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Pompeii

The Life of a Roman Town

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Pompeii

By: Mary Beard
Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
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About this listen

Winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2008.

The ruins of Pompeii, buried by an explosion of Vesuvius in 79 CE, offer the best evidence we have of everyday life in the Roman empire. This remarkable book rises to the challenge of making sense of those remains, as well as exploding many myths: the very date of the eruption, probably a few months later than usually thought, or the hygiene of the baths that must have been hotbeds of germs, or the legendary number of brothels, most likely only one, or the massive death count, maybe less than 10 per cent of the population.

An extraordinary and involving portrait of an ancient town, its life and its continuing rediscovery, by Britain's favourite classicist.

©2010 Mary Beard (P)2010 Hachette Audio UK Ancient Archaeology Europe

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Critic reviews

"The world's most controversial classicist debunks our movie-style myths about the Roman town with meticulous scholarship and propulsive energy." (Laura Silverman, Daily Mail)
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting and addictive. The author can impart information in such an entertaining way that you learn lots of facts without realising.. Time flew past when i listened.

Fantastic

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Professor Mary Beard's text, well read by Phyllida Nash, gives an excellent account of the history, life and times of Pompeii before and at the time of its destruction in AD79. Professor Beard is not afraid to contradict the opinions of other learned writers on Pompeii, using her own very extensive knowledge of Roman and Greek customs and writings. I would advise the listener to this audio edition to take the trouble of obtaining a map of the city to be able to follow the narration and locate the various buildings being discussed.

A Expertly Guided Tour of Pompeii

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Loved this book it was so informative and the narrator was brilliant. I would deffinatley recommend for anyone interested in Pompeii

Loved it

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Always a risk with non-fiction - but I liked the way this one was divided up - and so informative.

NOT boring

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Mary Beard is by far my favourite historian. Knowledgeable, accessible and inciteful in equal measure. A great read

Great read

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I have this book by Mary Beard and am so pleased it is even more enjoyable on audio.
Having been there it's made me wish to return with Mary as the guide..... She makes it real even though there are still many puzzles re roman life.
I wish Mary had read her own book, I always find Ms Nash's overemphasis and preciceness, rather jarring.

In put down able....

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Mary Beard tells a well-researched tail of a town life in Roman times. She does not always follow the well-trodden path of previous historians, and gives us her own very interesting interpretation of events. Chilling reminder of a tragic end of Pompey, and the might of Roman Empire built on slavery. Excellent narration. Recommend to all: lovers of history or just curious ones.

Peeping through the door of our past.

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This book dispels some myths and contains many interesting nuggets of information. both the writer and narrator have an interesting and amusing style about them! Certainly enjoyable, especially if you like history, but not life changing.

Interesting stuff, nothing mind blowing

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