The importance of the motif of the Roman triumph or pompa triumphalis in art history and literature is well-known. However, until the present publication of Dr. Margaret Zaho’s magisterial work, the subject has never been presented with such a depth of research and clarity of presentation. Dr. Zaho traces the iconographical, intellectual and political traditions that evolved around the motif from Nineveh, about 700 B.C., to its powerful expression of self-aggrandizement by the independent rulers of fifteenth-century Italy. This study is a major addition to the scholarship in the fields of art history, literature, architecture and social and political history. In addition, the general reader interested in the many connections between artistic imagery and historical circumstances would benefit from its contents. The reproduction excellence of the large number of plates included is another major source of academic value of this work. (Joanne Snow-Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, University of Washington, Seattle)