Pocket Museum: Ancient Rome

by Virginia Campbell

Pocket Museum: Ancient Rome brings together nearly 200 of the finest and most significant artifacts preserved in museums today—many of which could never be seen side by side—which serve to illustrate the social and cultural history of ancient Rome. These objects tell the story of the origin of the Roman state (Latium) from the Early Iron Age cultures of Etruria and the pseudo-historical “period of the kings” (753–509 BCE), through to the end of the Late Empire in the West in 476 CE. Over a period of more than 1,000 years, Roman culture evolved administratively, socially, and politically, with many elements still recognizable in the sociopolitical infrastructure of the modern Western world.


Richly illustrated with detailed photographs of every object, the informative text reveals how each artifact is a key object in its own right—a creation that commemorates a great event or heralds the start of a new era in creativity or politics. From coins of the fifth century BCE to pottery made at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, all the objects reveal an important insight into this highly influential ancient civilization.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Art, Travel, Italy

288 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2017

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to really rank because there's no plot or cohesive story, it's just a series of pictures and blurbs about a variety of objects from Ancient Rome. However, for what it is, I do think it's pretty good.
I was a little pleasantly surprised: I had thought this would be a collection of primarily fine art sculptures, mosaics, and paintings. And there are a few of the famous ones: Laocoon; equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius; bust of Commodus as Hercules; Meroe Head of Augustus. However, the book is much more about everyday objects, including some I didn't even know the Romans had: piggy banks; child's socks; "Swiss Army" knife (I guess we should call them "Roman Army" knives); house keys; gaming boards; curse tablets; carved seashells; body chains; slave collars. This wide variety was really interesting.
Probably not a book for everyone but if you are interesting in the day-to-day of Ancient Rome then I would highly recommend this book.

[Gabi Mészáros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost perfect for what it is. It contains tons of art, jewelry, and statues as you would expect in this type of book (with dates, where they were found, and descriptions), but my favorite items were the common everyday objects, because those do wonders in how they flesh out and humanize your understanding of what life was like at that time. Highly recommend this if you are like me and want to go deeper than a list of emperors and battles and get a little context. Lots of stuff in here about the Etruscans pre-Roman Republic too, which was a nice bonus.

[Sarah Schanze · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to really rate something like this because it's so specific, but I found it really interesting and loved seeing the various items and art styles. You can see how things evolved over hundreds of years. One thing I loved was that each item included a size comparison with a hand or full human to indicate how big or small it was. It's much easier to understand that way (especially for a visual person like me), though each item also includes dimensions. I only wish some items included views from other angles or sides. But it was a very well-organized and beautifully designed book.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

( Format: Hardback )
"Portable artefacts of ancient Rome. "

For those of us with a love of Ancient Rome but unable to travel this is so perfect.
Almost 200 museum pieces from around the world, beautifully photographed with notes about where it was found, it's usage and where it is now. A joy of a book, it includes a doll, a Roman Swiss army knife, a cat footprint in a tile, carbonated bread, a statue of Constantine, a gladiator's helmet, a gaming board and tiles, pottery, jewellery, writing utensils and so much more.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book with a wealth of information and stunning ancient artifacts to savour. Very inspiring to see such beauty, the one that struck me most was The Boxer of Quirinal (pg 96), I would like to see that in person one day, how magnificent it must have looked in its glory.

I am looking forward to devouring the Egypt and Greek versions of these books. You can't go wrong with these Pocket Museum books. Literally as they are named.

[Rong Mu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine , useful book, prepared for next trip to Italy and Greece.

[Roman Zadorozhnii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Интересная прогулка по музеям мира

[ouliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the best book about ancient rome!!!!!! (i say it about every ancient rome book)

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun little easy read!!!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! This book uses artefacts, tchochkes and artworks to explore the historical development of Ancient Rome from the early Etruscan cultures to the rise of Christianity and decline of the empire.

I loved how this book was inclusive of all Romans, regardless of class. Whilst a lot of the works (such as jewellery, sculptures and sarcophagi) were sourced from the tombs of the incredibly rich, it included artefacts from the ordinary people; things that we would consider mundane, such as socks, diplomas, letters, underwear, hair combs, cradles, loaves of bread, etc., Through context, you get a real sense of how ordinary Romans lived, cheek-by-jowl. One of the most touching inclusions is a baby's cradle found at Pompeii that was preserved by the volcanic ash; it's a heart-rending artefact as it was originally found with the body of the baby still inside.

This book was deeply engaging and well-written. I'd recommend it to anyone that has an interest in Ancient Rome.

A small note of caution, however: one of the artifacts selected, the Warren Cup, features scenes of men having intercourse with very young boys, which may cause distress.