P
BURIED 79AD
Pompeii
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BOOKS
An Overview:
The World of Pompeii
Dobbins, J., Foss, P. W. (2007). The World of Pompeii. New York, NY: Routledge.
The book takes a survey approach for the information about Pompeii, but it also includes maps and a supplementary CD. The book is organized thematically and contains essays by 39 different authors, making it easy for anyone to get a quick overview about any aspect of life in Pompeii.
Pompeii Awakened: A Story of Rediscovery
Harris, J. (2007). Pompeii Awakened: A story of rediscovery. New York, NY: I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd.
Pompeii Awakened uses more of a narrative form of a brief history of Pompeii followed by the excavations throughout time. The narrative gives life to a sometimes dry tale and allows it to be easily accessible by those outside the realm of classical scholarship.
The Lost World of Pompeii
Amery, C., Curran Jr., B. (2002). The lost world of Pompeii. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications.
This book laments the current ongoing destruction of Pompeii through lack of preservation, and at the same time strives to give readers access to the monuments and frescos with brilliant photographs. The accompanying text is an overview of the city’s life, destruction and rediscovery.
Pompeii in Fact and Fiction
Leppman, W. (1968). Pompeii in fact and fiction. London, UK: Elek Books Limited.
This is an overview of the history of Pompeii throughout history, including the text of letters describing the eruption. The book begins with a brief look at Pompeii in the ancient world, and spends the majority of the book on descriptions of various travels to Pompeii by people until the twentieth century.
New Ideas and Insights:
Pompeii: A Sourcebook
Cooley, A. E., Cooley, M. G. L. (2004). Pompeii: A Sourcebook. New York, NY: Routledge.
This sourcebook is much different from the rest of the resources because it records and translates many of the written sources from within the city that were preserved. This includes labels on wine jugs and insults scribbled on walls and advice on the best prostitutes to visit. These are laid out in thematic categories and give more insight into the daily life of the people of Pompeii.
Roman Pompeii
Laurence, R. (2007). Roman Pompeii: Space and Society (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
This book is intended for use by a wide audience, and seeks to discuss Pompeii in a spatial and social context. The book avoids domestic space and instead concentrates on the public sector. It also tries to enhance our knowledge of Pompeii’s city planning and economy.
Rome, Ostia, Pompeii: Movement and Space
Laurence, R., Newsome, D. J. (Eds.). (2011). Rome, Ostia, Pompeii: Movement and space. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc.
Looking beyond the basics of history this collection of papers describes movement and spaces in the ancient Roman world. Comparing the three cities allows the reader to see the changes over time and in different sized cities. The book discusses not just the architecture of each city, but how that architecture was used by the people.
Information About the Fate of the People:
Pompeii’s Living Statues
Dwyer, E. (2010). Pompeii’s living statues: Ancient Roman lives stolen from death. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
The plaster casts of the victims of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius are famous around the world and this book discusses the method in which they were first made, the second round of better casts and the spread through the media. Throughout the book quotes from Giuseppe Fiorelli, the creator of the original casts, are used to illustrate the meaning behind theses casts.
Resurrecting Pompeii
Lazer, E. (2009). Resurrecting Pompeii. New York, NY: Routledge.
This book is appropriate for those interested in the history of the slightly morbid as it delves into the skeletal remains found at Pompeii. The casts of the bodies bring mortality sharply into focus, yet the remains were not carefully studied until recently. This book goes into the reasons this happened and the information that the remains can still tell us while still being accessible for the non-scientist.
The Next Best Thing (Than the Real City):
The Complete Pompeii
Berry, J. (2007). The Complete Pompeii. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson Inc.
This is a very complete overview of Pompeii without delving too deeply into any of the scholarly debates that surround the town. It includes over 300 illustrations (mostly in color) that give the reader a glimpse into the town and the rich artifacts that have been discovered there.
Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town
Ciarallo, A., De Carolis, E. (1999). Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town. Milan, Italy: Electa.
This book is the product of an exhibition that was designed to “bring a deeper understanding of Pompeii and all it signifies.” The huge number of photographs in the book creates a catalog of human achievement in Pompeii outside of the usual photographs of the city. The editors also collaborated with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples where the majority of Pompeii artifacts are located.
The Gardens of Pompeii
Jashemski, W. F. (1993). The Gardens of Pompeii, Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius (Vols 1 and 2). New Rochelle, NY: Caratzas Bros. (Volume 1 published 1979).
This two volume set explores the gardens of the area destroyed by Vesuvius which are detailed by large beautiful pictures. The second volume shows much more of the author’s research in garden paintings, excavated gardens and much more.
Journals and Databases:
Papers of the British School at Rome
British School at Rome. (2012). Papers of the British school at Rome [Journal]. Retrieved from: http://www.bsr.ac.uk/research/publications/papers
This journal publishes papers that relate to the fields of archaeology and Italian studies.
Journal of Roman Studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. (2012). Journal of Roman Studies [Journal]. Retrieved from: http://www.romansociety.org/publications/journals/journal-of-roman-studies.html
This journal publishes works relating to the field of Roman studies, including Pompeii.
L’Année Philologique on the Internet
Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique. (2012). L’Année Philologique on the Internet. Retrieved from: http://www.annee-philologique.com/
This contains citations of scholarly works relating to classical antiquity and could include articles involving Pompeii.
Note: Despite the foreign name, many of the articles are in English.
JSTOR
ITHAKA. (2012). JSTOR. [Database]. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/
This database conatins 2671 humanities journal titles, many of which can be searched for articles that relate to the Roman world or Pompeii.