punic War, weaving disparate developments together into a coherent narrative to reopen the debate on the changing social makeup and economic mentalities operating in the Early and Mid-Republican city. He presents an original model for reconstructing the formative process of economic institutions commonly associated with Rome's later history.... His expert use of buildings and construction processes as historical sources in their own right opens the way for a more nuanced exploration of Republican urbanism in Italy and will prompt further quantitative research on the demographic and economic effects of urban development in higher-order settlements. Already a classic, the book is its own building block for future work. * Journal of Roman Archaeology * In this innovative and impressive study, Seth Bernard examines public construction at Rome between the Gallic sack and the mid-third century BC in order to explore its social and economic consequences. He draws on archaeological, numismatic, and epigraphic evidence as well as literary sources to focus our attention on this neglected aspect of Republican economic history. His chapters marry often novel analyses of seemingly disparate developments to shed unexpectedly revealing light on them. The conclusions he draws boldly challenge much of what we thought we knew about developments in this period and are certain to provoke salutary debate and reevaluation among scholars of the mid- Republic (as they did for this one) ... Bernard has written an important and timely book, one that takes its place among a number of recent studies that are fundamentally reshaping our picture of early and mid-Republican Rome. * Nathan Rosenstein, Bryn Mawr Classical Review * This book provides an interdisciplinary insight into Rome's mid-republican architecture, building technology, economic and socio-political history. * Niccolo Mugnai Classical Review * Many of the topics are considered holistically and intertwine over several chapters, rendering the author's arguments more persuasive. The volume comes together to provide a vivid description of the mounting sophistication of Rome during the mid-Republican period. This is an excellent and ably presented book, balancing a wide-ranging approach with intricate detail. * Albert J. Nijboer, Antiquity *