The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found

by Mary Beard

Pompeii is the most famous archaeological site in the world, visited by more than two million people each year. Yet it is also one of the most puzzling, with an intriguing and sometimes violent history, from the sixth century BCE to the present day.

Destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE, the ruins of Pompeii offer the best evidence we have of life in the Roman Empire. But the eruptions are only part of the story. In The Fires of Vesuvius, acclaimed historian Mary Beard makes sense of the remains. She explores what kind of town it was--€”more like Calcutta or the Costa del Sol?--€”and what it can tell us about “ordinary” life there. From sex to politics, food to religion, slavery to literacy, Beard offers us the big picture even as she takes us close enough to the past to smell the bad breath and see the intestinal tapeworms of the inhabitants of the lost city. She resurrects the Temple of Isis as a testament to ancient multiculturalism. At the Suburban Baths we go from communal bathing to hygiene to erotica.

Recently, Pompeii has been a focus of pleasure and from Pink Floyd’s memorable rock concert to Primo Levi’s elegy on the victims. But Pompeii still does not give up its secrets quite as easily as it may seem. This book shows us how much more and less there is to Pompeii than a city frozen in time as it went about its business on 24 August 79.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Italy, Audiobook, Archaeology, Historical

502 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2008

About the author

Winifred Mary Beard (born 1 January 1955) is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge and is a fellow of Newnham College. She is the Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and author of the blog "A Don's Life", which appears on The Times as a regular column. Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist".

Mary Beard, an only child, was born on 1 January 1955 in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Her father, Roy Whitbread Beard, worked as an architect in Shrewsbury. She recalled him as "a raffish public-schoolboy type and a complete wastrel, but very engaging". Her mother Joyce Emily Beard was a headmistress and an enthusiastic reader.

Mary Beard attended an all-female direct grant school. During the summer she participated in archaeological excavations; this was initially to earn money for recreational spending, but she began to find the study of antiquity unexpectedly interesting. But it was not all that interested the young Beard. She had friends in many age groups, and a number of trangressions: "Playing around with other people's husbands when you were 17 was bad news. Yes, I was a very naughty girl."

At the age of 18 she was interviewed for a place at Newnham College, Cambridge and sat the then compulsory entrance exam. She had thought of going to King's, but rejected it when she discovered the college did not offer scholarships to women. Although studying at a single-sex college, she found in her first year that some men in the University held dismissive attitudes towards women's academic potential, and this strengthened her determination to succeed. She also developed feminist views that remained "hugely important" in her later life, although she later described "modern orthodox feminism" as partly "cant". Beard received an MA at Newnham and remained in Cambridge for her PhD.

From 1979 to 1983 she lectured in Classics at King's College London. She returned to Cambridge in 1984 as a fellow of Newnham College and the only female lecturer in the Classics faculty. Rome in the Late Republic, which she co-wrote with the Cambridge ancient historian Michael Crawford, was published the same year. In 1985 Beard married Robin Sinclair Cormack. She had a daughter in 1985 and a son in 1987. Beard became Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement in 1992.

Shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Beard was one of several authors invited to contribute articles on the topic to the London Review of Books. She opined that many people, once "the shock had faded", thought "the United States had it coming", and that "[w]orld bullies, even if their heart is in the right place, will in the end pay the price".[4] In a November 2007 interview, she stated that the hostility these comments provoked had still not subsided, although she believed it had become a standard viewpoint that terrorism was associated with American foreign policy.[1]

In 2004, Beard became the Professor of Classics at Cambridge.[3] She is also the Visiting Sather Professor of Classical Literature for 2008–2009 at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has delivered a series of lectures on "Roman Laughter".[5]

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of this. I carry it everywhere. I really like Mary Beard. But I can't finish it. I'm not sure if it is the repetition of details in a different way time and again or what, because I really did enjoy it and one day I will finish it. I WILL. Pompeii and ancient Greek and Roman culture interest me a lot.

I expect we all have books like that, ones we like but can't finish but mean to some day and it is never too far from us, ready to pick up but... we never do.

Updated 31 Jan 2022, over 10 years after the original review, and I'm still reading it. It's very scruffy now, but I will finish it. I WILL.

[Kalliope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began to read this book before what was my second visit to Pompeii. Sadly, I did not begin it early enough, so I had only reached about half of the book by the time I got there. When I came back, I started it from the beginning again.

This is not a book to read while being there, for it is thematic. It does not go street by street, house by house, nor treat the temples or theatres or amphitheatre individually. For that one needs a guidebook, plenty of time and most probably a good ‘parasol’. Bring also water and patience because one is not the only visitor. Beard writes in what seems her trademark style. She does not offer a normative account but an exploratory one (I am also reading her SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and this questioning style is even more apparent there). Upon my return home I also watched her documentary for the BBC. The book and the film complement each other, as text and image usually do.

Another thing to remember is that Pompeii is not fully excavated. There is still about a quarter to be unearthed. This is therefore a ‘city to follow’ for there is still a large amount of information waiting to come back to life thanks to the archaeologists. (*)



It is recommended to get closer to Vesuvius itself, so that one can try and imagine (impossible to do really) the magnitude of the explosion, since it tore open the mountain. The shape we see now is not how it was. Of course, while being near to the crater one cannot help but feeling a bit antsy, since it is an active volcano and one of the most dangerous ones, but then I have swum in the Pinatubo crater and the gods protected me.



Contrary to more popular thought, the Pompeiians knew that something nasty was coming up. The eruption of the Vesuvius on the 25th of August in 79 CE had been preceded by a nasty earthquake in 62 and a series of serious tremors. Out of the possibly 12k population, about 2k perished during the explosion and of these only about half have been found. Many had left then. Pompeiians however could not have been aware of how dangerous that mountain was. Even if there had felt an uneasy foreboding, they did not know they lived by a volcano. The previous explosion had taken place about 1500 years before.




There is so much to learn from Beard’s account that writing this review is daunting. I will just give you the main themes and a few things that struck me.

