The fortifications of Pompeii stand as the ancient city’s largest, oldest, and best preserved public monument. Over its 700-year history, Pompeii invested significant amounts of money, resources, and labor into (re)building, maintaining, and upgrading the walls. Each intervention on the fortifications marked a pivotal event of social and political change, signaling dramatic shifts in Pompeii’s urban, social, and architectural framework. Although the defenses had a clear military role, their design, construction materials, and aesthetics reflect the political, social, and urban development of the city. Their fate was intertwined with that of Pompeii. This study redefines Pompeii’s fortifications as a central monument that physically and symbolically shaped the city. It considers the internal and external forces that morphed their appearance and traces how the fortifications served to foster a sense of community. The city wall emerges as a dynamic, ideologically freighted monument that was fundamental to the image and identity of Pompeii. The book is a unique narrative of the social and urban development of the city from foundation to the eruption of Vesuvius, through the lens of the public building most critical to its independence and survival.

The POMPEII ARCHAEOLOGICAL GUIDEBOOK series is devoted to areas of the city that cannot be viewed by the public. The books document their project, opening up areas of research and raising questions of historical and artistic interest. This volume unravels a previously undiscovered aspect of the walls.

Offers an in-depth exploration of the only assured brothel from the Greco-Roman world, illuminating the lives of both prostitutes and clients.

Ancient Graffiti in Context brings together papers by historians and archaeologists using graffiti as evidence to explore the Greek and Roman worlds. Illuminating such varied topics as ancient emotions, Roman children, quarry workers, and military communities, this collection demonstrates the importance of this often undervalued form of evidence.

Contains selection of inscriptions, from political manifestos to gladiatorial announcements, found in the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These inscriptions, painted and incised on walls of public and private buildings, document aspects of daily life in the first century A.D. Inscriptions, particularly graffiti, were often written by less educated members of society, and as such provide a rare glimpse of common Latin. Grammatical and historical commentary * Abbreviations explained * Index of proper names.

An assessment of the Bay of Naples as a popular vacation spot in ancient Rome evaluates the picturesque area as a villa site for numerous emperors and a retreat of choice for the artistic community, in a lavishly illustrated volume that features reproductions of period artwork.