Very interesting look at Pompeii by a leading scholar. It’s almost as if she walks you through each of the attractions there, giving the best of archaeological findings and scholarly opinion. I really enjoyed this one! ( )

Very interesting look at Pompeii by a leading scholar. It’s almost as if she walks you through each of the attractions there, giving the best of archaeological findings and scholarly opinion. I really enjoyed this one! ( )

So glad that I read this book just a few months after I got home from Pompeii. Still such a fascinating place and this book highlighted some more interesting facts about the town and people who lived there before the eruption ( )

I didn't read a non-fiction book in nearly a year. This was not the right book to re-exercise that muscle. The Fires of Vesuvius is dense. Dr. Beard is a highly respected academic classicist and although here she tries to write to a lay audience, it is certainly an academic book (exhibit 1: that graphics are sorted into illustrations, figures and plates. Illustrations and figures are set into the text and numbered consecutively, but independently from each other. There are two sections of pages dedicated to plates. Each of these images which is referenced and cross-referenced from various places inside the book. Overall, there are over 200. You will spend much time searching for the right image.)

But despite the density, I did find the book a very interesting exploration about what life was like in Pompeii. I had no pre-existing knowledge: I had never taken a classics class, never been to Pompeii (or Italy) and my only real understanding of this time-period is from reading the talmud. In that context, also, it was fascinating to compare Roman culture with Talmudic culture (freeing slaves on a regular basis: universal! Having a set, primarily written canon for a religion: super abnormal!) There was also a lot to explore here about how Roman elections work, what people did for fun, and a lot, a lot of epistemology. How much can we trust the veracity graffiti and murals? What about when that conflicts with what seems likely to us? ( )

This is a brilliant and highly readable account by the famous popular classicist, author and TV personality. She explains in detail what we have discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, what it might mean, but also just as importantly warns against jumping to conclusions based on over-interpretation of the evidence available, sometimes based on what we might like, or believe might be true, based on our impressions of Roman life from popular culture. It is a fascinating exploration of the ruins and it is surprising what we do know, for example the numerous surviving graffiti range from election posters, enabling us to reconstruct much of the political history of the town, to scurrilous scribblings equivalent to the modern day equivalents in toilet cubicles and bus stations. I was particularly struck by specific examples such as the House of the Painters at Work, where painters were interrupted on the job on the very day of the eruption of Vesuvius, and we can see exactly where they left each panel on the wall at the time when they presumably made, or tried to make, their escape from the falling pumice or lava flow. Another thing that struck me was the stuff that has been lost since it has been excavated, for example wall paintings that were pristine when uncovered in the 18th or 19th century, but which have now faded almost or completely to nothing. One of the major myths about Pompeii's destruction that she exposes is the fallacy that the interruption was unexpected - the evidence was that there had been tremors in the weeks and months leading up to the eruption and many townspeople seem to have moved possessions out of the town before the end (there had been a major earthquake 16 or 17 years earlier, so this was not uncommon). I could write a whole essay on this wonderful description, but suffice to say this is an excellent account for the general reader. ( )

A bit dry at times, and very detail oriented. However, the author brings up many salient points about Pompeii and Roman living in general, such as the famed Roman baths. Up until now I never considered the fact that there was no chlorine or other chemicals to kill germs and bacteria...and forever after I'm doomed to think of these once glamorous baths as simply giant pools of murky, dirty water.

Another part I found interesting is the descriptions of how traffic, both foot and cart, was directed around the city. Traffic calming devices were placed strategically here and there, and there were blocks set into the streets so pedestrians could cross the street without stepping in horse manure (or worse!)

Yes, there is that dirt and germ factor again. Ancient Roman life is really suffering in my eyes now....but at least I'm better educated about the thing, thanks to this book. ( )

An excellent well-illustrated history, written in a non-formal style, by the well-known scholar (According to the book cover it was associated with a BBC TV production). Dame Beard gives you both the scholarly views and her opinion of them. ( )

Started well but became a list of furniture. I may or may not come back to it. ( )

A fun read. It takes a real expert to have the confidence to write, 'we don't know'. Refreshing. ( )

Was my bedtime audiobook so I certainly missed some of it. Interesting though. ( )

The author brings Pompeii to life while showing readers, through careful and nuanced analysis, the ambiguities of archaeology and historical research. Highly recommended for all libraries. ( )

Lots of detail about Pompeii, focusing on life in the town before it being engulfed by Vesuvius. Nicely illustrated. A few pointers at the end about visiting the site.
The author's writing style is interesting. She is very candid about our lack of certainty of many things, and casts a skeptical eye over many 'established facts'. ( )

In Pompeii: Life of a Roman Town, Cambridge Don Mary Beard presents exactly that - a description of what life was (probably) like in a provincial seaside town in the Roman Empire.

Using archaeological evidence, both from Pompeii and from the wider Empire, along with written sources from contemporary (including the town's own signwriters) and modern authors, Beard builds up a picture of how the town's inhabitants went about their daily lives. Everything is covered, from what, how and where they ate and drank, slept, washed, to how the town was governed, from the bars, brothels and gaming to religion. This is achieved through discussion both of individuals - the garum maker, or the banker, for instance, and also through a wider view, not just of Pompeii but of similar towns elsewhere in the Roman Empire.

Beard's style of writing is very similar to her television presenting style - conversational, informative, engaging and inclusive. Unlike other works (Time Team, I'm looking at you), Beard does not make the assumption that her audience will accept things at face value - dar I say that some works seem to assume their audience is ignorant? Where there is doubt over an interpretation of evidence, she presents this, making it clear that while there is much we can glean about the way of life in a Roman Town, we can never be 100% certain.

In essence, Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town is an excellent guide to both Pompeii and an informative presentation on current academic thinking on Roman life, presented in a highly readable format.

