John Osborne - Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art

British School at Rome Studies builds on the prestigious and long-standing Monographs series of the British School at Rome. It publishes volumes on topics that cover the full range of the history, archaeology and art history of the western Mediterranean both by the staff of the BSR and its present and former members, and by members of the academic community engaged in top-quality research in any of these fields.

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The British School at Rome 2020

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ISBN 978-1-108-83458-2 Hardback

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All photographs are by the author unless otherwise indicated.

My foremost debt is to the British School at Rome, which has welcomed me enthusiastically for more than four decades. Over that time, I have benefited from conversations with a number of the directors, and a great many of the residents; and the library, expertly directed by Valerie Scott, remains my favourite place in the world in which to read and to write. Indeed, the creation of this book began there in the spring of 2018, facilitated by the award of a Balsdon fellowship.

No scholar works in isolation, and over the years I have enjoyed the friendship and counsel of many who share my fascination with early medieval Rome. Sadly, some are no longer with us, among them Leonard Boyle, Caecilia Davis-Weyer, Richard Krautheimer, Tim Potter, and David Whitehouse. But I continue to rejoice in the friendship of many others who have contributed to my understanding in ways large and small, and in that regard I shall single out for mention Maria Andaloro, Antonella Ballardini, Claudia Bolgia, Giulia Bordi, Tom Brown, Robert Coates-Stephens, Marios Costambeys, Sible de Blaauw, Judson Emerick, Julian Gardner, Manuela Gianandrea, Federico Guidobaldi, Alessandra Guiglia, Ingo Herklotz, Lesley Jessop, Gregor Kalas, Dale Kinney, Rosamond McKitterick, Gillian Mackie, Maria Laura Marchiori, Maya Maskarinec, John Mitchell, Giuseppe Morganti, Tom Noble, amonn Carragain, Valentino Pace, Jo Story, Alan Thacker, Erik Thun, Ann van Dijk, and Vera von Falkenhausen. I am grateful to Michelle Duong for the plan of Santa Maria Antiqua included in this volume, to Peter Coffman and Giulia Bordi for their kind assistance in providing photographs, and to Angela Roberts for her meticulous care in catching numerous typographical errors and inconsistencies. Special thanks go to Claudia Bolgia, Rosamond McKitterick, and Tom Noble, whose excellent comments and suggestions have improved the text enormously. We did not always agree on every detail, but as Richard Krautheimer once memorably said to me, I dont like it when you agree with me, as then I cant learn from you.