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Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674040848
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 378
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Book Description
Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and Byzantine overlords, the fishermen, salt gatherers, and traders who settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative history, James H. S. McGregor recreates this world-turned-upside-down, with its waterways rather than roads, its boats tethered alongside dwellings, and its livelihood harvested from the sea. McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the shallow Lagoon, carving channels in its bed and depositing islands of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians to the demands and opportunities of this harsh environment—transforming the channels into canals, reclaiming salt marshes for the construction of massive churches, erecting a thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal. Through McGregor’s eyes, we witness the flowering of Venice’s restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Mark’s soaring basilica, the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood churches, and the colorful religious festivals—but also in theatrical productions, gambling casinos, and masked revelry, which reveal the city’s less pious and orderly face. McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a crumbling, tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a chronological and geographical organization, so that readers can trace the city’s evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can explore it district by district on foot and by boat.
Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674040848
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 378
Get Book Here
Book Description
Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and Byzantine overlords, the fishermen, salt gatherers, and traders who settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative history, James H. S. McGregor recreates this world-turned-upside-down, with its waterways rather than roads, its boats tethered alongside dwellings, and its livelihood harvested from the sea. McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the shallow Lagoon, carving channels in its bed and depositing islands of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians to the demands and opportunities of this harsh environment—transforming the channels into canals, reclaiming salt marshes for the construction of massive churches, erecting a thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal. Through McGregor’s eyes, we witness the flowering of Venice’s restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Mark’s soaring basilica, the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood churches, and the colorful religious festivals—but also in theatrical productions, gambling casinos, and masked revelry, which reveal the city’s less pious and orderly face. McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a crumbling, tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a chronological and geographical organization, so that readers can trace the city’s evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can explore it district by district on foot and by boat.
Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674057384
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 346
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Book Description
Paris is the most personal of cities. There is a Paris for the medievalist, and another for the modernistÑa Paris for expatriates, philosophers, artists, romantics, and revolutionaries of every stripe. James H. S. McGregor brings these multiple perspectives into focus throughout this concise, unique history of the City of Light. His panorama begins with an ancient Gallic fortress on the Seine, burned to the ground by its own defenders in a vain effort to starve out CaesarÕs legions. After ninth-century raids by the Vikings ended, Parisians expanded the walls of their tiny sanctuary on the Ile de la Cit, turning the riverÕs right bank into a thriving commercial district and the Rive Gauche into a college town. Gothic spires expressed a taste for architectural novelty, matched only by the palaces and pleasure gardens of successive monarchs whose ingenuity made Paris the epitome of everything French. The fires of Revolution threatened all that had come before, but Baron Haussmann saw opportunity in the wreckage. No planned city in the world is more famous than his. Paris from the Ground Up allows readers to trace the cityÕs evolution in its architecture and artÑfrom the Roman arena to the Muse dÕOrsay, from the LouvreÕs defensive foundations to I. M. PeiÕs transparent pyramids. Color maps, along with identifying illustrations, make the city accessible to visitors by foot, Metro, or riverboat.
Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674022637
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 366
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Book Description
Rome is not one city but many, each with its own history unfolding from a different center: now the trading port on the Tiber; now the Forum of antiquity; the Palatine of imperial power; the Lateran Church of Christian ascendancy; the Vatican; the Quirinal palace. Beginning with the very shaping of the ground on which Rome first rose, this book conjures all these cities, past and present, conducting the reader through time and space to the complex and shifting realities—architectural, historical, political, and social—that constitute Rome. A multifaceted historical portrait, this richly illustrated work is as gritty as it is gorgeous, immersing readers in the practical world of each period. James H. S. McGregor’s explorations afford the pleasures of a novel thick with characters and plot twists: amid the life struggles, hopes, and failures of countless generations, we see how things truly worked, then and now; we learn about the materials of which Rome was built; of the Tiber and its bridges; of roads, aqueducts, and sewers; and, always, of power, especially the power to shape the city and imprint it with a particular personality—like that of Nero or Trajan or Pope Sixtus V—or a particular institution. McGregor traces the successive urban forms that rulers have imposed, from emperors and popes to national governments including Mussolini’s. And, in archaeologists’ and museums’ presentation of Rome’s past, he shows that the documenting of history itself is fraught with power and politics. In McGregor’s own beautifully written account, the power and politics emerge clearly, manifest in the distinctive styles and structures, practical concerns and aesthetic interests that constitute the myriad Romes of our day and days past.
Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674256263
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 366
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Book Description
Rome is not one city but many, each with its own history unfolding from a different center: now the trading port on the Tiber; now the Forum of antiquity; the Palatine of imperial power; the Lateran Church of Christian ascendancy; the Vatican; the Quirinal palace. Beginning with the very shaping of the ground on which Rome first rose, this book conjures all these cities, past and present, conducting the reader through time and space to the complex and shifting realities--architectural, historical, political, and social--that constitute Rome. A multifaceted historical portrait, this richly illustrated work is as gritty as it is gorgeous, immersing readers in the practical world of each period. James McGregor's explorations afford the pleasures of a novel thick with characters and plot twists: amid the life struggles, hopes, and failures of countless generations, we see how things truly worked, then and now; we learn about the materials of which Rome was built; of the Tiber and its bridges; of roads, aqueducts, and sewers; and, always, of power, especially the power to shape the city and imprint it with a particular personality--like that of Nero or Trajan or Pope Sixtus V--or a particular institution. McGregor traces the successive urban forms that rulers have imposed, from emperors and popes to national governments including Mussolini's. And, in archaeologists' and museums' presentation of Rome's past, he shows that the documenting of history itself is fraught with power and politics. In McGregor's own beautifully written account, the power and politics emerge clearly, manifest in the distinctive styles and structures, practical concerns and aesthetic interests that constitute the myriad Romes of our day and days past.
Author: Sharad Raj
Publisher: StoryMirror Infotech Pvt Ltd
ISBN: 936070864X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270
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Book Description
“From the Ground…Up” is not just the story of Raj, the protagonist, but a universal journey that reflects the aspirations and struggles we all face. Once we set a goal, we must find the means and the determination to achieve it. Along the way, the Supreme Power tests us, yet we must continue to believe in ourselves and work tirelessly toward our dreams, it is in these very challenges that we find the strength to push forward. This tale weaves together the obstacles, humor, opportunities, and romance that define our experiences. As Raj navigates the ups and downs of his journey, he learns that perseverance and belief in oneself are key to overcoming life's hurdles. Will Raj succeed in his pursuit? Will he reach the heights he dreams of? Only time will tell.
Author: Goodwin B. Steinberg
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804745291
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 172
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Book Description
The renowned architect surveys the architectural underpinnings and modern design flavors of America's high tech capital--Silicon Valley--capturing not only the corporate world, but also public buildings, churches, hotels, community centers, museums, and private homes. (Fine Arts)
Author: Fred E. Weick
Publisher: Smithsonian Books (DC)
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 472
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Book Description
Author: James H. S. McGregor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674026049
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 354
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Book Description
Author: Veronica West-Harling
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191069124
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 721
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Book Description
The richest and most politically complex regions in Italy in the earliest middle ages were the Byzantine sections of the peninsula, thanks to their links with the most coherent early medieval state, the Byzantine empire. This comparative study of the histories of Rome, Ravenna, and Venice examines their common Byzantine past, since all three escaped incorporation into the Lombard kingdom in the late 7th and early 8th centuries. By 750, however, Rome and Ravenna's political links with the Byzantine Empire had been irrevocably severed. Thus, did these cities remain socially and culturally heirs of Byzantium? How did their political structures, social organisation, material culture, and identities change? Did they become part of the Western political and ideological framework of Italy? This study identifies and analyses the ways in which each of these cities preserved the structures of the Late Antique social and cultural world; or in which they adapted each and every element available to them to their own needs, at various times and in various ways, to create a new identity based partly on their Roman heritage and partly on their growing integration with the rest of medieval Italy. It tells a story which encompasses the main contemporary narratives, documentary evidence, recent archaeological discoveries, and discussions on art history; it follows the markers of status and identity through titles, names, ethnic groups, liturgy and ritual, foundation myths, representations, symbols, and topographies of power to shed light on a relatively little known area of early medieval Italian history.
Author: Philip Gwynne Jones
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781492162582
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
Philip and Caroline Jones, two IT workers from Edinburgh, found themselves facing redundancy. Their response was to give up everything, and to move to Venice in search of a new life. The Venice Project chronicles their move to Italy, and their experiences of their first year in La Serenissima. A hilarious and informative journey through the trials and practicalities of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary city; for lovers of Italy and Venice, and all those who have had a dream. The Venice Project: it's never too late to change your life...
