The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found

By Mary Beard
Belknap Harvard, $26.95, 384 pages

Taking a glance into the frozen-in-fire lives of the inhabitants of Pompeii, The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found by Mary Beard is an analysis based in both rock hard fact and educated speculation of the average life of the average person in the average Roman town. With cues taken from the architecture, documentation (from manuscripts, oral tradition, and the walls of the city itself), and even the positions that the bodies of the unfortunate townspeople were found in, Beard offers an accurate portrayal of what it meant to “do as the Romans do.”

While quite thorough in its explanation of Roman life, The Fires of Vesuvius seems to lack the inherent flair that was present in their romanticized lives. Though accurate, this work offered by Beard lacks the fiery passion that the title suggests.

Reviewed by Jordan Dacayanan