Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World [Paperback]

Alexander G. McKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

In Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World, Alexander G. McKay examines simple houses, mansions, estates, and palatial buildings, and he pays particular attention to accounts of ancient writers that deal with such topics as house design, interiors, furnishings, and gardens. Describing innovative high-rise apartments, her compact civic squares, large public buildings, temples, shopping centers, and commercial areas, he shows that Roman civilization was astonishingly similar to our own. He also discusses the conditions of life in the Roman provinces, where recent discoveries have shed fresh light on private and communal living. McKay has enhanced the text by the inclusion of over 150 illustrations of plans, sites, and reconstructions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A well-documented, scholarly book on a subject of great interest—a resume of the domestic architecture of all periods and levels of the Roman world.

(Times Literary Supplement )

"Striking a judicious balance between the archaeological and the literary evidence, McKay has compressed a surprising amount of material into a limited space... [This] volume is eminently useful both to the scholar and to the beginning student.

(Vergilius )

Book Description

This attractively illustrated book surveys Roman domestic architecture from the time of the Etruscans to the late Roman Empire.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801859042
• ISBN-13: 978-0801859045
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Cruel and Inhuman Book!, June 5, 2000

By 

Marilyn I Traber - See all my reviews

This review is from: Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World (Paperback)

This book has given me the incredible desire to take the rest of my life and do nothing except tour the archeological sites of classical Etruscan and Imperial Roman towns and cities! Alexander McKay- You are very cruel.

For many years I have seen pictures in books and online of fragments and ruins of buildings, which can be interesting but seeing the pictures in the context of a complete floor plan brings a sudden epiphany of how our forebearers lived. I spent 7 hours surfing on the net looking at the pictures online for a number of the palaces and houses included in this book and dreaming of an itinerary covering almost all of western Europe,northern Africa and great areas of the near and mid East. Now I need to go out and win a very large lottery to afford it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Houses.Villas,Palaces in the Ancient Roman World, July 1, 2011

By 

Harrison R.T.Davis (TROY, NY, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World (Paperback)

OUTSTANDING:DETAILS OF HOMES, ROOM SIZES, AS IN ROOMS OFF THE
ATRIUM, INFOOR FOUNTAINS, HOMES AND VILLA AND PALACE DESIGNS.
Bedroom and Kitchen sizes, and a real glimpse into the Roman
World.

3.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT the survey course!, September 13, 2011

By 

Art Chance (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World (Paperback)

I kinda, sorta know my way around architectural drawings and terminolgoy, at least at the advanced homeowner/handyman level. I even had two years of Latin back when you had to have Latin and a "foreign" language to get out of high school. But, I'll admit a good bit of this was over my head, especially the architectural terminology.

That said, it has some very good plans, photos, and illustrations and even if you're missing some of the meaning because of the arcane or foreign terminology, you can still "get the drift" of what the writer is telling you. But I'm still looking for that good survey level book on Roman architecture, especially the villa rustica style, that might help me come up with a plan that is easily adapted to the Southern US - and to a lifestyle that doesn't involve servants. I guess that is the single most important thing I've learned about Roman architecture so far; the plans for the nicer, larger house all assume that the owners will be attended to by servants/slaves so convenient locations and traffic patterns aren't much of a concern.