Gaston Boissier (1823-1908), an outstanding French historian, is one of the best researchers of Roman culture. A thorough analysis of sources, a deep understanding of major processes, artistic portraits of historical figures of the Roman world, the breadth of historical horizons - these are the main advantages of his works. Boissier had a unique ability to depict Roman society clearly and vividly from its epigraphic and literary evidence. According to one of the historian’s contemporaries, he “was more than a scientist, he was a writer, endowed with historical imagination and subtle taste.”

The attention of readers is brought to Boissier’s most interesting work on the archaeological monuments of Rome. The reader will get acquainted with some of the most famous sights of the great capital - the famous Forum, the Palatine Hill, the mysterious catacombs, the former luxurious Villa of Hadrian and the port of Ostia.