The objective of this book is to bear witness to the importance
of Pompeii in the field of archaeology, and to contribute to our
body of knowledge about the complex civilization of the Romans.
At the same time, it is also an invitation to visit a remarkable
site where the past still seems extraordinarily alive.
Using the latest scientific research, this multidisciplinary journey
explores everything from painting styles to local history,
botany and architecture. It investigates public life (politics, the
baths, city theaters and the amphitheater), religious life (different
types of public and private worship, temples and sanctuaries),
the economy (commerce, financial activities and
coinage, craftsmanship and agriculture), and the private arena
(the world of women, erotic representations, lifestyles, wall
inscriptions, funerary rites and the necropolises). A special
section is devoted to the eruption of 79 AD, with a description
based on the most recent discoveries, and another section
takes a look at Oplontis, the most celebrated villa in the suburbs
of Pompeii – and legendarily owned by Poppea Sabina,
Nero’s second wife. An updated bibliography and a chronological
outline conclude this journey back in time.