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Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum (Paperback) /anglais
In AD 79, the beautiful Bay of Naples was rocked by the dramatic fiery eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii and Herculaneum--and countless nearby farms, estates, and villages--were completely buried under pumice and super-heated ash. It was arguably the most widely recognized volcanic eruption in recorded history, and the ruins it left behind are our most valuable archaeological record of day-to-day life in the Roman empire.This magnificently illustrated book illuminates the daily lives of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The plaster-cast bodies of the victims are the most vivid reminders of the horrific event that made Pompeii so well-known, but who were these men, women, and children so cruelly frozen in time? Drawing on full-color photographs of more than 200 excavated objects--from a soldier's sword to a shopkeeper's blue glass storage bottle-Paul Roberts, a curator at the British Museum, lifts the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum out of the ashes and ruins of their homes and brings them back into the light. Roberts explores every room in the typical Roman home. Here are bronze busts and magnificent mosaics from an entrance area; beautiful frescoes and silver drinking cups from a dining room; a carbonized wooden cradle and birth certificate of a little girl from a bedroom and library; and bottles for fish sauce and cooking pots from a kitchen. In addition, Roberts offers an engaging discussion of the many shops founds in the two cities, ranging from bakeries to taverns, and he also reconstructs the catastrophe, drawing on the best archaeological and geological evidence, as well as the eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger.With sharp full-color photographs of the most celebrated artifacts, including incredible recent finds from Herculaneum, this book captures the public face and private life of real Roman families.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
6 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Paul Roberts
275 books10 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 5, 2018
Having visited Pompeii and Herculaneum just last week (largely because of the exhibition which this book accompanies), I had to read this book as soon as possible. It gave my own experience at these two incredible sites - places I have longed to visit my entire life - a great deal of context. Likewise, if you have visited the sites (or the exhibition), you will get more from the book.
It is a substantial volume and is far more than a catalogue of this summer's exhibition at the British Museum. Chapters focus on aspects of life and death (but mostly life) in the two cities leading up to the eruption, supported by glorious full-colour images of buildings and artefacts alike. The text is full of useful information, structured in chapters that move from one room of a building to the next, as well as looking at public spaces of the cities, but it doesn't pretend to examine the sites or monuments in detail. Instead Roberts provides useful references for further personal exploration. The tragedy of the eruption for the inhabitants of the two cities, some of whom are captured here along with their possessions in moving photographs, is not neglected.
If you have any interest in Pompeii and Herculaneum then this is well worth having on your shelves, to dip into and to read through more slowly.
It is a substantial volume and is far more than a catalogue of this summer's exhibition at the British Museum. Chapters focus on aspects of life and death (but mostly life) in the two cities leading up to the eruption, supported by glorious full-colour images of buildings and artefacts alike. The text is full of useful information, structured in chapters that move from one room of a building to the next, as well as looking at public spaces of the cities, but it doesn't pretend to examine the sites or monuments in detail. Instead Roberts provides useful references for further personal exploration. The tragedy of the eruption for the inhabitants of the two cities, some of whom are captured here along with their possessions in moving photographs, is not neglected.
If you have any interest in Pompeii and Herculaneum then this is well worth having on your shelves, to dip into and to read through more slowly.
April 13, 2013
Extremely readable and superbly illustrated account of the last days of the cities destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79. It's accurate, too. I went on an Andante Tour with Herculaneum expert Prof Andrew-Wallace-Hadrill in January 2013, and Paul Roberts is absolutely up-to-date with the latest theories. I'm giving two free talks for families at the British Museum in May 2013, and it's wonderful to have this fabulous resource.
June 27, 2017
I bought this book after going to the British Museums Pompeii exhibition in 2013, but didn't get around to start reading it until the end of 2016.
The book describes a typical Pompeiian, and by extension Roman, household room by room at the time of the eruption in 79 AD. The book largely follows the layout that was presented in that exhibition, although you don't have to have gone to the exhibition to appreciate what it describes as it gives you a plan at the start of the book.