A thoroughly recommended book ( )

Like much of Mary Beard's work, this points out almost as much about what we don't know - or what we think we know but have in fact constructed for ourselves - as what we do know about Pompeii. It is an enjoyable and enlightening stroll through the archaeology and social history of Pompeii, and although it is not organised as a companion to a visit it would make a good preface or coda to one. It captures highlights rather than being a systematic survey, and is written for the generalist who already has some classical background but is not an expert. ( )

A fascinating "insider" look on the real Pompeii by Mary Beard, a Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, that unwraps some of the mysteries of the city covered in ash in 79 CE. (I confess I only picked it up from a library shelf because it was at the height of the Icelandic volcano explosion that is spewing ash over Europe, and I thought it might be an interesting book to read -- much like I re-read Camus' The Plague at the height of the SARS epidemic, but anyway....) This book de-myths Pompeii and tells the story of the city as you've probably not read or heard it before. It is full of fascinating facts and stories, often illustrated by the graffiti of the city, or other telling remnants. It strips bare some of the nonsense local guides like to tell of Pompeii; informs us that the days of previous tremors had already caused many of its inhabitants to flee; that it is likely that a lot of the missing goods of the city were long ago pried from their hiding places by early looters; and that frankly, much we've been told has been pure conjecture or mythologizing. Fifteen pages in, I simply couldn't put it down. (Also fascinating in terms of how much the science of archaeology has improved over the past few decades.) ( )

I listened to this rather than reading it and I really enjoyed it. I thought the reader did a really good job and delivered the writer's work very well.
As for the book itself I liked the fact that for the most part the writer did not claim that she knew for certain that this was what life in Pompeii was like, instead she wrote that this is what she believed or what she thought had happened based on her interpretation of the evidence found during the many digs that have occured at Pompeii. ( )

Mary Beard takes a careful look at Pompeii, being sure to make statements based on the archaeological evidence. Very good overview of what the evidence tells us about life in this Roman town. ( )

Well written, clear and humorous. Explains what we currently know about life in Pompeii, what we don't know, what some of the controversies are. I knew that the famous murals were fading, but I didn't know about the damage to some of the excavated buildings by Allied bombs in WWII. Has extensive bibliography, floor plans, line drawings and photographs. ( )

This book was excellent. Beard breathes life into the long dead city of Pompeii. This is definitly a general historical intestest book - but is even better as a tourist book. I think this is a must read before a visit to Pompeii. I've been twice now and Beard's book enhanced my trip more than I can say. ( )

This is this generation's best book on Pompeii; it's impossible to imagine visiting the site without having read it, and although it's not a guidebook, it does have a helpful appendix called "Making a Visit" that covers what to wear, how best to arrive, and which houses you'll probably be most interested in seeing. Mary Beard is a distinguished professor of classics at Cambridge, and she writes about Pompeii as though it were her life's work. What I appreciated most about the book were the complete lack of prudishness about the town's ubiquitous, licentious artwork—the frontispiece of my Folio Society edition is a detail of a mosaic showing a slave with genitals as big as his forearms—and the way Beard always takes pains, in a graceful way, to explain what we know, what we don't know, and the various ideas about what the truth might be. A lot of the stories the guidebooks tell you are probably wrong. She sets it straight.

The book is written very casually, without footnotes or unnecessary scholarly trappings. Occasionally it has a dashed-off quality that comes from quick writing (the same word repeated too soon, and the like), but that's a quibble. This is like getting a verbal tour of the site from a very smart friend who's lived a few miles away from it for twenty years. However, it's not a tour of the buildings and monuments so much as a peek into what the people were like, what they did for work and fun and what they seemed to care about. If you've visited the site, as I did a long time ago, this will explain a lot about what you saw (did you know that the ruined state of some of the buildings is due not to age but to Allied bombing in World War II?) and if you haven't been there yet, this will certainly make you want to go. ( )

[Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town] by [[Mary Beard]] is a current state of the research art of findings and careful educated speculations about one of the most remarkable places on earth. The book does not attempt to confirm our own popular assumptions but rather is based on verifiable findings. You may find that there are amazing pieces of evidence of life in this ancient Roman city.

I so wish that I could have received my copy before I recently walked in Pompeii. The book is a valued companion for anyone wanting to walk this city ruins actually or in imagination. It even gives tips for visitors on transportation to the site.

Mary Beard makes wonderful use of her specialized academic training and conveys information in a critical but friendly manner.

I read the beautiful Folio Society Edition containing supporting illustrations and a useful map on the endpapers. ( )

In this book, Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, takes us on an exploration of Pompeii. She covers all aspects of life in the city, from food and drink to home improvements and entertainment, and explains what we know well about the life of the residents and what cannot really be known. She also provides context by explaining what the first excavators unearthed and the theories they developed. The book is amply illustrated, with two sections of colour plates; this is especially useful when talking about the frescoes on the walls that give the various buildings their names (e.g. the House of the Chaste Lovers). At the back is an extensive "Further Reading" section that should keep Pompeii enthusiasts busy for quite a while. ( )

An engaging and detailed look at what we know of Roman era life in Pompeii--things like what people ate, literacy and so forth. ( )

Pompeii, that fascinating archaeological ruin of incredible magnitude, is discussed in great detail in Mary Beard's The Fires of Vesuvius. In 79 CE (which in my day was AD), Mount Vesuvius erupted engulfing Pompeii in flames and preserving the city for posterity. Years and looting later, Pompeii still retains a number of artifacts and architectural wonders to be a major tourist attraction in Italy. Plodding at times, the overall information is good and does point out that a lot of what is stated as fact about Pompeii is nothing more than conjecture. ( )

An enjoyable book discussing different aspects of life in Pompeii based on the evidence available. ( )