Herculaneum : past and future /

Wallace-Hadrill (Cambridge) offers the best discussion of Herculaneum since Joseph Deiss's Herculaneum, Italy's Buried Treasure (CH, Apr'67; rev. ed., 1985). In appearance a coffee-table book with over 300 photographs (most in color) and including eight double foldouts, this book offers far more. The author has an intimate knowledge of Herculaneum and its history and enlivens his narrative with stories of named inhabitants garnered from documents found in the city. A summary description of the ancient city, the book, whose origins lie in the Herculaneum Conservation Project, also serves as a commentary on the nature of archaeology in the Vesuvian cities over the past centuries; a report on what the present program has accomplished since 2001; and a call for future concern for Herculaneum's welfare. Wallace-Hadrill explains how this city differs from Pompeii and describes the unique contributions Herculaneum makes to knowledge of ancient Roman life. In addition to numerous photographs, the text is augmented with a glossary and chronology. Particularly helpful is the large foldout map at the rear of the book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. R. I. Curtis emeritus, University of Georgia

Located between Naples and Pompeii, the town of Herculaneum was also destroyed by Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E. This sumptuously illustrated book-including panoramic views stretching across four pages-provides an in-depth geological, architectural, and historical look at what is known about the town and its inhabitants, constituting the first book of its kind since Joseph Jay Deiss's 1966 study. The head of the Herculaneum Conservation Project, Wallace-Hadrill illustrates how its villas and apartments reflect status differences, how the numbers of freed slaves exceeded the freeborn so that Romans "fretted about the excessive number of ex-slaves making their way into citizenship, not unlike European anxieties about illegal immigration." Also included are a history of architectural efforts at Herculaneum, dating back to the early 18th century; a comparison of the city and Pompeii-Herculaneum is portrayed as "a place of greater wealth and sophistication"; and a discussion of conservation efforts. As important as the text are the color photographs of streetscapes, homes, and other buildings, and art (some of the latter seem strikingly modern, such as a silver portrait bust of the Emperor Galba). Perhaps the book's only flaw is the occasional unexplained reference, such as the intriguing "three good luck phalli" found in a bakery. Overall, however, one could hardly ask for a clearer, more comprehensive, and better illustrated guide to Herculaneum. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.