Roman Empire

During the days of Poggio the book hunter, the Roman Empire was the seat of power in Italy and was basically the center of the universe. Constantine had declared that Christianity was the religion of the Empire due to the fear that the Protestant Reformation would have on the faithful. Poggio worked in Rome as a papal scribe and as the pope’s secretary. Poggio had a passion for ancient literature and art from the Hellenistic Age. He was dismayed when agents of the papacy destroy beautiful statues, artwork and literature from the time of the agents because they were considered to be symbols of paganism.

Herculaneum

Herculaneum was a resort town in Italy and was buried in the lava and debris that resulted in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that at the same time buried the entire city of Pompeii. Centuries after the tragedy, archeologists...