LIFE AND DEATH IN THE ROMAN SUBURB

Narrator Janet Metzger brings skilled attention to this text, a primarily archaeological examination of Roman settlements and construction beyond city walls, mostly in the late Republic and early Imperial periods. But the choice of the audio format for this book is questionable. It's rather dry, probably meant for academics, includes many sentence-long quotations from Latin, and, of key importance, lacks all of the book's many, many illustrative figures. Metzger reads a bit too quickly, or perhaps relentlessly, with no rest for the listener to absorb the often technical and jargon-laden details. Despite her efforts--she deserves praise for both accuracy and expressiveness--specialists will want the printed text and figures, and nonspecialists, while being informed, may find this program difficult going. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]