The Art and Life of Pompeii and Herculaneum

The prosperous Greco-Roman city of Pompeii suddenly obliterated by the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. has captured the imagination of the world ever since the 18th century when some of its treasures first began to be uncovered. The first explorers carried off their finds and treasured them in princely collections. Over the years hundreds more paintings, sculptures, valuable objects of art and artifacts were excavated and stored in the nearby Naples Museum for safekeeping. Now with improvements in the techniques of excavation, the tendency has been to restore the buildings and keep the art in situ, and Pompeii presents itself today as an archaeological paradise. This volume has been planned to reintegrate the scattered objects, paintings and artworks in a sequence to suggest their original location, and thus give an image of the ancient Roman city: a wealthy, lively center of civic activity, with its streets and public buildings--the stately Forum, the two theaters, the temples, the great Amphitheater for gladiatorial games, the public baths and outdoor gymnasiums. In art, the paintings and mosaics are among the most precious survivals of classical antiquity. Only in Pompeii is there such a wealth of works reflecting the last flickering of ancient Greek painting so highly extolled by ancient writers.