Synopses & Reviews
"The morning of 24 August A.D. was just another summer's day. In the town of Pompeii tradesmen removed the shutters from their shops and hung up their merchandise. Lunch was being prepared in the laundry of Stephanus. A group of gladiators met in a bar. Moedestus, the baker, stocked his oven and carefully placed the dough alongside the flames. Suddenly the air was split by a resounding crash and the ground shook. People rushed into the streets. The sky became overcast and darkness descended. Within hours Pompeii and a number of other towns were buried under several meters of pumice and ashes. This was the greatest natural disaster in European history."
From the remarkable pen of Peter Connolly comes a comprehensive look at the ancient city of Pompeii. He begins with the scientific facts: How was Pompeii destroyed? How did Mount Vesuvius become an active volcano? What happened during the erruption? How long did Pompeii lay buried and forgotten and how was it finally rediscovered? What was Pompeii's history before the disaster?
Then, Peter Connolly does what he does better than anyone--he rebuilds the past in words and pictures, allowing us to imagine what it was like to live in old Pompeii. Like an archaeological detective, he sifts through the ruins and artifacts to reconstruct one area of the town in minute detail. With maps and cross-sections, photographs, drawings, and an engrossing and fact-filled text, Connolly takes us into the very homes of its citizens--into the kitchens, atriums, bedrooms and out into the gardens. We learn what the furniture looked like, how the homes were lighted and heated, what kind of jewellry was popular, and what the gladiators wore. We view the varied styles of architecture and decoration, attend a grand dinner party, visit local shops, go to the theatre, to a public bath, and to the gladiators' arena. We gain an understanding of this ancient civilization, and begin to see how much was lost when the city fell prey to the million of tons of lava and ashes that fell on it during the devastating disaster.
The story of Pompeii is one of the most terrible and fascinating in history. Connolly brings it alive for children, adding another distingished volume to Oxford's Rebuilding the Past series.
Review
"Full-color photographs and illustrations and detailed sketches grace every page.... Particularly striking are the full-page cutaways of buildings.... This is as complete and thorough a documentation of the story of Pompeii as any that can be currently found in children's collections."--School Library Journal
"The range and wealth of information here offer an insight into the potential of scholarship that is rare in books for young people."--Kirkus Reviews
"The carefully researched text is effectively extended by the many maps, drawings, and photographs in this book. Like the other books in Oxford's Rebuilding the Past series, Pompeii is an excellent resource."--The Reading Teacher
Review
"The range and wealth of information here offer an insight into the potential of scholarship that is rare in books for young people."--Kirkus Reviews
"Full-color photographs and illustrations and detailed sketches grace every page.... Particularly striking are the full-page cutaways of buildings.... This is as complete and thorough a documentation of the story of Pompeii as any that can be currently found in children's collections."--School Library Journal
"Superb illustrations, combined with a sparse text that packs an enormous amount of scholarly information, presented in a way that is understandable and accessible... For the YA reader interested in what has actually been discovered there, and how those discoveries illustrate the daily life of Romans, this book is probably the best place to begin."--Kliatt
"The carefully researched text is effectively extended by the many maps, drawings, and photographs in this book. Like the other books in Oxford's Rebuilding the Past series, Pompeii is an excellent resource."--The Reading Teacher
Synopsis
"The morning of 24 August A.D. was just another summer's day. In the town of Pompeii tradesmen removed the shutters from their shops and hung up their merchandise. Lunch was being prepared in the laundry of Stephanus. A group of gladiators met in a bar. Moedestus, the baker, stocked his oven and carefully placed the dough alongside the flames. Suddenly the air was split by a resounding crash and the ground shook. People rushed into the streets. The sky became overcast and darkness descended. Within hours Pompeii and a number of other towns were buried under several meters of pumice and ashes. This was the greatest natural disaster in European history."
From the remarkable pen of Peter Connolly comes a comprehensive look at the ancient city of Pompeii. He begins with the scientific facts: How was Pompeii destroyed? How did Mount Vesuvius become an active volcano? What happened during the erruption? How long did Pompeii lay buried and forgotten and how was it finally rediscovered? What was Pompeii's history before the disaster?
Then, Peter Connolly does what he does better than anyone--he rebuilds the past in words and pictures, allowing us to imagine what it was like to live in old Pompeii. Like an archaeological detective, he sifts through the ruins and artifacts to reconstruct one area of the town in minute detail. With maps and cross-sections, photographs, drawings, and an engrossing and fact-filled text, Connolly takes us into the very homes of its citizens--into the kitchens, atriums, bedrooms and out into the gardens. We learn what the furniture looked like, how the homes were lighted and heated, what kind of jewellry was popular, and what the gladiators wore. We view the varied styles of architecture and decoration, attend a grand dinner party, visit local shops, go to the theatre, to a public bath, and to the gladiators' arena. We gain an understanding of this ancient civilization, and begin to see how much was lost when the city fell prey to the million of tons of lava and ashes that fell on it during the devastating disaster.
The story of Pompeii is one of the most terrible and fascinating in history. Connolly brings it alive for children, adding another distingished volume to Oxford's Rebuilding the Past series.
About the Author
About the Author - Peter Connolly has written and illustrated many books for children about the Ancient World, including the award-winning Legend of Odysseus. He is an honorary research fellow of the Institute of Archaeology in London.
Table of Contents
' Introduction
The disaster
Vesuvius
Discovery and excavation
Aerial view of the excavations
The town and its history
The forum
The streets and water supply
People and accommodation
Inside the insula
Houses
Construction and decoration
The entrance
The reception rooms 1: the atrium
The reception rooms 2: the tablinum
The kitchen and toilet
The dining room
Dinner parties
The bedrooms
Furniture, lighting and heating
The garden
Private baths
The street
The commercial life of Pompeii
The shops
Bars and taverns
The bakers
The fullers and launderers
The public baths 1
The public baths 2
The public baths 3
The theatre
The amphitheatre
In the arena
Maps
Glossary
Index
'