Resurrecting Pompeii

Name: Resurrecting Pompeii
Author: Estelle Lazer
ISBN: 9780415261463

by Estelle Lazer (2008)

Read Free Sample Buy on Amazon Audible Free Trial

About this book

"Pompeii has been continuously excavated and studied since 1748. Early scholars working there and in other sites associated with the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius were seduced by the wealth of artefacts and wall paintings yielded by the site, meaning that the less visually attractive evidence, such as human skeletal remains, was largely ignored, and its archaeological value unrecognized and compromised." "A number of skeletons were used as props for vignettes of the tragic last moments of the victims, made to impress dignitaries visiting the site. They were also used to creatively reconstruct the lives of the victims in literary works, such as Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1834 novel, The Last Days of Pompeii, where the skeletal evidence is presented through storytelling with a thin veneer of science. This work in particular has had a profound influence and has driven the agenda of many Pompeian and Campanian skeletal studies into the twenty-first century." "Recognizing the important contribution of the human skeletal evidence to the archaeology of Pompeii and studying the reasons for the scientific neglect of the human remains, Resurrecting Pompeii provides detailed information about what the skeletal record can actually provide. Estelle Lazer demonstrates that the biological evidence does not support the detail of the stories that have been told to date, but it does yield tantalizing glimpses into the lives and deaths of the victims, providing students of archaeology and history with an essential resource in the study of this fascinating historical event."--Jacket.

Setting / LocationGlobal

Story EraModern Era

Protagonist / CoreResurrecting Pompeii Lead Character

Themes & Moods

History Human remains (Archaeology)Excavations (Archaeology)Antiquities Italy, civilization Italy, history Modern Era

Readers who enjoyed this also loved

The archaeology of Greece

William R. Biers

William R. Biers wrote The Archaeology of Greece to introduce students, teachers, and lay readers to the delights of exploring the world of ancient Greece. The great popularity of the first edition testifies to his success. In his preface to the second edition, Biers points out that, while the field of Greek archaeology may seem conservative and slow-moving, it has undergone major changes, especially in regard to work on the Bronze Age. The revised edition brings information on all areas up to date, reflecting the most recent research, and it includes cross references to Perseus II, the interactive electronic data base on Archaic and Classical Greece. This edition includes new illustrations, some of recent finds, some of improved plans, and others added to enhance an explanation or to illustrate a point.

The complete idiot's guide to Italian history and culture

Gabrielle Euvino with Michael San Filippo

You're no idiot, of course. You know there's more to Italy's rich tapestry than spaghetti and the Sicilian Mafia, but you also know you have a lot to learn about the country that brought you the paintings of Michelangelo, the poetry of Dante, and the Ferrari of your dreams.Get ready to indulge! The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Italian History and Culture will satisfy your thirst for all things Italian with its in-depth information about Italian art and literature, wine and cooking, and famous Italians and Italian Americans. In this Complete Idiot's Guide®, you get:Secrets of Italian cooking sure to whet your appetite!The Italian-American connection, from pizza to the Mafia to soccer.A comprehensive look at the centuries-long struggle to unify Italy.The power and glory of the Renaissance.

Jerusalem

Hershel Shanks

Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography traces the turbulent history of the Holy City on the 3,000th anniversary of its establishment by King David as the capital of Israel. The reader will follow archaeologists as they discover where Jesus was buried, what Solomon's Temple looked like, and how David captured the city. Here, too, is the painful evidence of the city's repeated destruction - by the Babylonians, led by the rapacious Nebuchadnezzar, and then by the Romans, under Titus. This comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-the-minute account debunks many long-standing theories: Solomon's Stables were not built by Solomon, nor were they a stable, and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Judas betrayed Jesus and where Jesus was arrested, was not a garden but a cave. Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography is like a visit to Jerusalem, and more instructive: 200 full-color pictures lead the reader through a clear and fascinating text filled with little-known details. This authoritative book is the perfect introduction to the Holy City.

An archaeology of Elmina

Christopher R. DeCorse

"An Archaeology of Elmina examines a complex African settlement on the coast of present-day Ghana from the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries, using the archaeological record, European narratives, and indigenous oral histories. Placing the site in broader context as the first European trade post in sub-Saharan Africa, Christopher R. DeCorse explores developments there in light of Portuguese, Dutch, and British expansion and illustrates remarkable cultural continuity in the midst of technological change."--BOOK JACKET.