"Intended as a sequel to Rome in the Eighth Century (Cambridge, 2020), this survey of the material culture of the city of Rome spans the period from the imperial coronation of Charlemagne in 800 to the nadir of the fortunes of the Roman Church a century later. The evidence of standing buildings, objects, historical documents, and archaeology is brought together to create an integrated picture of the political, economic, and cultural situation in the city over this period, one characterized initially by substantial wealth resulting in enormous patronage of art and architecture, but then followed by almost total impoverishment and collapse. John Osborne also attempts to correct the widespread notion that the Franco-papal alliance of the late eighth century led to a political and cultural break between Rome and the broader cultural world of the Christian eastern Mediterranean. Beautifully illustrated, this book is essential for everyone interested in medieval Rome. Integrates the evidence of standing remains and their decoration with historical documents and archaeology, a methodological approach here deemed 'history in art,' assesses the collapse of the city's physical security in the last quarter of the ninth century on the Roman church and its patronage of material culture, and demonstrates the continuing participation of Rome in the cultural milieu of the Christian Mediterranean, broadly defined." --