ANTH 382A - Study Abroad - Pompeii: Life and Death of a Roman

When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, it buried the people and town of Pompeii under ash and preserved the ruins to an extraordinary degree. This class will explore what the ruins of this city can teach us about life in the Roman Empire, including such topics as prostitution, religion, the economy and neighborhood bars, gladiatorial contests, domestic decoration, and even the types of food Romans ate. The bodies found at Pompeii tell us who walked its streets - from the lowliest enslaved to the most noble of aristocrats - as well as the animals who served as farm labor, pets, and guardians. Two weeks in Italy will provide students with a comprehensive, in-depth understanding of the remains of Pompeii and its sister-city of Herculaneum, as well as the socio-historical context of the city within the greater context of the Roman Empire, the multi-cultural landscape of the Bay of Naples, and the ancient Mediterranean world. Finally, a secondary goal is to introduce students to the basic sets of evidence available to any scholar of this world (archaeology, literary texts, epigraphy, philology, papyrology, etc.) and apply them to come to a more holistic understanding of Roman life in Pompeii.