A remarkably brilliant and successful General in the Roman war against the Carthaginians, Scipio was also regarded, down the ages as the pattern of a good and upright man. After capturing New Carthage, and taking prisoner a very beautiful princess, he not only restored her unharmed to her parents, but added immense presents for her fiancé. The archaeological investigations being carried out whilst Allan was in Italy were revealing unknown facts about the dress and furnishings of ancient Rome, and the artistic circle to which he belonged delighted in using this information for pictorial reconstructions of ancient history and poetry.