Description
Book SynopsisA sumptuously illustrated survey of the art and architecture of this prosperous Roman town, remarkably preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79
Trade Review"A must-read for archeology buffs and lovers of ancient Roman culture and art, this book evokes a voluptuous culture distant from our own and yet with images so strangely familiar that it will capture the imagination of any student of humanity." --Publishers Weekly "A spectacular collaboration among Maria Paola Guidobaldi, director of excavations at Herculaneum, the scholar Domenico Esposito, and the photographer Luciano Pedicini. This large folio volume provides floor plans, detailed descriptions, and evocative illustrations: Pedicini's careful choice of lighting and viewpoints makes even such well-known objects as the bronze statues from the Villa of the Papyri look startlingly new. Maria Paola Guidobaldi and Domenico Esposito [employ] meticulous descriptions, finding, remarkably, the right words for every last detail. These accounts make for slow, careful reading, but close description is the only sure way to open our eyes to the full brilliance of such intricate designs, and the two archaeologists' abilities at putting shapes into words are extraordinary (the book is also exceedingly well translated)." --New York Review of Books
Table of ContentsIntroduction (p. 7) The History of the Excavations (p. 21) Theater (p. 31) Basilica Noniana (p. 35) The Urban Fabric (p. 41) Living in Herculaneum (p. 61) HERCULANEUM IN THE HELLENISTIC AGE Samnites House (p. 81) SECOND STYLE PAINTING (p. 85) Village of the Papyri (p. 89) House of the Inn (p. 119) The Villa of the Royal Stable at Portici (p. 123) Three Fragments in the Second Style (p. 127) THIRD STYLE PAINTING (p. 133) House of the Bronze Herm (p. 143) House of the Dionysian Reliefs (p. 151) House of the Carbonized Furniture (p. 157) Wooden Furniture from Herculaneum (p. 163) House of Beautiful Courtyard (p. 171) Great Taberna (p. 179) A Bakery (p. 183) House of the Tuscan Colonnade (p. 191) House of the Grand Portal (p. 205) House of the Wooden Screen (p. 217) FOURTH STYLE PAINTING (p. 227) House of the Black Salon (p. 237) House of Bicentenary (p. 247) House of the Two Atria (p. 255) House of the Stags (p. 259) House of the Skeleton (p. 287) House of Neptune and Amphitrite (p. 283) House of the Mosaic Atrium (p. 293) House of the Telephusb Relief (p. 303) College of the Augustales (p. 313) Augusteum (p. 327) Chronology (p. 348) Selected Bibliography (p. 349) Index of Proper Names (p. 350) Illustration Credits (p. 352)
