Review: Paradigm and Progeny: Roman Imperial Architecture and Its Legacy, by Diane Favro, Fikret K. Yegül, John Pinto, and Guy Métraux

Abstract

Diane Favro, Fikret K. Yegul, John Pinto, and Guy Metraux, eds. Paradigm and Progeny: Roman Imperial Architecture and Its Legacy Portsmouth, R.I.: Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2015, 228 pp., 12 color and 131 b/w illus. $109, ISBN 9780991373055 While time-honored, Festschriften usually turn out to be a very mixed bag, displaying piety rather than qualitative progress. Paradigm and Progeny is a glorious exception, with every one of its fourteen chapters making a substantive contribution to scholarship on Roman architecture. The book's genesis was a 2011 conference in honor of William MacDonald at the American Academy in Rome that featured a first-rate cast of presenters. That, and the time taken to prepare the papers for publication, has resulted in an excellent volume that constitutes a real tribute to the range of MacDonald's impact on our understanding of Roman architecture and the inspiration he has provided. The chapters have been well edited; there is no prolixity anywhere, and the information and analysis they present on a variety of key subjects will be an important resource for anyone working in the field. The volume is organized into four parts, each reflecting the honoree's interests and legacy. It starts from the ground up with Part 1, “Construction and Design,” with contributions by Gianni Ponti, Marcello Spanu, and Lothar Haselberger. Using the Severan basilica at Lepcis Magna as a test case, Ponti takes up the basic question of coordination between the marble quarry (in this case Proconnesos) and the architects and builders at the final destination. It was a flexible process that allowed “the architect to design and harmonize architectural orders that were quite different both in their structure and their visual impact” (24). This issue also pertains to Haselberger's rich analysis of the components of the Pantheon facade with the help of 3-D laser scanning: the height variances of the columns are well known, and therefore the Corinthian capitals were configured individually in situ so as to compensate for these irregularities, which were not new (as in the Temple of Mars Ultor). …