Beard’s main inquiry is to find out how the Pompeiians actually lived. For example: how they organised themselves socially, whether they lived in areas according to wealth and/or profession. In this she proves that they lived in a very mixed manner. There were no ‘quartiers’. She also looks at how the homes and shops were laid out and decorated. Even if the rooms feel rather enclosing and with small windows, Pompeiians favoured mural paintings displaying opening vistas. A fair amount of the frescoes has survived but these are now in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. This museum, like the mountain, is a strongly recommended complementary visit. In the museum shop I found a wonderful and very fat book with the paintings; it is now sitting at home waiting for my eyes and time La pittura pompeiana. In her account Beard presented the four styles of painting that span a period of close to three centuries. She also looks at finances and where the money came from and how it related to the very international commerce that was engaged in this Mediterranean port (exotic and expensive dyes from the East, the food staple ‘garum’ from Hispania and a striking 'Indian' statuette). Their politics had to be somewhat provincial since the major decisions that affected the Republic/Empire were made in Rome. Of course only men could vote but curiously several men made references to outstanding women when seeking the voters.

Pompeiians worked hard but they also had fun. They liked to gamble, socialise in bars, drink their wine (and we tried the Neapolitan wine that is supposedly the closest to what the Romans drank, the Lacrimae Christi – very nice but the expert on wines was my friend), go to brothels and baths. The baths, again against popular thought (also shown convincingly in the BBC production) would not be at all attractive to us now. The large public pools did not have circulating water. Beard also tells us that sexuality was not more pronounced in their society than it is in ours. Beard thinks that rather than sex itself, what was at stake was power, male power, and this was expressed through the proliferating penises. Pompeiians were also believers. Their eating habits were somewhat different from ours; it seems that the wealthy ate at home (reclining as seen in the Hollywood recreations) but the great majority, that is, the less wealthy, ate out in sort of 'fast-food' outlets. Their religion was a mixture of the Roman (no text, no tenets, communal, open system, more based upon acts such as animal sacrifice than ritual) and the Oscan (the previous population) which means greater elements with an Oriental origin.



Things that struck me were the discussion on the Temple of Isis. In our reading of Ovid, the Egyptian deity Isis in a Roman world has come up. And then as one forgets that Pompeii has had a lot of tourists since it was discovered in the 18th Century with some famous figures walking on those same stones before we members of the mass-tourism phenomenon. I was amused to read that Mozart got some of his inspiration for his Zauberflöte from this quaint Isis temple, and that Shelley had a picnic on the steps of the Temple of Zeus. I was also surprised to learn that there had been a proliferation of graffiti in Pompeii, and this is a good example of continuities in history. Naples is so full of graffiti that I hope it is never washed out, so characteristic is it of this fascinating city. Indeed, modern Naples has provided many clues to archaeologists. The way the butchers hang their joints today is seen in some of the ancient murals. And the key to the way one accessed the various floors (up to three) in the Pompeian houses is also provided by some sections in Naples. While walking through the ‘Quartieri Spagnoli’ where the housing on the ground seems like just a few rooms opening directly onto the street, we wondered how one got to the upper stories. And then we saw staircases in between that led directly and perpendicularly to the dwellings on top. This is exactly the arrangement in Pompeii.




Anyway, Pompeii is a continuously fascinating phenomenon. The way it was buried and the way it is coming back to life now. I have recently heard of a group of archaeologists who organise specialized trips there. A friend of mine is joining them soon, and I would love to follow her at some point.



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It is sad that Beard does not devote text to Herculaneum. In the documentary she did - one visits its sewers with her.

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(*) One day after posting this review these news on recent findings were published:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pompeii is the most famous dead city in the world. In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman city beneath untold tons of volcanic ash. Death is a part of life. But in the case of Pompeii, her death is her legacy. Pompeii exists today because she was buried. It is her tomb-ness that gives her immortality. When we think of Pompeii, we think of the plaster molds taken of the people who died in the eruption; molds that capture their postures in the last instant of life. Pompeii is a mausoleum. It is Death excavated by archaeologists and run for the enjoyment of tourists.

How strange and refreshing, then, to read a book about Pompeii that almost entirely ignores Mount Vesuvius. Despite the title of Mary Beard’s The Fires of Vesuvius, there is no suffocating ash falling from the sky, no pyroclastic flows. There is no darkness “darker and thicker than any night,” as Pliny the Younger recalled. No, this is a book about the life of a city, delivered by an inimitable writer and expert on the era.

Mary Beard is an intellectual rock star in Great Britain. She is huge. That is, relative to other classicists, she is huge. She is a professor; she appears in documentaries; she writes a blog; and she takes on detractors on Twitter. She is Betty White, if Betty White taught at Cambridge. Not only is Beard an expert, but she’s a personality. When she writes and talks about ancient times, she brings it to life with sharp observations, great wit, and a sly sense of humor that tends towards the scatological. Mary Beard is one of those rare historians who is always wondering: I wonder where they pooped?

The Fires of Vesuvius is divided into chapters that each tackle a different subject relating to Pompeii. The topics include Pompeii’s streets, her houses, employment, local politics, and religion.

This is a book I really enjoyed. It is informative, learned, and also fun. It is not, however, a book I blazed through. Despite coming in at only 316 pages (the last three pages a helpful itinerary if you’re planning to visit), The Fires of Vesuvius took me a while to read. The reason, I think, is because there is no central narrative. Beard is not telling a traditional story with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, she is taking us on a tour. Like any tour – even with the best guides – there will be parts you love, parts you like, and parts you can take-or-leave.

There is nothing in this book that I’d call low quality. Even the chapter on Pompeii’s streets reveal fascinating insights into life around the time of Jesus. My favorite chapters, however, revolved around – you guessed it – the food, the wine, and the sex. When dealing with these topics, especially the latter, Beard gets to play to her ribald strengths. Here, she describes graffiti found within a bar (it should be noted that the asses referenced below refer to a monetary denomination and not, like, you know, asses):

[W]e find women’s names written on the wall in a clearly erotic context and sometimes with a price: ‘Felicla the slave 2 asses’, ‘Successa the slave girl’s a good lay’, and even what has been taken to be a price list, ‘Acria 4 asses, Epafra 10 asses, Firma 3 asses.’

