Few books can be written with the input of only one person, no matter how hard the writer tries to research the material. For this book, I was supported—as always—by my wife and daughter—but also by professionals whose broad-reaching expertise was critical to me getting the facts straight.
Dr. Barbara Wolff of Montgomery College, a professor of archeology, raised my level of understanding of that discipline, not to her own expertise, but high enough to ensure that I could capably describe the process of physical anthropology. Don Oldenburg, my editor, is a constant encouragement in the process, and his presence is always felt as I write.
Although I don’t normally mention the Italian people in a general sense—or the thousands of years of their culture that inspire me—the history and tradi
