--- product_id: 321109855 title: "Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town" brand: "professor mary beard" price: "VT7201" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/321109855-pompeii-the-life-of-a-roman-town store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town **Brand:** professor mary beard **Price:** VT7201 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town by professor mary beard - **How much does it cost?** VT7201 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/321109855-pompeii-the-life-of-a-roman-town) ## Best For - professor mary beard enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted professor mary beard brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town ## Images ![Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51x8tN3E+ML.jpg) ![Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51hzTAT845L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exactly what it says in the title. *by A***R on Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 5 September 2019* This is social history at its best. This is not a dreary list of Emperors and their battles [although there are a few riots\ disturbances mentioned], but a story about how the people of Pompeii actually lived. The story goes beyond the drunken debauchery normally associated with the town and shows how the faceless plebians also lived and behaved. The townsfolk's penchant for pithy graffiti is particularly interesting, which implies that literacy was more widely spread than previously assumed.The book is well written and easy to read and covers most aspects of life in the town. The narrative concentrates on what the archaeological finds reveal about various houses scattered across the town from elite villas to artisans workshops. It even suggests there was some form of one way system - nearly two thousand years before they blighted modern life! There is also a discussion about how the roads within the town were constructed to try and stop heavy rainfall from flooding the centre - another modern parallel. The finds also indicate how public life was organised and administered ultimately revealing a complex and thriving community.This is a very interesting book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in how ordinary Romans lived. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vital guide to ancient life in Pompeii and how to understand the archaeology *by J***C on Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 February 2018* A brilliant history of the town of Pompeii made up of what we know about daily life. Beard excels in explaining what we know, what we can induce and what we need to guess about the ancient Pompeians based on the nature of the information the archaeologists uncovered and what supporting sources were needed. It's interesting, for example, that at least some of the bodies discovered in the city were probably later tomb raiders who dug tunnels into the site rather than people who died in the original destruction of the town, so finding a body in a kitchen with heavy digging tools doesn't automatically tell you about Roman food preparation techniques. None of this is dry information though, it's a highly readable, amusing and entertaining book covering the full range of Pompeian life, from high art to low pleasures.Highly recommended, especially if you've visited, or are about to visit, Pompeii itself. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoyable academic "CSI:Pompeii" *by C***G on Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 August 2014* Beard opens by challenging the notion that Pompeii was simply a normal city simply 'frozen in time'. Pompeii itself had a long history and was recovering from an earthquake when the eruption in 79 occurred. Most of the city was evacuated during the catastrophe, its contents largely removed by the fleeing inhabitants. Some came back later to retrieve their remaining possessions and a fair bit was robbed subsequent looters. Moreover the early excavations were crude and what was uncovered has since deteriorated. Constructing the history of the town seems therefore like a jigsaw with most of the pieces missing; there is much speculation and controversy over even some of the most basic 'facts'.Beard therefore manages to give an impression of the historiography of the city, drawing on changing ideas from archaeology and forensics, and circumstantial evidence from the (also fragmentary) contemporary literature. Anyone with an interest in how history works as a discipline will enjoy this 'CSI Pompeii ' approach as Beard builds up the picture of what we know or can reasonably surmise of various aspects of Roman life.I read this in preparation for a trip to Pompeii this summer and it hugely enhanced my enjoyment of the visit. It is dense but very readable though I felt the detail of the competing claims sometimes interfered with the broader story, leaving me with as many questions as answers. But then that is probably the sign of a good history book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/321109855-pompeii-the-life-of-a-roman-town](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/321109855-pompeii-the-life-of-a-roman-town) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-08*