We have to be careful in interpreting this kind of material. If today we were to see ‘Tracy is a whore’ or ‘Donna sucks you off for a fiver’ daubed up at a bar or bus shelter, we would not automatically assume that either of them was actually a prostitute. Nor would we assume that ‘a fiver’ was an accurate reflection of the prices charged for these sexual services in the area. They are just as likely to be insults as facts. So too in Pompeii…

This is the type of acuity I want in my history!

There were other sections of which I wasn’t as fond. The chapter on religion, for example, coming after sections on sex and sports, was kind of a letdown. But that’s just me. Like I said, this is a tour, and different people want different things on a tour.

The Fires of Vesuvius is also generous in its illustrations. There are black-and-white illustrations, diagrams, and maps interspersed throughout the book, so that when Beard is talking about a building or a work of art, there’ll be a picture of it on the same page. There are also two insets with glossy, full color plates. One of those plates shows a man and woman having sex on a trampoline. Just in case you were still on the fence about reading this.

Part of the trouble in dealing with Pompeii – with any ancient history – is that so much is lost. Most of the time we’re dealing with negative evidence: What isn’t there? What don’t we know? What can’t we prove? If Beard has a shortcoming, it’s that she spends too much time poking holes in other people’s theories, without advancing any theories to take their place. It can be wearying, after awhile, to learn all the things we’ll never learn. For the most part, though, Beard’s chipper tone makes this a minor annoyance.

As a history lover, my deepest shame is that I don’t like ancient Rome enough. Rome, after all, is synonymous with history. Every inch of it is meaningful, somehow. I thought things would change when I actually visited Italy. Just walk around, I thought, And it’ll happen. You’ll be possessed. One look at Trajan’s Forum and you’ll forget the three times you went to Gettysburg.

It didn't quite happen that way.

Yeah, Rome is wonderful. You can’t beat the prices on house wine, after all. But something about it didn't connect. It is stone. Old, dead stone. I found it impossible to imagine the lives that were lived within and among that stone. Mary Beard is able to bridge the divide between stone and life. She breathes existence into the old dead things. She shows you that once upon a time, this place lived.

[Jan-Maat]

A rich and thoughtfully structured text. Full of enjoyment and discoveries.

But then a prized possession of mine when young was a mug for drinking tea - for drinking wine at a young age was not cultural acceptable sadly during my childhood - it was decorated in blue and black with lava swamping the neat columns of Pompeii, a legend read: Pompeii 79AD. Eventually the glaze was so cracked that the vessel had to be demoted to desk tidy. But this must have been after many thousands of mugs of tea. So I am plainly a biassed witness.

This is not the kind of book to read if you like to be told a simple story - this is how it was- FACT! Because what Beard does is point out the kind of issues which are unclear and up for debate about Pompeii and lay out some of the evidence , and she takes time to explain her statements. The text is nicely organised - the labels on the colour plates give page references to where in the book Beard discusses that object and at the end she has a guide to visiting Pompeii - I've never been - its a bit far to walk-and again when she suggests visiting certain houses she gives the pages numbers where she deals with that building. It is thoughtfully integrated - with lots of illustrations. She points out that Pompeii isn't a pristine site - it was looted in antiquity once the lava and ashes had cooled down - then it was bombed in 1943 by the allies, only recently have excavations been thoroughly recorded, early restoration work - particularly of wall paintings and frescos was over enthusiastic one example of this was a painting of a man and a woman, on the verge of becoming intimate, but the restorer in an excess of eroticism has painted ropes beneath the couple's feet, as though they were circus acrobats, originally these may have simply been shadows. In addition s Beard says - you tend to find what you seek and in so far as early interpreters were obsessed with brothels and bars - they found them everywhere although all we have are the physical remains of buildings - in which in most cases the upper stories have collapsed into the lowest one and with minimal bric a brac from daily life.

Pompeii was a fairly odd place. There had been an earthquake in 62 AD and some tremors had occurred before the eruption many building were under repair on the cities final day - with scaffolding, plaster and paint pots left in place. It was an old city, one building incorporated an Etruscan column which had stood in a sacred grove, it hadn't been fought over during the years of Hannibal's invasion and grew with refugees during that period. Sulla had besieged it during the Social war - lead shot fired by his soldiers has been found alongside the fragments of allied bombs in the ruins. Sulla declared the town a colony after his victory and settled a contingent of his veterans there. Cicerio had a country house in the vicinity and it is believed that the Empress Poppea's family came from the area. However it was not a major Italian city and there is no way of knowing how typical or atypical it was compared with other towns with colonial status.

The election posters Beard mentions - painted up over the city were not all from immediately before the eruption of Vesuvisus, but ran back over some generations. From these some attempt has been made to construct or understand the political life of the city. The city was a major producer of Garem - a fermented fish condiment, strikingly a kosher version was also manufactured. The manufacturer decorated his house with mosaic adverts of his product, rather as though if you went to the house of Mr Heinz and found in his porch a painting declaiming "57 varieties"

My first surprise reading this book is that apparently relatively few people died following the eruption the argument is that most of the population fled as pre-shocks, animals however died as they couldn't escape - casualties included guard dogs, and donkeys occurred before the main eruption of Vesuvius. The streets were prone to flooding - which was a benefit since they were also used as sewers and toilets. There was a lot of graffiti - mostly in Latin, but some in Greek and Oscan ( the local pre-Latin language, dying out during this period) and one in Hebrew - some of these were literary quotes - partly famous lines from Virgil along side cruder texts.

Chapters look at various aspects of daily life: governance, a focus on a baker, a banker (auctioneer & money lender and general financial middle man), a baker & his business, food, wine, sex and the baths, Pompeii's houses.

But what you are probably wondering about are the penises and lewd pictures. Indeed there was a good deal of this - from erotic frescoes which may have been Roman bedroom decoration to a painted image of Priapus- which Beard says was kept covered up and only uncovered on request in the recent past, the winged phalluses and the oil lamp hung from a figurine of a midget with a giant penis -Beard says that the Romans had a virile macho culture and indeed one of the points of having slaves was that they were always sexually available to their owners, this reminded me of the poem by Ovid in which we compares the theatre goers of Romulus's day about to rape the Sabine women with those of his own day- sexual and military conquest blend into one. For centuries many of these objects were kept in secret collections and not on public display, they are though a visible reminder of the difference between the ancient Romans and modern peoples who would not put up a picture of a Priapus to ward off thieves and burglars with the threat of extreme sexual violence from a God with a permanent erection.

There are several themes running through the book - you find what you look for and how this unique archaeological discovery has affected understanding of early Imperial Rome and shows it to be more of a fast food, cash and carry and smelly place - many houses had only the one toilet - and that in a corner of the kitchen so at least we can imagine now the smell of Roman Italy.

[Kavita · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people were running away from destruction in 79 AD, after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, they had no idea that 2000 years later they would be famous and the subject of fascination and speculation to many. If you are one of these many, then you need to read this book. Right away!

This book is not about Mount Vesuvius, nor is it about the destruction of Pompeii. Instead, it takes a more positive approach and uses the catastrophe to delve deeper into the life of ancient Pompeii. Because the city was buried under the debris of the volcanic ash, it remained preserved for centuries until finally unearthed by Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748. Since then, it has been the darling of archaeologists.

The book explores different facets of life in the old city of Pompeii. The chapters are divided into different sections, each one dealing with a different topic. So from politics to entertainment, from social lives of the people to their family lives, Mary Beard takes us through each aspect of life in Pompeii. She brings out the flavour of the city as it was with ease but also manages to help you prepare for the city as it is now.

Beard is not afraid to own that there are many things we do not know. She discusses different viewpoints from different historians and then gives her own opinion as well. She often even ends up playing the devil's advocate. This book forces you to think and analyse along with Beard, and it's fun.

The book is chock full of information about the city just before the eruption. There can be no better guidebook to Pompeii than Pompeii : The Life of a Roman Town. If you plan to visit the ruins of the city, then arm yourself with this book. Even if you are the type who wants to enjoy a trip to Pompeii from the comfort of your armchair, look no further!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes life in Pompeii before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The portrait of daily life is constructed from archeological research and historical writings. The author makes clear that neither the research (particularly the early research) nor the writing can be relied upon completely, so there is a lot of room for interpretation. The author interprets in a very entertaining manner. This book was informative, but not at all dry, as it covered such topics as art, architecture, who lived where, the materials used, decorative style, public v private areas, furniture, occupations, agriculture, government, food, dining, sex, hygiene and religion. The narration by Phyllida Nash of the audiobook was excellent. I own another book by this author and I will have to move it up on my list of books to read.

[Henk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Beard manages to bring the Romans, and especially Pompei as a real and vibrant town, closer to me as a reader through this book. By using themed chapters, focusing on a variety of topics, covering religion, economics, politics, food and drinks, leisure and the history of the town. Beard manages to “dig up” anecdotes and evidence to make these abstract topics interesting.

Some perspectives on Roman society in general and Pompei specifically were new for me, making the book a refreshing and engaging read. I will name a couple below per theme just to indicate the breadth of the book and to capture some of my “discoveries”.

History:
- The history of Pompei goes much further back (7th century before Christ) and is less homogenous Roman than I at least thought.
- Already before the eruption of 79 AD many smaller earthquakes and a partly evacuation took place, dispelling the notion that Pompei was captured in a way fully representative of an actually fully functional Roman town.

Politics:
- The sometimes tense relationship between Italian cities and Rome, shown by Roman settlers eventually forming a substantial part of the population and taking over functions in the city council (Ordo) and government.
- As a minimum one needed 100.000 sertien (equal to the price of 200 mules or 50 very fine slaves) to be electable in the city government.
- The above demand evidently did not stop Caligula to take a seat in the Pompei “Ordo”.

Economics:
- The fact that albeit Pompei was a relatively small town it clearly formed a part of a far reaching empire, evidenced by imports (Indian small statues) and exports (rotting fishsfauce called Garum found in Spain and England) from and to everywhere.

Living conditions and hygiene:
- The average citizen of the town had much less living space than I thought because of the extended family, including slaves, leading in a sense to a kind of modern outside live, in the form of restaurants and bathhouses visits.
- Roman lavatories were besides the kitchen to easily dispose waste, seriously impacting my perspective of hygiene in ancient times.
- Apparently Romans liked to keep and eat mice as a delicacy.

Entertainment and society:
- A shocking mortality rate of 13% per battle for gladiators, with three quarters of them not having more than 10 battles during their careers/lives.
- The Roman way to marry was more secular, and based on living together for more than a year, instead of by a religious ritual taking place as I expected.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally am more attracted by the ancient Greek culture than the Roman. This influences my rating.

I whole-hardheartedly recommend choosing this book if you are curious about ancient Roman life. The book is not about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 C.E. which destroyed the town. It is instead about life in the town before the event. It is about life in a "typical Roman town". It is based on an immense amount of archaeological research carried out over the last two centuries. The book distinguishes between what is conclusively known and what we can reasonably conjecture, supplying detailed supporting evidence. The minutia of details does not become overwhelming in that the chapters are clearly organized by topic. Topics are summarized and conclusions drawn. This is helpful particularly when there is no common consensus. You don't have to be an expert to read this; terms are simply defined.

It reads a bit like a mystery story. You are given the facts and then shown how those facts can be misconstrued. The point is to show what conclusions can be drawn. Presenting the facts in this way keeps you thinking; you analyze the known facts to see if you come close! It is like a puzzle to solve.

