While reading Pompeii I referred back to many other books on the subject and found Beard has made them redundant. What previous books state as fact, she shows such evidence can be questionable, she shows us what is theory and guesswork and while this may seem faint praise it is anything but. Her questioning approach is refreshingly different involving the reader not just in the fascinating subject of Pompeii but the greater question of what can be gleaned from the historical evidence we have.
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| Primary Genre | History |
| Recommendations: |
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.
Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town features in the following genres: History, eBooks of the Month, History and Archaeology, Recommendations
Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town is available in Paperback
Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town was written by Mary Beard and published by Profile Books Ltd
Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town has 360 pages
£10.79
