Pompeii: The Life Of A Roman Town

By: Mary Beard

ISBN: 9781861975966
For Ages: General Adult
Format: Paperback
Dimensions (cm): 2.5 x 13.1 x 19.7
Weight (kg): 0.28

Used : Very good condition.

Very Good - The book shows only minor signs of wear, and is still in great shape overall. No major defects.

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.