The city of Rome is the largest archaeological site in the world, capital and showcase of the Roman Empire and the centre of Christian Europe. Whether exploring Rome in person or wishing to understand it from afar, the Oxford Archaeological Guide is an essential resource for academics, students, historians, visitors, and all readers interested in the ancient city and the Roman world.The guide presents detailed archaeological explanations and historical background to both the most famous and lesser known sites of the city, combined with practical on-site information, including itineraries, museum tips, and glossaries. Amanda Claridge and Christopher Siwicki place Rome in the context of the development of the empire, highlighting the nature of Roman achievement, and explaining how Rome came to be the largest city in the ancient world. Accessibly written, it draws on the latest discoveries and the best of recent scholarship, to illuminate ancient Rome for experts and new-comers alike. For this expanded new edition the text has been extensively revised in line with recent discoveries, openings, and scholarship. Numerous new sites and illustrations have been added, the itineraries re-organized and expanded to suit the many changes that have taken place in the fifteen years since the previous edition, and the practical information, bibliography, and references fully updated.