Bibliographic Information

Pompeii : public and private life

Paul Zanker ; translated by Deborah Lucas Schneider

(Revealing antiquity, 11)

Harvard University Press, c1998

  • : cloth
  • : pbk

Other Title

Pompeji : Stadtbild und Wohngeschmack

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Note

Originally published in German as: Pompeji : Stadtbild und Wohngeschmack (P. von Zabern, 1995)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [209]-240) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: cloth ISBN 9780674689664

Description

Pompeii was preserved, its urban design and domestic styles captured when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. This volume presents the history of Pompeii, tracing the urban images that marked Pompeii's development from country town to Roman imperial city. It explores Pompeii's public buildings, its streets and gathering places, the impact of religious changes, the renovation of theatres and expansion of athletic facilities and the influence of elite families on the city's appearance. The private houses of Pompeii prove eloquent, their layout, decor, and architectural detail speak volumes about the way of life, taste and desires of their owners - whether at home or in public, at work or at ease.

Table of Contents

  • Part 1 Townscape and domestic taste: townscapes
  • domestic taste and cultural self-definition. Part 2 Urban space as a reflection of society: the Hellenistic city of the Oscans
  • the Roman colonists
  • city
  • townscape and ideology in the age of Augustus
  • the city's final years. Part 3 The domestic arts in Pompeii: the origins of the Roman villa
  • two forms of living space
  • a miniature villa in the town
  • a courtyard with a large marble fountain
  • a garden as sanctuary
  • a parlour overlooking Diana's sacred grove
  • gardens filled with sculptures
  • dining under the stars
  • large pictures for small dreams
  • domestic taste and cultural identity.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780674689671

Description

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.

Table of Contents

Preface Townscape and Domestic Taste Townscapes Domestic Taste and Cultural Self-Definition Urban Space as a Reflection of Society The Hellenistic City of the Oscans The Roman Colonists' City Townscape and Ideology in the Age of Augustus The City's Final Years The Domestic Arts in Pompeii The Origins of the Roman Villa Two Forms of Living Space A Miniature Villa in the Town A Courtyard with a Large Marble Fountain A Garden as Sanctuary A Parlor Overlooking Diana's Sacred Grove Gardens Filled with Sculptures Dining under the Stars Large Pictures for Small Dreams Domestic Taste and Cultural Identity Abbreviations Notes Illustration Credits Index

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