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DAVIES, Penelope J.E., Death and the Emperor. Roman Imperial Funerary Monuments from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. University of Texas Press, Austin, 2004. XIV,265p. Richly ills.(B&W photographs and line drawings). Paperback. Upper corner back slightly bumped. This concise and lucidly written book is a very valuable new contribution to the studies of Roman imperial cult, political propaganda, and topography, and has the added benefit of discussing complex scholarly disputes in a manner that the non-specialist will probably follow with ease. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to my undergraduate students, although they are not the audience for whom it was primarily written. (...) The monuments that D. analyzes in depth are: the Mausoleum of Augustus and its associated structures, Arch of Titus, Temple of the Flavian Dynasty, Column of Trajan, Mausoleum of Hadrian, Column of Antoninus Pius, and Column of Marcus Aurelius. Some of these did not actually contain the remains of the persons that they honored, but all were intended to serve as commemorative monuments after their honorees had died. Surprisingly, however, although all of these monuments have been studied in detail, they have not been studied in relation to one another specifically in the context of their funerary function. D.'s approach allows her to explore an elaborate set of relationships among the funerary monuments and between each monument and its patron's other building projects. (...) University libraries should definitely acquire this book. (...) it deserves a place in the individual scholar's library as well. There is material in this volume that will be immensely useful to researchers in many areas: archaeology, history of architecture, iconography, history of religion, and Roman political propaganda, to name just a few. I strongly recommend it to scholars interested in any or all of the above topics.' (SUSAN WOOD in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2000.12.08). € 19.50 (Antiquarian) ISBN: 9780292702752