Page:The Topography and Monuments of Ancient Rome (1st Ed., Plattner, 1904, topographymonume0000plat v8a2).pdf/11



book is intended to serve as an introduction to the study of the topography of ancient Rome for students of Roman antiquities and history, and incidentally as a book of reference for those who have any special interest in the monuments which still remain. It contains an outline of the successive stages in the growth of the city, a discussion of the topography of each region and the position of its buildings so far as this is known, and a somewhat detailed description of the more important structures.

To facilitate further study, references to two classes have been added: first, to the sources of information in ancient literature and inscriptions, and second, to the most important material in current periodicals and the standard works on topography. It may seem to many that the existence of so admirable a work as Kiepert and Hülsen's  renders these references unnecessary, but in my opinion convenience justifies their insertion. Moreover, since the publication of the , much valuable material has appeared to which the student should be directed. Continual reference is made to Gilbert's Topographie der Stadt Rom im Altertum, not because I accept his peculiar and frequently erratic views, but because of the full and useful form in which the references to classical literature are usually given. Professor Hülsen has just finished the third part of the first volume of Jordan's Topographie der Stadt Rom im Altertum, and, through his courtesy in furnishing advance sheets, it has been possible to insert references to the first chapters of this volume.

This handbook makes no claim to exhaustiveness or origi-