Pompeii Awakened: A Story of Rediscovery by Judith Harrisby Judith Harris
On that fateful day in AD 79 the city of Pompeii was lost, and in time its location, its inhabitants and even its name were buried and forgotten. Not until 1748 did it emerge from its layer of volcanic rock, and the impact of that discovery was immediate and far reaching. The evocative story of Pompeiis awakening lies not just in its uniquely preserved classical remains but also in the powerful impact it made on Western cultural imagination.
How many people could read and write in the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans? No one has previously tried to give a systematic answer to this question. Most historians who have considered the problem at all have given optimistic assessments, since they have been impressed by large bodies of ancient written material such as the graffiti at Pompeii. They have also been influenced by a tendency to idealize the Greek and Roman world and its educational system.
In this innovative book, Dr. Ray Laurence looks at the archaeological and literary evidence relating to the city of Pompeii from the viewpoint of architect, geographer and social scientist.
