Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3713 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
'One of the best communicators on classics around' --Charlotte Higgins, Guardian

'If they'd had Mary Beard on their side back then, the Romans would still have their empire'
--Sam Leith, Daily Mail

Review
`A myth-breaking expedition, grandiose in scale, vibrant in its telling' - Colin Gardiner, Oxford Times

Review
`[A] witty, readable account' Philip Womack, Daily Telegraph