Every aspect of life in Pompeii is covered - food and housing and clothes and sex and religion and government and social structure and slaves and entertainment and bathing and gladiators and painting and sculpture and all the arts. You name it, it is here! Even toilet facilities! It is totally mind boggling to see how people were living two thousand years ago. The similarities between then and now astound.

The audiobook narration by Phyllida Nash was absolutely superb. Wow, she reads slowly and pauses at all the right points. I will in the future look out for any audiobook this woman narrates.

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough (if slightly academic-leaning) history of what we know about daily life in the Roman city of Pompeii before the catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. I'm a little bit addicted to reading new developments about Pompeii, so I know some of this information is outdated, but Mary Beard's humorous delivery and the flexibility of her approach still made this well worth reading.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently had the great pleasure to visit Pompeii.  Even with this background, I found large portions of The Fires of Vesuvius too detailed to enjoy.  Much of the book involved using specific art or graffiti from the city to deduce what life in this ancient metropolis was like.  When I had firsthand knowledge of the art Beard described or, at least, of the building where it was found, I enjoyed the book.  However, when I could not picture the work or location, the Fires of Vesuvius tended to drag. 

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book too late for my visit to Pompeii—about two years too late, sadly. But I am still glad I did. Mary Beard, in her customary way, has written an intelligent and accessible book about this iconic Roman site, which is enlightening regardless of whether or not its reading coincides with your visit.

Beard can be described as an anti-Romantic. Instead of waxing poetic about the suffering of the victims, the scale of the cataclysm, or the priceless value of the archaeological site, she spends most of her time busting myths and bursting bubbles. Yes, this does make her a bit of a killjoy, though the reader is repaid with an honest, scholarly presentation of what we can confidentially say about life in Pompeii.

Her style is relentlessly interrogative—falsifying theories, examining competing explanations, juggling hypotheses. Indeed, it could be a bit headache-inducing after a while. At a certain point I would like to be told what we know about Pompeii, rather than pound my head against all of the things we do not know. But in the end this is a winning strategy, as it takes us into the actual process of doing history, allowing us to see how a site even as extraordinarily well-preserved as Pompeii does not always yield straightforward answers.

Now I am badly wishing I could return to Pompeii to see the many things I missed. But since the pandemic has eliminated that possibility, I must content myself with watching the documentary that accompanies this book (available on YouTube). For added authenticity, maybe I’ll enjoy a snack of boiled snails covered in fermented fish sauce while I do.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to give this book 4.5**** as I did really enjoy it.

I must admit that I did read this book in anticipation for a new historical fiction novel coming out called “The Wolf Den” (by Elodie Harper). That novel is set in Pompeii and centres around a girl in a brothel.

Admittedly I knew next to nothing about Pompeii, other than it being decimated by a volcano and that it’s a very popular tourist site. So I set out to learn more.

This book covers the general lives of the pompeiians pre- 79AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted, wiping out the people in Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum. It was fascinating to learn what could be told and learned from artefacts, graves, remaining establishments, etc., that have been discovered.

For example, I had never really considered Pompeii prior to 79AD but to learn about it prior to this and centuries before hand was fascinating. For example, to learn about the earthquakes that had happened 15 years prior to 79AD and that that is why some of the buildings were still only sort-of constructed when the eruption hit, and evidence from archeological digs gives us this evidence.

It was great to explore the pompeiian streets: their stepping stones (not only over water but the accumulated filth), their houses and restaurants, sewers and homes. Mary Beard explores the work lives of Pompeiian bakers, bankers, and Garum makers, as well as the differences in wealth of pompeiian citizens and how their lives would’ve differed and been similar.

This is all told through wit but informational prose as expected from reading a book by Mary Beard. She is not afraid to explore the more funnier and weirder side of Pompeii including the jokes graffitied into walls by some ‘lad’ saying who his shagged, the funny artistry of ‘comic strips’ found in pubs and some houses, the huge amount of Phallus symbols and pictures found on curious door chimes, on the streets, or large frescoes in houses, as well as brothels and interesting and eyebrow-raising paintings in bath houses.

I found this a highly informational read and I learned so much! I would love to visit Pompeii one day to see all these different sites of this town. Although, I must admit, I was not expecting to see as many phalluses as I did in a book about Pompeii 🙈👀 so that was a shock!

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be viewed as a “biography” of a city. It is much more than a description of the eruption of Vesuvius. It is a detailed reconstruction of life in Pompeii in 79 CE, based on extensive research. Mary Beard provides evidence based on archeological digs and her opinions on the most likely interpretation. She covers almost every aspect of city life, including architecture, city layout, buildings, roads, politics, living conditions, food, sleep, use of animals, and more.

Often her views go against the prevailing myths or legends about Pompeii that have grown over the years. For example, she argues against the vast number of brothels that have been attributed to Pompeii, and based on population, believes most of these were taverns instead. I have read other books by this author, and particularly enjoy the depth of her analysis. Recommended to readers who enjoy well-written detailed accounts of life in ancient times.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to get hold of and read this since my visit to Pompeii last September. I was worried it might be quite dry and spoil the fun, since it's billed as being very sceptical and as cutting things down to the facts, but I needn't have worried. It's an easy enough read despite all the detail, and Mary Beard's speculations are as interesting as anything she refutes.

I actually recommend you read it before visiting Pompeii, because you'll have a much clearer understanding of what you're seeing. (And you won't need a tour guide, which considering the urban myths they propagate, is all to the good.) It might even be useful to carry around Pompeii with you to help identify and understand some of what you're seeing -- it's not a guide book, it is a narrative, but if you've read it already, you could flip through to refresh your memory on details.

But reading it after a visit to Pompeii works, too, or even if you don't plan to go to Pompeii at all. Remembering or imagining the hot and dusty streets is easy: Mary Beard is always careful to keep in touch with what Pompeii looks like now (even if that is sometimes disenchanting, for example when she points out that some of the paintings have been totally restored, not always perfectly accurately, by modern work), as well as trying to imagine a time when it was a living town.

