Pompeii And The Roman Villa

An assessment of the Bay of Naples as a popular vacation spot in ancient Rome evaluates the picturesque area as a villa site for numerous emperors and a retreat of choice for the artistic community, in a lavishly illustrated volume that features reproductions of period artwork.

This volume offers a comprehensive survey of Roman villas in Italy and the Mediterranean provinces of the Roman Empire, from their origins to the collapse of the Empire. The architecture of villas could be humble or grand, and sometimes luxurious. Villas were most often farms where wine, olive oil, cereals, and manufactured goods, among other products, were produced. They were also venues for hospitality, conversation, and thinking on pagan, and ultimately Christian, themes. Villas spread as the Empire grew. Like towns and cities, they became the means of power and assimilation, just as infrastructure, such as aqueducts and bridges, was transforming the Mediterranean into a Roman sea. The distinctive Roman/Italian villa type was transferred to the provinces, resulting in Mediterranean-wide culture of rural dwelling and work that further unified the Empire.

When Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the force of the explosion blew the top right off the mountain, burying nearby Pompeii in a shower of volcanic ash. Ironically, the calamity that proved so lethal for Pompeii's inhabitants preserved the city for centuries, leaving behind a snapshot of Roman daily life that has captured the imagination of generations. The experience of Pompeii always reflects a particular time and sensibility, says Ingrid Rowland. From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town explores the fascinating variety of these different experiences, as described by the artists, writers, actors, and others who have toured the excavated site. The city's houses, temples, gardens--and traces of Vesuvius's human victims--have elicited responses ranging from awe to embarrassment, with shifting cultural tastes playing an important role. The erotic frescoes that appalled eighteenth-century viewers inspired Renoir to change the way he painted. For Freud, visiting Pompeii was as therapeutic as a session of psychoanalysis. Crown Prince Hirohito, arriving in the Bay of Naples by battleship, found Pompeii interesting, but Vesuvius, to his eyes, was just an ugly version of Mount Fuji. Rowland treats readers to the distinctive, often quirky responses of visitors ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain to Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman. Interwoven throughout a narrative lush with detail and insight is the thread of Rowland's own impressions of Pompeii, where she has returned many times since first visiting in 1962.

Parmi les tout premiers bâtiments fouillés sur le site de Pompéi, entre 1771 et 1775, la Villa de Diomède constitue l'un des édifices les plus décrits et représentés par les voyageurs du Grand Tour. Engagé en 2012, un programme pluridisciplinaire a eu pour objectif de restituer toute son évolution, conjuguant la fabrique matérielle d'une villa romaine et sa fabrique imaginaire contemporaine. Il s'agissait d'identifier et de modéliser les différents chantiers de construction qui en ont transformé le bâtiment, de la fin du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours.0Pour ce faire, différentes compétences se sont associées : histoire des fouilles et des restaurations, archéologie de la construction, bases de données, systèmes d'information géographique, géophysique, ingénierie des structures, imagerie scientifique et modélisation 3D. Les trente-trois contributions réunies rendent compte de ces regards croisés sur l'entière fabrique de cette villa singulière, envisagée sur la longue durée.

WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2008 'The world's most controversial classicist debunks our movie-style myths about the Roman town with meticulous scholarship and propulsive energy' Laura Silverman, Daily Mail The ruins of Pompeii, buried by an explosion of Vesuvius in 79 CE, offer the best evidence we have of everyday life in the Roman empire. This remarkable book rises to the challenge of making sense of those remains, as well as exploding many myths: the very date of the eruption, probably a few months later than usually thought; or the hygiene of the baths which must have been hotbeds of germs; or the legendary number of brothels, most likely only one; or the massive death count, maybe less than ten per cent of the population. An extraordinary and involving portrait of an ancient town, its life and its continuing re-discovery, by Britain's favourite classicist.

La 4e de couverture indique : Parmi les tout premiers bâtiments fouillés sur le site de Pompéi, entre 1771 et 1775, la Villa de Diomède constitue l'un des édifices les plus décrits et représentés par les voyageurs du Grand Tour. Engagé en 2012, un programme pluridisciplinaire a eu pour objectif de restituer toute son évolution, conjuguant la fabrique matérielle d'une villa romaine et sa fabrique imaginaire contemporaine. Il s'agissait d'identifier et de modéliser les différents chantiers de construction qui en ont transformé le bâtiment, de la fin du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours. Pour ce faire, différentes compétences se sont associées : histoire des fouilles et des restaurations, archéologie de la construction, bases de données, systèmes d'information géographique, géophysique, ingénierie des structures, imagerie scientifique et modélisation 3D. Les trente-trois contributions réunies rendent compte de ces regards croisés sur l'entière fabrique de cette villa singulière, envisagée sur la longue durée.

The J. Paul Getty Trust presents an architectural drawing of a Roman villa as it appeared during the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan (53-117), who ruled from 98-117. The J. Paul Getty Trust provides the drawing as part of ArtsEdNet.

In a fascinating study of ancient Roman architecture, classics scholar Alexander McKay examines simple houses, mansions, estates and palatial buildings, interior furnishings, and gardens--revealing that Roman civilization was astonishingly similar to our own. He also discusses the conditions of life in the Roman provinces. 153 illustrations.