Dirk Booms Libros

Although the wealth, might and organization of the Roman Empire confirmed its dominance and power in the ancient world, provincial traditions flourished and heritage was cherished in the face of overwhelming change. Through telling the stories of ordinary people and highlighting the latest international research, this exciting book explores the rich variety of traditions of the sub-cultures of the Roman Empire, revealing how the people of the Roman Empire identified themselves, but also how they were seen by others. This richly illustrated book features some of the British Museum’s finest pieces from the Roman period, including sculpture from the villas of the emperors Tiberius and Hadrian, coins from the famous Hoxne treasure, beautiful jewellery and even near-perfectly preserved children’s clothing.

"Sicily's central location and natural resources have meant that various peoples have sought to conquer, control and settle on the island throughout its 3000-year history. Its Italian identity, with which we are familiar today, emerges only comparatively recently. Under the successive rule of Greeks, Muslim Arabs, and medieval Normans, the island achieved a distinctly heterogeneous identity, becoming at times a major political actor in the Mediterranean and one of the wealthiest and most culturally prosperous places in the region. This book is the catalog that the British Museum is publishing for its major Spring 2016 exhibition, Sicily: Culture and Conquest. Written by two curators at the British Museum, this book highlights Sicily's long history as a cultural crossroads and battleground between empires and faiths. The book is illustrated with 200 images of objects from the British Museum's collection of Sicilian art and artifacts spanning almost 3000 years. Through text and art, the book uses art, architecture, and a remarkable selection of objects--from monumental metopes and beautiful mosaics to reliquary pendants and chess pieces (many revealing a distinct Sicilian character and style)--to provide a visually stunning insight into the key periods of Sicily's extraordinary past"--

"Visitors to museums or ancient Roman sites are often confronted with Latin texts inscribed on objects or buildings from classical antiquity. To the uninitiated such Latin inscriptions can appear daunting; a jumble of letters seemingly without structure or meaning. However, since they were meant to be understood by all levels of ancient Roman society, even those who couldn't read, these ancient inscriptions followed strict grammatical rules and standardized abbreviations that could be easily decoded. This book will teach readers, even those with no knowledge of Latin, how to decipher these ancient messages. Each illustrated inscription is accompanied by a transcription, a transliteration in which all abbreviations are spelled out, a translation, and finally an interpretation of the text's meaning and significance. Even the smallest piece of information in an inscription can aid classicists in reconstructing the daily lives of Romans, especially those less visible in the archaeological record: the poor, slaves, and women. In conveying devastation at the death of a loved one, comradery among soldiers, or the key events in individual lives, inscriptions can reveal much about ancient Roman history and culture. Dirk Booms is curator of Roman archaeology at the British Museum, whose areas of specialty are Roman architecture, sculpture, glass, and inscriptions."-Publisher's website