Ancient Town-Planning #250222

The task of collecting and examining these details is not easy. It needs much local knowledge and many local books, all of which are hard to come by. Here, as in most branches of Roman history, we want a series of special inquiries into the fortunes of individual Roman towns in Italy and the provinces, carried out by men who combine two things which seldom go together, scientific and parochial knowledge. But a body of evidence already waits to be used, and though its discussion may lead — as it has led me — into topo graphical minutiae, where completeness and certainty are too often unattainable and errors are fatally easy, my results may nevertheless contain some new sug gestions and may help some future workers.