This book on the roofed spaces (porticoes and exedrae) of the Forum of Augustus provides an account of 12 years of field, bibliographic and archival research. The outcome is an outstanding volume that complements Joachim Ganzert’s monograph on the Temple of Mars Ultor (Reference Ganzert1996) and other studies on various aspects of this prominent building of Augustan Rome. Luca Dal Monte engages with a wealth of evidence, from the traces visible on the masonry of the still-standing walls at the back of the precinct to the numerous, often fragmentary, elements of architectural decoration in the archaeological area and storerooms. In this effort, he is supported by Alessio Galli’s analysis of the Corinthian capitals belonging to the Forum.

The book features a short Introduction, seven chapters and a bibliography. It is thoroughly illustrated with a great selection of colour and black-and-white photographs, plans, diagrams, drawings and reconstructions, all produced in excellent quality. Chapter 1 offers a lucid synthesis of previous research on the Forum of Augustus, from the early explorations in 1825 under French administration to the most recent archaeological excavations during the Great Jubilee (1998–2000) and subsequent works. Chapter 2 describes the extant remains of the porticoes and exedrae and provides a comprehensive typological classification of the architectural elements that can be assigned to these edifices: column bases; shafts; capitals; architraves; friezes; cornices; architectural sculpture and entablatures from the decorative structure above the portico (attic). In addition to the meticulous description of these elements, readers will particularly appreciate the quality of the line drawings.

The main argument develops in Chapter 3, where the author presents a reconstruction of the porticoes and exedrae. Apart from his own research, in this part of the study he draws from the work of the late Heinrich Bauer, most of which was left unpublished or has appeared in the form of preliminary reports (the archival collections of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome are a key source of data). Dal Monte discusses his reconstruction hypotheses of these structures and compares them to the previous suggestions by Bauer (Reference Bauer and Bietti Sestrieri1985) and Lucrezia Ungaro (Reference Ungaro and Ramallo Asensio2004). It is especially appreciated that the author advances two alternative proposals for the roofing system of the porticoes and exedrae, explaining the reasoning process behind his choices. Another important point concerns the ratios of columns and their components. The author tests his data against Vitruvius’s prescriptions and Mark Wilson Jones’s studies on the design of the Corinthian order (Reference Wilson Jones2000). Overall, the porticoes of the Forum of Augustus differ slightly from both of those design principles as well as from the ratios of the porch of the Temple of Mars Ultor. This attests to the experimental character of these architectures in a period of transition from late Republican to imperial building practices. Readers are advised to pay extra attention because the chapter contains a lot of information but some captions and cross-references between text and illustrations are incorrect (for example, the caption of fig. 3.34b on p.135 should read ‘proposta ricostruttiva 2’ instead of ‘proposta ricostruttiva 1’; the final paragraph on p.139 should reference figs. 3.40 and 3.42 instead of figs. 3.39 and 3.41; Tab. 3.1 is nowhere to be found or the table numbering is wrong).

The significance of the Forum of Augustus for the establishment of specific styles is highlighted in Chapters 4 and 5, where its architectural decoration is examined in detail and is compared to the evidence from other buildings in Rome and Latium. The use of Ionic-Attic bases joint to the plinth is one such feature, and the same applies to the architraves with three fasciae, each separated by an astragal, crowned with a Lesbian kymation (leaf-and-dart moulding). With regard to the use of flutes and acanthus leaves on the entablatures of the attic, Dal Monte argues that it was an intentional mix of Etrusco-Italic and Hellenistic motifs. The section on the Corinthian capitals, authored by Galli, outlines the results of his analysis of 394 fragments by reviewing their diagnostic features, from the shape and carving of the acanthus leaves to the ornamental rosettes on the abacus (the flat slab on top of the capital). It also provides a useful, up-to-date account of the evolution of the Corinthian capital from its origin in fifth-century BC Greece to the ultimate standardisation of the ‘Normalkapitell’ in the Augustan era, following the pivotal studies by Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer (Reference Heilmeyer1970) and Patrizio Pensabene (Reference Pensabene1973) among others. Important remarks concern the identification of fragments of later capitals, thus confirming a restoration of the Forum in the second century AD as briefly mentioned in a passage of the Historia Augusta (Life of Hadrian, 19.10). The chapter concludes with the analysis of kymatia and of the famous clipei (shield-formed ornaments) with heads of Jupiter Hammon and other deities/figures that decorated the attic of the portico along with Caryatids (carved female figures acting as columns).

Through a synthesis of the data pertaining to the Forum architecture and architectural ornament, Chapters 6 and 7 address issues about the construction of the site. A much-debated subject concerns the duration of the works, between Octavian’s vow to erect a temple to Mars Ultor in 42 BC and the dedication of the building in 2 BC. The author argues that the planning of the Forum could not have started before 27 BC and should be placed around 20 BC, which would still imply a long construction process as hinted at by Macrobius (Saturnalia, 2.4.9). While it is possible that the porticoes and exedrae were completed before the temple, all these edifices were interlinked as part of a single construction project. Elements of the design of the Forum and the characteristics of its ornamentation show that it was influenced concurrently by Classical, Hellenistic and Romano-Italic models. The harmonious blend of different traditions, as well as the masterful design of the Forum plan and elevation to overcome topographic constraints, attest to the skills of the unknown architect.

To conclude, this is an important book that will be a benchmark for future research on the architecture and architectural decoration of Rome and beyond. Some points raised by the author may be open to debate, but this work stands as an example of sound scholarship, demonstrating that such an in-depth analysis can be achieved only through hard work and diligence.