..., the analysis highlights three themes: regional variation, power, and the legacy of Rome. Collectively, the book's chapters establish the complex cultural realities which distinguished Europe in the period between the end of the central institutions of the western Roman empire in the 5th century...

..., it allows us to understand Renaissance culture as a constant negotiation between appropriating and contesting the idea and ideal of Rome. This battle over the legacy of Rome was fought most vehemently in a period in European history that was full of real political, religious, cultural, and artistic...