Actually, that's the part I find hardest: imagining Pompeii as a living town. Maybe it's partially because my memories of Pompeii are often without context: a random house with tumbled-down walls, grass growing in the remains of an oven, the partial remains of mosaics and paintings. I'm not a visual person anyway, so the images of Pompeii that stay in my head are the ones I saw myself. Pompeii is a hushed town, in my mind, with wind and hot sun and pumice sand in your shoes.

Mary Beard does very well at speculating what it might really have been like, nonetheless, and I definitely recommend this if you have any interest in the site.

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook, and the first thing worth mentioning is that Phyllida Nash was an excellent narrator; clearly spoken, and with a pleasing tone that rather than grating or being soporific really got me engrossed in the book.

Surprisingly, I don’t have much to say about this book. Let me stress, the reason for that is that it’s so spot on. Mary Beard comes across here the same way she does in her programmes and lectures – well-spoken (well-written in this case!), lucid, intelligent, knowledgeable – a true authority in her subject. Moreover she’s professional. She’s objective throughout, and thorough in her research, taking the time and care to deconstruct and debunk the untrue myths about Pompeii – including the ones you’ll hear from the tour guides (visitors – beware!). The book starts out by covering the practicalities: the layout of the town, its history before the eruption, even going into such detail as the form and function of the streets. Boring! Give us the juicy stuff, you may cry. But it actually isn’t. This whole section is kept lively by any appropriate anecdotes that can be told, and what’s more it enhanced my enjoyment of the rest of the book. Working from that solid basis, when the personal human stories where then told, I could set them in context and understand their environment and background, which really added to my enjoyment in the second part of the book. Mary Beard paints a vivid picture of life in Pompeii in the lead up to the eruption, and truly seems to bring to life the individuals again.

Simply put, I recommend this book.


8 out of 10

[Mairita (Marii grāmatplaukts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ļoti detalizēti aprakstīts viss, ko zinām, nojaušam, vai tikai iztēlojamies un minam par dzīvi Pompejos. Autore tēmai pievērsusies ļoti pamatīgi un nesaudzīgi arī norāda uz trūkumiem, vai pārāk lielu vēlmju domāšanu, interpretējot arheoloģiskos atradumus. Pompeju vēsturi nevar skatīt atrauti no Romas impērijas vēstures un tāpēc uzzināju jaunas detaļas arī par to. Bet vispār noguru no faktu pārbagātības un katra grafiti, zīmējuma vai telpas aprakstīšanas. No otras puses - fantastiski labs ieskats, ja ir vēlme par Pompejiem uzzināt visu, kas bija zināms līdz grāmatas uzrakstīšanai.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

History and archaeology offer two different approaches to studying the past. At its core history relies on the written word, using documents, personal writings, and even scraps of ephemera to understand events and the motivations behind them. For the latter, physical artifacts ranging from shards of pots to the foundations of entire cities are excavated and studied carefully for the clues they offer into the lives of the people from those eras. Through their separate methods, each discipline offers us insights into the past that the other one is unable to provide.

Most scholars use both of these disciplines to develop a well-rounded understanding of the past. Yet few blend them together so effectively as Mary Beard does to reconstruct what life was like in ancient Pompeii. Drawing upon decades of archaeological work, she uses it to explain what we know about the inhabitants of the town, which she interprets using the full range of available written materials about this period. From this she explains their daily lives in a series of thematic chapters, which cover everything from their economic activities, diets, and home life to their religious practices and local government. As she demonstrates, theirs was a vibrant existence that, for all of its differences from ours today, is surprisingly relatable for the modern reader.

A major factor in that relatability is Beard’s writing style, which brings the dead past to life in ways that are not just comprehensible, but extremely engaging as well. With it she conveys a sense of the residents of the town not just as long-dead victims of a natural disaster, but of people who were every bit as alive as we are today. It makes her book more than just a snapshot of Pompeii, but a tribute as well to the people who lived and died there. For while their fates were tragic, thanks to the combined efforts of archaeologists and historians, they give us a better understanding of how people lived in the ancient past than we can gain from practically any other source.

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fires of Vesuvius by Mary Beard is yet another reminder of why she is a national treasure on the other side of the pond. Beard has this uncanny ability to take the ancient world—its stones, its graffiti, its everyday clutter—and breathe it all back to life. This book is beautifully written, engaging, and precise without ever feeling heavy. She blends sharp scholarship with her trademark wit and cheekiness, as if she’s leaning over your shoulder saying, “Can you believe this actually happened?”

For me, this wasn’t just another ancient Rome read. My family is planning a trip to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast in early 2026, so this served as both research and pure joy. Beard helps you see Pompeii not just as a tragic archaeological site, but as a living city—filled with vendors, bakers, politicians, graffiti artists, lovers, scammers, and dreamers. She reminds us that these were real people, not museum pieces.

The photographs, maps, and descriptions of the World Heritage site are worth the time alone. I found myself flipping back and forth, imagining myself walking those same ancient streets barefoot in the morning sunlight, peering into the remains of homes, gardens, markets, and bathhouses. Beard’s writing makes it all feel close, immediate, and stunningly human.

If you’re even remotely interested in the ancient world—or planning a pilgrimage to Pompeii—do yourself a favor and grab this book. Beard makes history feel alive, relevant, and fun.

I loved every page, and I can’t wait to stand there in 2026, hearing her voice echo in my mind. Should be an incredible trip!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to Pompeii. It gives an insight into life in a modest Roman town. Much of this was utterly alien, like the way in which the gods intruded into everyday life.

Mary Beard has a great knack of presenting history in a lively and infornative manner without dumbing down. I also liked the way in which often she gave alternative interpretations to findings rather than pontificating about what must gave been - sometimes we simply do not know for sure

[Tanja Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thorough explanation of what we know about daily life in Pompeii. It covers very little of the actual disaster, but gives a detailed review of what we know from the ruins. It was desperately boring, I don’t know why I bothered or stuck with it. The author is great, with astute observations. I just couldn’t care less.

