Paul W. Jacobs II - Campus Martius : the Field of Mars in the life of ancient Rome

A mosquito-infested and swampy plain lying north of the city walls, Rome's Campus Martius, or Field of Mars, was used for much of the Roman Republic as a military training ground and as a site for celebratory rituals and the occasional political assembly. Initially punctuated with temples vowed by victorious generals, during the imperial era it became filled with extraordinary baths, theaters, porticoes, aqueducts, and other structures many of which were architectural firsts for the capital. This book explores the myriad factors that contributed to the transformation of the Campus Martius from an occasionally visited space to a crowded center of daily activity. It presents a case study of the repurposing of urban landscape in the Roman world and explores how existing topographical features that fit well with the republic's needs ultimately attracted architecture that forever transformed those features but still resonated with the area's original military and ceremonial traditions.

PAUL W. JACOBS II is an independent scholar who focuses on ancient Rome and its topographical development. A graduate of Harvard College and the University of Virginia Law School, and a litigator by training, Jacobs has practiced and published in the area of voting rights, where knowledge of demographics, mapmaking, and geography is essential. He has spent extensive time in Rome and has studied the ancient city and its development for decades.

DIANE ATNALLY CONLIN is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is author of the award-winning The Artists of the Ara Pacis (1997) and is codirector of the University of Colorado and Comune di Roma excavations at the Villa of Maxentius in Rome. She specializes in the production and style of Roman relief sculpture. In addition to her art historical and archaeological research, Conlin has won numerous teaching awards, including a lifetime appointment as a President's Teaching Scholar.

This book is the result of a decade-long journey through Rome's centro storico searching for the evidence of its ancient past. As with any lengthy adventure, it is easy to take a wrong turn, and you are always grateful for the assistance of both passersby and fellow travelers to keep you headed in the right direction. The directions can be detailed or sketchy or just provide encouragement, but without them the trip would be much longer and, perhaps, unfulfilled. Early in the travels, I was able to tap into the formidable sense of direction and jovial support of the late William MacDonald. His scribbled postcard notes are still treasured. At various points as I wandered through the twists and turns of the project, I would reach out to Diane Favro, who was never too busy to provide advice, share source material, and encourage the effort. When the signposts in Latin or Greek were confusing and nuanced, Walt Stephenson at the University of Richmond was always there to prevent mistakes. Occasionally, doors to subterranean Rome were locked, but Angela Federico found the right persons with the keys to let me in and continue the journey. Jeffrey Becker and Ross Twele at the University of North Carolina's Ancient World Mapping Center provided extraordinary assistance with the maps of the ancient Field of Mars.

When I determined to memorialize the adventure, there was one person who was willing to stop, listen to the story, and decide that it was worth sharing Beatrice Rehl. Without her support and that of Cambridge University Press the record of the journey would have remained unseen. As the project developed, I recognized that support under the elbow was required to get to the end, and Diane Atnally Conlin graciously agreed to join the hike. She brought in her backpack a formidable knowledge of Roman topography and history, and I am most grateful for her willingness to supply her expertise to the endeavor. With Diane came a most remarkable assistant, Joanna Schmitz, who double-checked every citation and note and searched for the perfect translation. Joanna's work was invaluable. The anonymous readers pointed us in the right direction when wrong turns were about to be taken, and we are appreciative of their help. Wendy Yohman provided her excellent word-processing skills to sew the manuscript together. I am particularly grateful to my partners at Christian & Barton for indulging my lengthy trips to Rome to allow the work to continue.

More fortunate than most, I had a fellow traveler, a partner in crime as it were, who was with me throughout the journey to climb down ladders and crawl under churches, to get me into archives and to deal with bureaucratic headaches. She queried every proposition in the book and dealt with more than a few prepositions. Having trekked along many similar trails, she knew the pitfalls and kept me from tripping. It is easy to say that without Fredrika Jacobs at my side, this book would not have happened, and it is to her and our progeny that the book is most lovingly dedicated.