Pros: Connolly's artwork is beautifully detailed and well researched.
Cons: None (although I would have liked to see a better map of the city)
The Bottom Line: People who are curious about daily life in ancient Rome may be intrigued by the detailed drawings of houses, artifacts, and street scenes in this book.
rebecca-east's Full Review: Peter Connolly - Pompeii
Overview
This book reconstructs the details of daily life in the Roman city of Pompeii during the first century, before the city was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in A. D. 79. The city was buried under lava and ash for more than 1600 years, and so everything was preserved just as it was at the time of the eruption: the food that people had placed on their tables for the noon meal, furnishings, the murals on the walls, jewelry, tools, and even the bodies of people who did not have time to escape. It provides us with a sort of time capsule from the past. Because archaeologists had so much material to work with, we are able to get a very good idea what life must have been like for the people who lived in Pompeii.
About the contents
This is primarily a picture book that includes both photographs and detailed color drawings. The accompanying text is written at a level that is accessible for children about 9-12 years old, but the quality of the material is so good that high school students and adult readers may also find it valuable and enjoyable.
The book is brief (less than 80 pages). Each section deals with an episode in history or an aspect of Roman life in Pompeii.
A partial list of the Table of Contents:
The disaster/Vesuvius
Discovery and excavation of Pompeii
The town and its history
The forum
Streets and water supplies
People and accommodations (houses, apartments)
Houses
Kitchens and toilets
Dining rooms and dinner parties
Bedrooms
Furniture, lighting and heating
Gardens
Private baths
Shops, bars, taverns, bakeries
Public baths, theaters, and the amphitheater
Gladiators, and the arena
The book also includes a glossary and index.
This is one of a series of well produced books by Oxford University Press (other entries include The Legionary
and The Roman Fort).
Commentary
This book was written at a level that makes it accessible to children, but it has enough historically accurate detail to make it interesting for adults, as well. Photographs that show the excavations as they appear today (stone paved streets, skeletal walls, faded murals) are juxtaposed with detailed paintings that recreate street scenes as they might have appeared when the city was alive.
For example, Connolly's drawings make it clear how a "triclinium", a dining area with three couches, was used -- people are shown reclining around a small table helping themselves to tidbits of food from a shared platter. Other examples of drawings are illustrations of Roman glassware (such as pitchers and drinking glasses), furniture (such as a rocking cradle), lanterns with glass shades, and mechanical systems such as the heating arrangements for hot baths. It is striking how similar these ancient artifacts are to their modern equivalents.
Types of readers who might like this book:
The most likely reader for this book would be a middle school student who needs to do research on daily life in ancient Rome. However, this book could also be helpful for adults who plan to visit Pompeii and want to understand what they will see there; or for anyone who has an interest in how people lived in ancient Rome.
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