[Nikola Jankovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Napravio sam nekoliko grešaka u jednoj, kad sam pre par godina obišao Pompeje, rimski gradić koji je erupcija Vezuva zakopala 79. godine. Najpre, otišao sam u julu. Jug Italije, skoro +40, premalo vode (kupuje se na ulazima, ne i unutar lokaliteta), potcenjujući veličinu, a uz to u društvu dve ćerke, koje malo je reći nisu bile naoružane strpljenjem za celopopodnevno istraživanje u tim klimatskim okolnostima. Uprkos pokušajima da iskoristim ono što vidimo, da bih im objasnio svakodnevni život rimskog grada, nešto interesantno iz njihovog ugla...

Da sam tada čitao ovu knjigu, zabeležio pričice i primere, možda bi i ta vrućina bila podnošljivija.

Berd je napisala prilično detaljan pregled. Počinje naravno o samoj erupciji i informacijama koje imamo o njoj, a ta erupcija nam je i omogućila da toliko toga saznamo, i ta zakopanost grada kroz vekove ga čini tako važnim za istoriju i arheologiju. A upravo zbog toga što je toliko toga sačuvano, ponekad je iznenađujuće da nam nedostaju i najosnovnije informacije. Na primer, procenjuje se da je oko 2,000 ljudi izgubilo život u erupciji (pa se smatra da su stanovnici imali dovoljno vremena za egzodus i da su poginuli samo oni koji su potcenili opasnost), ali se koplja istoričara lome već na osnovnom podatku o broju stanovnika. Berd kaže da ih je bilo između 6 i 30 hiljada.

Posetiocima su interesantne i priče o barovima (tavernama, restoranima brze hrane, sa onim poznatim okruglim udubljenjima, iz kojih zamišljamo da su direktno služili hranu prolaznicima - kuvanu ili pečenu skoro sigurno nisu, pošto bi se teško čistile), za koje postoje nagađanja da ih je bilo i 200. Ako uzmemo da je u Pompejima živelo 12,000 stanovnika, od čega mnogo onih koji nisu zalazili u barove (žene, deca, robovi), ovo je baš preterano. Jedan bar/restoran na 20 muških stanovnika? Isto važi za javne kuće - i kod ovog podatka su bordel-arheolozi daleko od konsenzusa, pa se smatra da je broj javnih kuća bio 1 ili 35. (Ovo drugo bi značilo po jedna na svakih 70 slobodnih odraslih muškaraca).

S druge strane, pronađene su neke stvari koje nam govore mnogo o životu u to vreme. Od priča iz teatra, kupališta, hramova, amfieteatra, pa do meni zanimljivih spiskova za kupovinu hrane. Iz njih nam je jasno da su prosečni stanovnici kupovali uglavnom hleb, hleb, hleb, pa malo ulja, pa ponovo hleb, hleb, vino, ponekad sir ili voće. Uz još hleba, i to više vrsta hleba za različite prilike (postojala je posebna vrsta hleba, za robove). Meso? Pa, skoro da se nije ni kupovalo. Možda su ga jeli u restoranima ili je jednostavno bilo toliki luksuz da su se čekali religiozne svečanosti, da se žrtvuje poneki bik, pa da se jede tamo.

I grafiti su nezaobilazna tema. Italo Kalvino u jednom svom eseju objašnjava kako je antički Rim bio grad prenatrpan svakakvim tekstovima (i kako je tokom srednjeg veka tekst iz gradova potpuno nestao), pa to poredi sa današnjim reklamnim natpisima. U Pompejima je mnogo očuvanih grafita sa najrazličitijim sadržajima - od onih koji obaveštavaju o ponudi i cenama prodavnice ili restorana, preko političkih poruka (taj i taj obaveštava da će na izborima podržati tog i tog), pa do cena za robinje u (jedinoj?) javnoj kući i pomalo neprimerenih "jebao sam gazdaricu u četvrtak" na zidu jednog od barova. (I šta je sa tim falusima na zidovima? Šta radi falus u reklami za zidara? Pretpostavlja se da su ih koristili kao znak koji donosi sreću).

Trgovina? Ulice Pompeje su nam interesantne zbog visokih ivičnjaka i velikih blokova kamenja preko kojih se može preći sa jednog trotoara na drugi. Pretpostavlja se da su razlog i za jedno i za drugo velike količine otpada (kanalizacije, ako tako hoćete) koje su se svakodnevno slivale ulicama. Za nekoga poput mene, koji pati za mogućnošću vremensko-istorijskog turizma, ova pomisao na životinjske i ljudske ekskremente, truleće voće i povrće, i smrad koji to prouzrokuje (po mogućnosti u julu), ovo umanjuje interes za ovakva putovanja.

Tokom posete, zbog širine mnogih ulica (i visokih ivičnjaka što onemogućava zaobilaženje), jasno ti je i da je većina ulica morala biti jednosmerna. Postojala je tu prilična organizacija saobraćaja - nisam potpuno razumeo kako je bio regulisan, da li grafitima ili nekakvom pretečom saobraćajnih znakova? Pretpostavlja se i da je glavni forum bio potpuno pešačka zona, kao i deo glavne ulice u blizini foruma.

Berd je akademska istoričarka, ali se istorijom bavi na "televizijski" način. Snimala je brojne dokumentarce o antičkom svetu za BBC, National Geographic i druge, pa tako zna da ispriča priču o svakodnevnom životu ljudi. Pred odlazak u Pompeje, treba na primer ponovo uzeti ovu knjigu, pa detaljnije još jednom proučiti deo o kućama u gradu. Najpre opis tipične rimske kuće, pa potom razlike između kuća bogatih i siromašnijih stanovnika, ali i opise konkretnih poznatih kuća, dekorativnih predmeta i dekoracija na zidovima, prepoznavanje društvene strukture i ekomonskih odnosa na osnovu pronađenih u tim privatnim mestima stanovanja.

