Pompeii: a Different Perspective

Pompeii, a Different Perspective tells the story of a two thousand year-old street. It takes the reader on a unique journey down Via dell'Abbondanza, the longest street in the ancient city. In the first century AD a wide range of elite houses, apartments, businesses and workspaces lined this 900 meter-long bustling thoroughfare, which was well-traveled by slaves, soldiers, merchants, commoners, and patricians. There is possibly no other single street that better depicts the diverse lives of the people who lived in Pompeii. The book visually documents and interprets Via dell'Abbondanza with distinctive and highly detailed representations of the thirty-two city blocks along the street that were created for the archives in Pompeii and for conservation management, academic study, and general historic interest. The photomosaic images of the facades were produced by carefully combining survey drawings and digital photographs, revealing views that cannot be seen on the site. The book also traces the history of the excavation of the street, analyzes the deterioration of the structures since they were discovered, and provides interesting supplemental information about the buildings and the recording methodology. A companion website (www.pompeiiperspectives.org) offers the reader additional historical facts, quantitative data, and research details.