Rome antique

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https://boutique.lefigaro.fr/produit/140392-rome-antique

Six illustrations from the book published by Les Belles Lettres — Part III

For Le Figaro Hors-Série, a major French reference magazine, I created eight original drawings that open the issue and accompany the opening texts.

These illustrations engage in direct dialogue with the historical essay written by Alexandre Grandazzi, a leading specialist in ancient Roman history.

Rome was said to be eternal. Shaped by a long history, the city learned early on that to avoid being conquered, it had to conquer. Its power spread to the very edges of the known world, transforming a city into an empire whose name alone struck fear into surrounding peoples.

Its first emperor, Augustus, famously claimed that he had found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble. Today, the surviving remains of this grandeur still suggest the splendor that once defined the Eternal City.

Le Figaro Hors-Série invites readers on a journey through the history of Rome, from its mythical foundation by Romulus in 753 BC to the collapse of the Empire in the fifth century AD. From the Forum to the Colosseum, from Nero’s Domus Aurea to the Baths of Caracalla, from pagan temples to catacombs and early Christian churches, the life of the Romans unfolds in all its dimensions (political, religious, artistic, and everyday) revealed through the art by which they elevated it.

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The eight drawings

The eight drawings presented here open the magazine and mark the major stages of this historical narrative.

Each one represents a founding event or a pivotal moment in Roman history, closely resonating with Alexandre Grandazzi’s text.

Through rigorous visual reconstruction (grounded in historical, archaeological, and iconographic sources) these images aim to capture the spirit of Rome: its power, its complexity, its sense of spectacle, and its ability to transform art, architecture, and politics into instruments of dominance and cultural influence.

More than simple illustrations, these drawings function as visual thresholds. They usher the reader into each period, establish an atmosphere, and invite a true journey through time; into the very heart of Roman civilization.