Zbog toga je ovo zanimljiv pregled tog istorijskog perioda. Najpre zbog samog lokaliteta i posete njemu, pa vredi ovo ponovo pročitati pred odlazak tamo, ali i zbog opšteg pregleda svakodnevnice u vreme antičkog Rima. Uz pomoć arheoloških ostataka, Berd nam slika njihov život, kulturu, religiju, politiku, trgovinu... A uz to, bavi se i popularnim mitovima, kao i načinom na koji arheolozi mogu da izvedu zaključke koje nam potom prenose.

[Marko Vasić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite documentary which answered to many of my inquiries regarding Pompeii. I am quite fond of professor Beard’s humour and her storytelling talent and could listen to her narration on BBC for hours. The concept of this book is of the same quality and I consider it quite comprehensive companion with a lot of informative data for someone who would like to visit Pompeii. Mary initiated narration with the very history of the town, its geography, topography, and inevitably the eruption which turned it into a city of the dead. During the next eight chapters, Beard explained daily life and routine in Pompeii, class differentiations, some of the favourite victuals and liquors of the citizens, their favourite meeting places and the most practised trades. Moreover, the book is bursting with the description of frescoes and mosaics, scattered along the private houses and villas. Two chapters of my utmost delight were: first – the one about, brothel with lascivious graffiti on its walls and explained daily sex life of Pompeii, and the second – where the author listed topography of temples and the shrines in private houses, for almost every home had its own lalarium – the shrine dedicated to guardian deities Lares. Interesting part was the story about baths – their organisation and the entire ritual regarding the time spent thither. Beard mentioned, as well, the theatre and boarding games that were practised, along the gladiator combats in Colosseum at the city’s rim. She explained minutely how to reach Pompeii and which railway network is the most suitable, and advised the future visitors what type of paraphernalia to take with them in visit. The map on the inner sheet of the book is more than informative and convenient to mark locations which one would like to see during the visit. At length, in the last session the author listed additional literature for further reading, for every chapter, which makes this book even more valuable.

[Lauren James]

A very fascinating look at what we know about Romans from the Pompeii remains, and how we know those things for sure. I want to be an archaeologist now, please.

[Camelia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting micro-history about Pompeii and her people–how they make a living, how they travel, where they live, what they eat, how they sleep and have sex, socialize and entertain themselves, etc... Is Pompeii really frozen forever at the moment of volcanic eruption? The answer is no.

This is my third Mary Beard. Totally enjoyed it.

[Liliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone interested in archaeology, history and ancient civilisations, this book was particularly enlightening. It provided interesting details into the typical life of a Roman town at the time Pompeii was destroyed by the Vesuvian eruption. It does so by expounding on academic research about the city done in the last 200 years, trying to support some conjectures and theories with existing evidence and showing how these same facts can be misconstrued.
Several themes of this "typical life" are covered, namely food, housing, economy, hygiene, sex, religion, social structure, the arts...
However, in my opinion, while it is definitely detailed and a worthwhile exposition, it failed to be engaging. Nonetheless, it satisfied my curiosity on the topic of society in Pompeii and its contemporary neighbouring towns!

[Benny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek moet je lezen als je de beroemde ruïnes gaat bezoeken, zei een vriend me. Dus ging het mee in onze reiskoffer naar Napels. Terecht, zo bleek.

Mary Beard brengt Pompeii tot leven in negen hoofdstukken waarin telkens een bepaald aspect van het dagelijks leven centraal staat. Dat gaat van diverse beroepen tot religie en vertier. Het is toegankelijk en vlot geschreven.

Telkens zoemt Mary Beard in op individuen (gelinkt aan de opgravingen van Pompeii) maar ze heeft ook oog voor het ruimere plaatje. Daarbij ontkracht ze enkele mythes en misverstanden over de beroemde ruïnestad.

Inderdaad: een must voor al wie Pompeii wil bezoeken en/of geïnteresseerd is in het dagelijks leven van de Romeinen.

[Virginia Cornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ca orice alta opinie, si aceasta este subiectiva.
A fost o lectura greoaie, putin captivanta, spre deosebire de seria BBC narata chiar de autoare, unde vocea si povestea arata clar fascinatia lui Mary Beard pentru cultura romana si orasul Pompeii.
Cartea cred eu, ar fi mai potrivita celor pasionati in mod deosebit de arheologie, si in plan secundar de istoria unui loc.
Una peste alta, mi a placut mai mult documentarul BBC decat aceasta carte.
Va ajunge pe raftul cu " de facut cadou".

[Mircea Poeana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dupa mai bine de 2000 de ani, oamenii aceia sunt vii!
Rar mi s-a intamplat sa citesc o carte de istorie atat de plina de viata.
Pompeii pare o asezare omeneasca din zilele noastre.
Bucurii si necazuri, umor si drama, iubire, arta, vicii...
Captivantul destin al muritorului care transcende vremuri si epoci.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a kid, I had an obsessive phase with Pompeii, where I read absolutely everything I could find at the library about it. Maps, cross-sections of houses, dissections of the bathhouses and how the heating worked, but most of all the progression of the disaster and how people did or didn’t escape.

So I thought this would be a fun revisiting of that time, but from the introduction I knew I would find it interesting in a different way. It’s more academic, focusing on the research into Pompeii, the history of the excavations, how the frozen-in-time houses and streets and building inform so much of what we know of everyday Roman life.

One thing in particular that was pretty fascinating is that we know so much about certain aspects of the city (like their elections — thanks to preserved election posters and slogans on buildings) but also so little (like a very prominent building where it’s not clear if it’s a temple to the Roman emperor or… a library).

[Francisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Más que interesante aproximación a la realidad histórica de Pompeya. Como en otros casos, la autora nos empuja a hacernos preguntas acerca de los hallazgos arqueológicos, más que realizar afirmaciones categóricas basadas en sus interpretaciones. Lectura más que interesante.