In a painstaking analysis of Pompeii's development from country
town to city, German scholar Zanker (Classical Archaeology/Univ. of
Munich) draws an intimate portrait of ancient urban life. Ash from
an eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. blanketed Pompeii, preserving
the ancient city intact, together with all traces of its earlier
development. Thus, unlike other Roman sites, Pompeii is not simply
a collection of ruins, but an artifact that can tell how Roman
cities developed and give a sense of the way in which Romans used
urban spaces. Drawing on the unique archaeological opportunity
presented by Pompeii, Zanker first narrates Pompeii's growth from a
culturally Hellenistic Oscan city allied with Rome to a city
colonized by Roman veterans of the civil wars of the first century
B.C. According to Zanker, Oscan Pompeii had characteristically
Greek institutions, such as the gymnasium, baths, and theater.
After Roman colonists took over the city in the wake of an
ill-fated rebellion by the Pompeians around 89 B.C., a splendid
amphitheater, was built, and structures with political
applications, like the forum, were expanded. In particular, the
temples and public places devoted to the Roman gods were renovated,
a reflection of the renewal of the traditional Roman religion after
the accession of Augustus as emperor. The early Augustan period
also saw development of an infrastructure, including a water and
sewer system, and civic pride was reflected in the tombs of the
town's leading citizens, which were designed as places of rest and
reflection for the residents. After an earthquake in 62 A.D.
emphasis in rebuilding shifted from the political to the pursuit of
pleasure and entertainment. Zanker closely analyzes the villas,
paintings, gardens, and other spaces of Roman Pompeii to develop a
vivid picture of private urban life, mostly devoted to esthetic and
cultural pursuits but not without everyday cares, among the mostly
well-to-do citizens of the city. A thoughtful and well-researched
examination of everyday life in the ancient world. (Kirkus Reviews)
Pompeii's tragedy is our windfall: an ancient city fully preserved,
its urban design and domestic styles speaking across the ages. This
richly illustrated book conducts us through the captured wonders of
Pompeii, evoking at every turn the life of the city as it was 2,000
years ago. When Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. its lava preserved not
only the Pompeii of that time but a palimpsest of the city's
history, visible traces of the different societies of Pompeii's
past. Paul Zanker, a noted authority on Roman art and architecture,
disentangles these tantalizing traces to show us the urban images
that marked Pompeii's development from country town to Roman
imperial city. Exploring Pompeii's public buildings, its streets
and gathering places, we witness the impact of religious changes,
the renovation of theaters and expansion of athletic facilities,
and the influence of elite families on the city's appearance.
Through these stages, Zanker adeptly conjures a sense of the
political and social meanings in urban planning and public
architecture. The private houses of Pompeii prove equally eloquent,
their layout, decor, and architectural detail speaking volumes
about the life, taste, and desires of their owners. At home or in
public, at work or at ease, these Pompeians and their world come
alive in Zanker's masterly rendering. A provocative and original
reading of material culture, his work is an incomparable
introduction to urban life in antiquity.
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