Pompeii

Pompeii explodes a number of myths - from the very date of the eruption, probably a few months later than usually thought; the hygiene of the baths which must have been hotbeds of germs; and the legendary number of brothels, most likely only one, to the massive death count which was probably less than ten per cent of the population. Street Life, Earning a Living: Baker, Banker and Garum Maker (who ran the city), The Pleasure of the Body: Food, Wine, Sex and Baths, these chapter headings give a surprising insight into the workings of a Roman town. At the Suburban Baths we go from communal bathing to hygiene to erotica. A fast-food joint on the Via dell' Abbondanza introduces food and drink and diets and street life. These are just a few of the strands that make up an extraordinary and involving portrait of an ancient town, its life and its continuing re-discovery, by Britain's leading classicist.

ISBN 1861975961   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9781861975966 (What's this?)   Pages 416 Publisher Profile Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Profile Books Ltd   Previous ISBN 9781861975164 Format Paperback   Height (mm) 198 Publication date 16 Jul 2009   Width (mm) 129 DEWEY 937.7   Academic level General

		Plan of Pompeii
		Introduction		1
Chapter 1		Living in an Old City		26
Chapter 2		Street Life		53
Chapter 3		House and Home		81
Chapter 4		Painting and Decorating		120
Chapter 5		Earning a Living: Baker, Banker and Garum Maker		152
Chapter 6		Who Ran the City?		188
Chapter 7		The Pleasures of the Body: Food, Wine, Sex and Baths		216
Chapter 8		Fun and Games		251
Chapter 9		A City Full of Gods		276
		Epilogue		309
		Making a Visit		314
		Further Reading		317
		Acknowledgements		336
		List of Figures		338
		List of Illustrations		339
		Index		346

"'Much of what you think you know about Pompeii may turn out, on reading this eye-opening book, to be wrong. Beard, a professor of classics at Cambridge, always wears her learning lightly, and in this outstanding book she has excelled herself, puncturing preconceptions and exposing a whole layer of myth about the world's best-preserved ancient town. The result is an often gripping piece of detective work that also offers a tantalising window into the reality of daily Roman life.' The Sunday Times History Books of the Year - Andrew Holgate * 'A learned and fascinating book'- Guardian * 'In this brilliant portrait of the "life in a Roman town", Mary Beard uses the relics buried by the eruption on AD79 to bring everyday Roman culture alive'- Sunday Times * 'Compelling' - Independent"

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