The Seven Hills of Rome

From humble beginnings, Rome became perhaps the greatest intercontinental power in the world. This book demonstrates the important link between the history of Rome and its geologic setting. It contains chapters that are arranged geographically, based on the seven hills, the Tiber floodplain, the ancient creeks that dissected the plateau, and more.

This is the only book I'm aware of that fully integrates the culture and history of a city into its geographical and geological setting. Written by three experts in volcanology and in the geology, culture, and history of Rome, the book has much to offer both the general public and professional city planners. The field trips featured provide guidelines that can be effectively applied to other urban settings, and the book provides good sources for further reading and research. -- Ian MacGregor, retired Director, Earth Science Division of the National Science Foundation It is most fitting that this book, the first of its kind, should be published on Rome, the most fascinating, ancient--but currently thriving--city in the world. The Seven Hills of Rome covers more history and geology than any other travel book I have read, and it draws readers in by helping them understand how the benefits of geographical structure play out in everyday life; for example, the authors demonstrate that the golden wines from the Alban Hills are the result of vineyards located on the tuff plateaus or in crater bottoms. Throughout the book, the reader feels part of a very personal journey through the countryside. -- Jill Andrews, California Institute of Technology The greatest virtue of The Seven Hills of Rome is that it ties the city's human history to its natural history. Now nonspecialists can fully appreciate the extent to which Rome's destiny, its character, even its very appearance, were founded on its unique geological circumstances. -- Rabun Taylor, Harvard University Part guidebook, part scholarly resource, all fascinating story, The Seven Hills of Rome weaves together the complex geology and history of Rome's unique locale. The book is throughout a revelation--one that not only illuminates the study of the city's past, but nurtures an appreciation of its present and a concern for its future. -- Susan E. Alcock, University of Michigan This book is not a typical geological guidebook: it tackles a geology that is largely hidden in an area that has been urban for almost three millennia. As such it is great fun--a treasure hunt in which the reader is invited to piece together the evolution of Rome as part of the Adrian microplate as well as of Rome the city. From temples and quarries to floods, earthquakes and eruptions, all is here. Well researched and never dull, this book offers a brand new insight into an ancient city. -- Ruth Siddall, University College, London The authors use their expertise to explain how the landscape and natural resources of the region around Rome made it an inviting place for human habitation, and served as inspirations for Romans' achievements in civil engineering, architecture, and construction. The walking tours featured in the book constitute an insider's travel guide, and the chapters on the seven hills are highly evocative and will please the armchair traveler. -- Gail Mahood, Stanford University

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