"Such a synthesis has never been attempted before, and the author ... has performed this much-needed service with exceptional distinction and clarity of purpose."--Art Digest "Here is a book ... that tells us what became of the gods after the fall of Rome, in what strange disguises they lived on, and how they emerged in the Quattrocento with odd attributes and symbols the ancients never knew... It is a formidable task, demanding vast learning in many fields; and it is brilliantly performed."--The Times Literary Supplement