“Rome, golden, eternally powerful, glorious, world-dominating Rome, sovereign of cities, city of cities, the fortunate, regal, holy city, the greatest of cities, seat of empire and glory.” In 1927 Ernst Kantorowicz summed up with this single sentence the eulogies paid to Rome in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The multiple layers of history of the “eternal city” continue to fascinate today. With its extremes and contradictions, it remains one of the central points of reference for literary and intellectual reflection. However, the masses of visitors primarily looking for this glorious past barely take note of the contemporary rifts in the city.
Rome therefore has to meet the challenges of monument preservation and of the historical heritage, without losing sight of current urban developments. History Takes Place: Rome with contributions by young scholars from a variety of disciplines—history, art history, archaeology, cultural and social sciences, as well as architecture and urban planning—opens up new perspectives on the history of this fascinating European metropolis.
