Several capitals and a frieze of Roman Villas 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created this print titled, *Several capitals and a frieze of Roman Villas*, in the 18th century using etching. Piranesi, who was Venetian, spent much of his life in Rome, producing an incredible number of prints documenting both extant and imagined Roman antiquities. Here, Piranesi presents an array of Roman architectural fragments with detailed precision. During this period, Rome was a site where European identity was being constructed through a selective engagement with its classical past. By meticulously documenting these architectural relics, Piranesi contributed to the ongoing dialogue about cultural heritage, power, and the formation of Western identity. The print offers us access to Piranesi's Rome, which was as much a figment of his imagination as it was a historical record. We can appreciate the print as an exploration of how the past shapes our present, and perhaps more importantly, our future.