The walls of Rome / Nic Fields ; illustrated by Peter Dennis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fields, Nic.

Contributor:

Dennis, Peter, 1950-

Series:

Fortress ; 71.

Fortress ; 71

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fortification.

History.

Wall of Aurelian (Rome, Italy).

Italy--Rome--Wall of Aurelian.

Fortification--Italy--Rome--History.

Rome (Italy)--Antiquities.

Italy--Rome.

Physical Description:

64 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Osprey, [2008]

Summary:

This book provides a detailed examination of the design, development and construction of the defences of ancient Rome, with a particular focus on the Aurelian Wall - arguably the best preserved of all city walls in the Roman Empire. From the first early ditches and banks thrown up by Rome's founding fathers, through the 4th-century BC wall created by the Roman king Servius Tullius, to the massive Aurelian Wall built between AD 271 and 275 and its subsequent improvements, this books documents the changing threats faced by the Eternal City. It also looks beyond the classical period, and describes the city walls' role in conflicts stretching up to the 19th century.

Contents:

Rome's Early Defences 6

The seven hills

First defences

The Servian wall

The Age of Aurelian 11

The eastern front

The battle for the west

Restoration and the defence of Rome

The man who built the wall

Aurelian's army

Aurelian's Wall 23

Aurelian's Rome

Tracing the circuit

Design of the wall

The method of construction

The anatomy of the wall

The function of the wall

After Aurelian

The Maxentian Improvements 40

The Maxentian curtains

The Maxentian towers

The Maxentian gateways

From Honorius to Belisarius 45

The Honorian alterations

The Belisarian alterations

Aurelian's Legacy 53

The trace italienne

Garibaldi's Rome

The Sites Today 61.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page 63) and index.

ISBN:

9781846031984

1846031982

OCLC:

166358729