From the Ground Up

Rome is not one city but many, each with its own history unfolding from a different center. Beginning with the shaping of the ground on which Rome first rose, this book conjures all these cities, conducting the reader through time and space to the complex and shifting realities—architectural, historical, political, and social—that constitute Rome.

Venice emerged on mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from invaders and Byzantine overlords, the fishermen and traders who settled there crafted a way of life unique in the Roman Empire. McGregor recreates this world, with its waterways rather than roads and its livelihood harvested from the sea.

There is a Paris for the medievalist, and another for the modernist—a Paris for expatriates, philosophers, artists, romantics, and revolutionaries. McGregor brings these perspectives into focus throughout this concise, unique history. Color maps and identifying illustrations make the city accessible to visitors by foot, Metro, or riverboat.