World History
I just finished reading Pompeii: The Living City. It was written by Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence. The book is excellent and I enjoyed it very much.
If you think of Pompeii, the image is usually that of the doomed city with people dead or dying. Or, the image of the plaster casts of dead people as the city is excavated in modern times comes to mind. However, the city had a long history. And as the title suggests, the city was vibrant and full of life.
This book covers the last twenty five years of the life of the city. The narrative goes back and forth from fictional accounts of people's lives with the factual details on city life. Politics (both locally and in Rome) are covered and the Emperor Nero features prominently in the text. The great earthquake of 63 and the impact it had on Pompeii is covered as is the final days of the city when it was destroyed in 79.
A Publishers Weekly review was kind to the book. It noted, "The thriving ancient port city of Pompeii was memorably destroyed and its 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants killed in A.D. 79 by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Archeologists have dug parts of the city out of the rubble, reconstructing its layout and life. Drawing on this evidence and on ancient writings on Pompeii, British popular historians Butterworth and Laurence splendidly recreate the bustling life of this Roman town, as well as the eruption. They tell of Umbricius Scaurus, one of the city's most respected businessmen, who grew wealthy manufacturing the culinary staple garum, a fermented fish sauce. We also read fictionalized accounts of other lives, such as Simulus, a smallholder happy to be farming a plot of rich soil, and Receptus, a slave whose new master made his life miserable. The authors vividly recreate the horrors of the earthquake in A.D. 62 that destroyed much of the town and the terrors of the volcanic eruption. They recount the heroic efforts of one woman to claw her way out of the rubble of the Villa of the Mysteries only to be killed by a new eruption. This is a first-rate and compelling history of an ancient city."
This is a good book and I certainly visualize Pompeii differently now. It is easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like ancient history, you may want to give this book a read.
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World History
Pompeii: The Living City
I just finished reading Pompeii: The Living City. It was written by Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence. The book is excellent and I enjoyed it very much.If you think of Pompeii, the image is usually that of the doomed city with people dead or dying. Or, the image of the plaster casts of dead people as the city is excavated in modern times comes to mind. However, the city had a long history. And as the title suggests, the city was vibrant and full of life.
This book covers the last twenty five years of the life of the city. The narrative goes back and forth from fictional accounts of people's lives with the factual details on city life. Politics (both locally and in Rome) are covered and the Emperor Nero features prominently in the text. The great earthquake of 63 and the impact it had on Pompeii is covered as is the final days of the city when it was destroyed in 79.
A Publishers Weekly review was kind to the book. It noted, "The thriving ancient port city of Pompeii was memorably destroyed and its 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants killed in A.D. 79 by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Archeologists have dug parts of the city out of the rubble, reconstructing its layout and life. Drawing on this evidence and on ancient writings on Pompeii, British popular historians Butterworth and Laurence splendidly recreate the bustling life of this Roman town, as well as the eruption. They tell of Umbricius Scaurus, one of the city's most respected businessmen, who grew wealthy manufacturing the culinary staple garum, a fermented fish sauce. We also read fictionalized accounts of other lives, such as Simulus, a smallholder happy to be farming a plot of rich soil, and Receptus, a slave whose new master made his life miserable. The authors vividly recreate the horrors of the earthquake in A.D. 62 that destroyed much of the town and the terrors of the volcanic eruption. They recount the heroic efforts of one woman to claw her way out of the rubble of the Villa of the Mysteries only to be killed by a new eruption. This is a first-rate and compelling history of an ancient city."
This is a good book and I certainly visualize Pompeii differently now. It is easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like ancient history, you may want to give this book a read.
- Naples
The Bay of Naples According to myth the city of Parthenope was established in 1000–900 b.c.e., with the city of Neapolis (New City) created three centuries later nearby. The climate and beautiful location of the city had long attracted attention,...
- Requiem For Rome
Alternate history can take many forms. Sometimes it can be simple (What if Lincoln had lived?) to the unbelievable such as Harry Turtledove's accounts of aliens invading during World War Two. I recently read a role playing game supplement that goes...
- Beneath The Metropolis: The Secret Lives Of Cities
I have always been fascinated by what lies beneath. I love caves. I have also been pleased on several occasions to have had the opportunity to explore the tunnel system beneath my campus. And during my Dungeons & Dragons days, my favorite adventures...
- Sirens Mark Great Quake Of 1906
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- The History Of Plumbing - Jerusalem
The History of Plumbing - Jerusalem. This is an interesting history of the holy city from the perspective of plumbing. It describes the construction of the water system of the ancient city, from 1200 BC through the Herodian era. It also covers ancient...