The Lost World of Pompeii (Hardcover)

Three years ago, the opportunity arose to spend part of a day there during a quick trip to the Naples region while visiting in Rome. I was totally astonished by what I saw. Pompeii is much larger and richer than I would have ever imagined. As I went from fascinating room to fascinating room, I found myself wishing I had months to spend there . . . and someone to explain what I was seeing in much more detail. There is much to pique one's curiosity . . . including the many graphic references to bacchanalia. What was life there really like?

Until I found The Lost World of Pompeii, I had no answers to my questions. I deeply regret that this book was not available to me before visiting Pompeii. Whether you will ever get to Pompeii or not, this book is a must for those who are interested in the story of Pompeii, Roman life and art history.

The book is divided into 7 sections, each of which addresses a different aspect of Pompeii:

(1) The city's destruction through the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79. The current thinking on the destruction is different from what I was told by more tour guide at the time of my visit.

(2) How Pompeii was rediscovered and excavated (with much work left to be done). This unveils the city and explains the slow development of archeology as applied to the city.

(3) Voices from a Lost World captures what life was like before the eruption. There are also helpful maps and a great top-down view of the site.

(4) The Pompeian House is an excellent explanation of architecture and how homes were used then.

(5) Life and Art looks at what the many paintings and sculptures suggest about the pleasure-seeking life of those who lived there.

(6) The Grand Tour investigates how visiting Pompeii influenced other Europeans during the last three centuries.

(7) The Legacy of Pompeian Style examines some ways that Pompeii became a template for more modern expressions of the architecture and decoration for those who admired the Pompeii look.

The essays in each case told me much more than I knew to ask and were very helpful.

But the greatest strength of the book is in its many wonderful photographs of the current site, art objects and paintings inspired by Pompeii. The book exceeded my expectations of what might be included, and the quality of the images is remarkable. You would have to travel for weeks just to see all of the images captured here.

As I finished reading the book, I found myself wondering how our decorations and entertainments from today could be misleading to people 2000 years from now. Is it possible that abstract art will be confused with religious worship? Will remnants of today's pervasive pornography lead people to think that we lead wild lives? Will soap operas be seen as reflections of daily life?

How, too, are we misreading the Romans? It's interesting to think about.