Review: The Roman Villa in the Mediterranean Basin: Late Republic to Late Antiquity, edited by Annalisa Marzano and Guy P. R. Métraux

This monumental volume on Roman villas, encyclopedic in conception and meticulous in presentation, is a testament to the importance of its subject and the expertise of its coeditors. In twenty-five chapters by thirty-one specialists, the book explores the vital role played by villas in the Roman economy and elite society, both in Italy and in the Roman provinces that bordered the Mediterranean. A fundamental goal of the book is to present an overview of recent research on villas around the Roman Empire that can serve as a guide to further exploration. While the editors have necessarily been selective, the collected chapters convey a sense of the vitality of...