Books
Lapidarium: Gem of a collection of stones and their interplay with humanity
Renowned art critic Hettie Judah’s guide to the rocks that have shaped us and, in turn, been shaped by us is both accessible and informative
“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” That was the boast of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Before his reign, temples in the Eternal City were typically timber and brick structures faced in stucco and whitewashed.
From quarries in the mountains of Carrara in Tuscany, Julius Caesar started to extract marble with the aim of glorifying Rome. But it was his son Augustus who elaborately realised this ambition ...
