You also write that you think there is too much of a focus on the social side of things in chapter seven. I wonder what you think about Long’s treatment of cultural or social history, if either of those are the right label, in the rest of the book. Personally, looking back, I find her discussions of physical infrastructure and engineering projects more memorable than her discussion of politics and social life.

Still, I want to hold judgement until our discussion in class tomorrow. When I think of a city as famous as Rome, even though I’ve never had the luck to visit it, beautiful architecture and larger-than-life figures, like Popes or Roman emperors, automatically come to mind. Delicious food, too, but that’s besides the point here. Anyway, it was refreshing to read Long’s discussion of the mundane details of municipal government, like how the Capitoline Council worked and the political bickering between Romans when they were trying to repair aqueducts.

Whatever decision I make about Long’s book, reading your review emphasized interesting themes about urban history and the relationship between human beings and the environment in which they live.