It was a great read with many illuminating facts and vignettes around the artifacts that were both at the exhition and found in other parts of Pompeii. It also gives you a context around the rooms and artefacts so the reader can better understand both them and the wider Roman world. The fact that names can be put to owners of some of the artefacts and the familys who inhabited many of the buildings in Pompeii adds to a sense of human connection to real people who lived nearly 2,000 years go - powerfull stuff!
Along with good illustrations and colour photographs it all added up to a great book to read or alternatively dip into.
The book describes a typical Pompeiian, and by extension Roman, household room by room at the time of the eruption in 79 AD. The book largely follows the layout that was presented in that exhibition, although you don't have to have gone to the exhibition to appreciate what it describes as it gives you a plan at the start of the book.
It was a great read with many illuminating facts and vignettes around the artifacts that were both at the exhition and found in other parts of Pompeii. It also gives you a context around the rooms and artefacts so the reader can better understand both them and the wider Roman world. The fact that names can be put to owners of some of the artefacts and the familys who inhabited many of the buildings in Pompeii adds to a sense of human connection to real people who lived nearly 2,000 years go - powerfull stuff!
Along with good illustrations and colour photographs it all added up to a great book to read or alternatively dip into.
June 30, 2019
This book was a companion to a wonderful exhibit I saw at the British Museum a few years ago. I can't believe I hauled this heavy beast all the way back to the U.S. It is one of the best books I have read about Pompeii and Herculaneum and the wonderful color photos are a definite plus. I just wish I had bought the hardcover version (even heavier) as the binding on the paperback has not held up well. This year I finally was able to travel to Pompeii. It was late March and surprisingly uncrowded. We sometimes found ourselves totally alone in the maze of streets. I'm glad I finally got to see it.
May 3, 2021
This was EXCELLENT! I am obsessed with Pompeii and Herculaneum, so to get such an in depth look at the artifacts is always amazing. But Roberts’s goes even further, providing a wonderful look into the houses and everyday lives within the cities, discussing the rich, the poor, and the enslaved. If I didn’t work at the library, I would be tempted to keep it, wait for the bill, and angrily insist that I turned it in (don’t tell my director). Definitely would recommend to other Pompeii fanatics like myself!
October 13, 2020
A well-written and fabulous study of most, if not all, facets of life in these cities prior to their destruction. There are many beautiful color illustrations throughout. I lingered over this book for 5 years, not wanting to finish it. But now I have another book about Pompeii waiting for me so I am reluctantly moving on. The detailed bibliography at the back is providing me with the titles of even more books to purchase.
April 1, 2024
An excellent guided tour of the evacuations of Pompeii and Herculaneum, filled with photographs and descriptions of the architecture, artwork, mosaics, graffiti, statues, jewelry, cosmetics, kitchen utensils, wine jars, skeletons, bodies, and more of all the people and stuff that made up this once bustling city.
October 7, 2022
Chapter 6 (180-223)
March 30, 2014
As I can't get to the exhibition this is the next best thing. This book brings Pompeii+Herculaneum alive, it serves to personalize and paint the lives of those who perished. A book to treasure, place on a coffee table and immerse oneself periodically. A truly magical hard back!
June 18, 2014
I finished this book a couple months ago, but only just returned it, not to the library but to work (a library) where I can return it to Joyce who loaned it to me. This book made me regret not visiting the exhibition at the British Museum, even though I've been to Pompeii and Herculaneum.
March 30, 2016
I skimmed through this. Informative and beautifully laid out.
September 8, 2022
A fantastically illustrated book that was released in conjunction with the British Museum exhibition.
Well worth a read for those interested in Roman history
Well worth a read for those interested in Roman history
March 26, 2019
Wonderful pictures and up-to-date information regarding the excavations of these cities. "Life" is far better represented and discussed than "Death," which I consider a good thing!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews