Courses

This course takes an in-depth look at the exceptional and exceptionally preserved city of Pompeii (along with others in the Bay of Naples region, including Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis) as a microcosm of ancient Roman life. In the late summer or early autumn of 79 CE, Pompeii suffered a cataclysmic event when Mount Vesuvius exploded in a terrible and spectacular fashion, spewing forth a tremendous cloud of ash and pyroclastic debris over the city and its environs. While the disaster claimed the lives of tens of thousands of inhabitants, the peculiar conditions of the eruption preserved the material traces of their daily lives. Students will explore the civic, commercial, and domestic spaces of Pompeii, including its forum, temples and sanctuaries, cemeteries, theaters, brothels, bakeries, and especially its townhouses, which were decorated with brilliant wall paintings, floor mosaics, furniture, and lush portico gardens designed for rest and relaxation from the bustle of city life. Significant attention will also be paid to the archaeological discovery of Pompeii and its neighboring towns in the 18th century, as well as its popular reception in painting, film, and other forms of visual culture up to the present.