Exploring the Life, Myth, and Art of Ancient Rome

January 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-These volumes put the art from ancient civilizations in context, explaining how a society's religious beliefs, legends, and cultural traditions manifest themselves through images and iconography. The beautiful layout features full-color photographs of architecture, sculpture, and painting on every page, accompanied by informative captions. Each book begins with a chapter called "Image and Imagination," which attempts to define the "soul" of the civilization before delving into its history, artistic inspirations, and common aesthetic motifs. Interspersed between chapters are sumptuous spreads on prominent architectural accomplishments of particular significance (the Roman Forum, the Parthenon, Palenque) and recurring themes and designs (Roman emblems of power, Greek plant motifs, and Mayan vision serpents). Historical exposition is a bit cursory in Rome and Greece, whose authors assume some background knowledge on the part of readers. For example, the impact of Epicureanism and Stoicism on Roman thinking is mentioned, but minimal explanation of the two philosophies is offered. The dry writing styles make the texts less appealing than the bountiful, crisp images; browsers will find plenty to feast their eyes upon, but may not be pulled into a closer reading. Students pursuing art- or mythology-related research projects will find these volumes helpful; they differ from many of the other young adult titles on these cultures with their wide-angle view. However, the books may not serve the needs of students looking for a general reference.-Kate Hewitt, Far Brook School, Short Hills, NJ

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