Cities of Vesuvius

by Michael Grant

Interesting book on Pompeii

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Archaeology, Ancient History, Art

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Michael Grant was an English classisist, numismatist, and author of numerous popular books on ancient history. His 1956 translation of Tacitus’s Annals of Imperial Rome remains a standard of the work. He once described himself as "one of the very few freelances in the field of ancient history: a rare phenomenon". As a popularizer, his hallmarks were his prolific output and his unwillingness to oversimplify or talk down to his readership.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at what a good book Michael Grant's Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum turned out to be. When he was at his peak, Grant was a superb classical historian; and this book was evidently a labor of love. The text is well-integrated with the frequent and well-chosen illustrations; and ample footnotes are provided for those who want to track down his sources.

Most books about Pompeii and Herculaneum fall under the categories of either academic hackwork or popularized pseudo-historical fluff. In Cities, Grant concentrates on providing a well formulated description of the layout of the cities; their public, trade, and domestic architecture; the paintings, mosaics, decorations, and furniture; and finally a short chapter on politics and sexual practices.

In a brief epilogue is to be found a quick survey of the archeology of Vesuvius, which is only right as it is too big a topic in its own right and would leave a muddy impression of what Grant makes crystal-clear.

[Marko Vasić · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is still quite “fresh“, albeit quinquagenarian. In contrast to Pompeii: The Life Of A Roman Town by Mary Beard, written in much leisurely style, Grant’s style is rather conservative and closer to scientific. The most prominent, and for me, the most interesting and important pars were author’s architectural and archaeological descriptions of particular objects and of their value. Moreover, in quite an easy manner, Grand spoke about temples, distinguish private villas, their frescoes and mosaics, the structure of baths, trades and daily life in Pompeii. Thus, the book is quite in conjunction with Beard’s “Pompeii” and just as informative.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good maybe more like 3.5. He makes some weird and tastless cultural comments regardi g the world as it was in 1980 that definitely didnt add to learning about pompeii and herculaneum lmao

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this at the back of my book shelf. I probably bought it after my first trip to Pompeii in the 1990’s or after I returned in 2007. This filled in some gaps in my knowledge and allowed me to revisit the fascinating place, which I probably will not see again. There have been several beautiful museum shows about Pompeii in the past few years concerning the food, wine and culture of the city. This book is still accurate in its description of the classes who lived in Pompeii, the influences on its architecture, the religion and, of course, the volcanic eruption that buried the city.

[Daniele · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit dry, but very informative and uncluttered without losing the ability to paint vivid pictures. it has rekindled my desire to go back to Pompeii and Herculaneum to see them anew.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by Michael Grant, and I've had my copy since the 1970s. I'm a bit cross that Mary Beard gets top billing in the recent edition. Presumably, she writes an introduction??

[Gwendolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all the details and an easy read. The art, especially the mosaics of these homes are amazing. I home you can reprint in color on day.

Spolier: everyone died

[Bob Croft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief overview. Published originally in 1971; somewhat dated.
Good description of local economy, and home layout:
Atrium - entrance hall, usually open to the sky in the center, with a pool beneath the opening; perhaps originally a courtyard; served to let in light and air; became a richly furnished sitting room. Peristyle - garden, usually colonnaded on most sides. Tablinum - originally, the central room; used as owners' reception room, and dining room before advent of separate dining rooms; usually behind, and open to, the atrium, in the center. Wings (alae) - usually at either side of the rear of the atrium; originally contained images of early family members, later served a variety of purposes. Dining rooms - two or three - summer, winter, garden; small, barely large enough to hold the customary three couches. Kitchen - small, primitive; placed wherever a bit of extra room allowed; room for a sink, a raised hearth, and a bronze heating device; no chimneys. Little glazing; in winter, windows were covered by fabric, shutters or blinds, resulting in poor lighting and air circulation. Lots of lamps and braziers, of questionable efficiency and high fire potential. Little furniture, but of good design and workmanship; bronze and rare wood inlays. Walls were frescoes, floors mosaic. Curtains on walls; never carpets. Town homes had few exterior windows (high incidence of theft) and faced inward; country villas took full advantage of the view and the breeze. Upstairs were haphazard, with staircases placed at random.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Grant provides all sorts of useful information for someone like me planning to visit these places. I learned some things about Roman mosaics that I didn't know. For example, mosaics mounted on marble trays were prefabricated and probably imported readymade from Greece. Although elite Romans knew about carpets from the East, they preferred intricate mosaics on their floors. The transfer of mosaics from floors to walls in the early Byzantine period had already begun on a small scale in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the eruption of Vesuvius. Around courtyards in niches surrounding fountains, mosaics from cubes of glass paste and marble were installed to reflect the dazzling summer sunshine.

Suffice it to say that I liked this book well enough to check out another by Michael Grant. This one is entitled THE TWELVE CAESARS.

[Alessandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the layout, architecture, and artworks of the excavated towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii, along with some discussion of town life. The scholarship may be dated, and the pictures are regrettably all black-and-white, but still a nice introduction.

[Harald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic book - originally published in 1971 - is still a great read not only about the dramatic end of the two Roman towns in AD 79, but also about what we can learn from modern-day excavations about the people that lived there. Excellent illustrations.

[Deedee]

937.7 CLAY-HQ; NCLS-COVTN

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto istruttivo ma un po' noioso.

[Eric Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but interesting. Poor photo reproduction.

[Martin Empson · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://resolutereader.blogspot.com/20...