A note on the weekly reading questions: For in-class discussion purposes I suggest we focus on the week's 2 or 3 questions marked with triple-asterisk (***) and typed in italicized bold font

Pompeii -- questions re: reading for Week 1 (Feb. 26, 2026)

Class #1: Beard, Intro & Chap. 1 ("Living in an Old City")

Readings: Beard, Intro (pp. 1-25; Kindle location 10-46) 

1. Which of Beard's "two lives" of Pompeii (p.19; Kindle loc. 37) do you find of greater interest? Can you identify a "third life"?

***2. Beard calls Pompeii a "city of surprises" (p. 23; Kindle loc. 45).  In your view, judging by what you've learned to date, what are the biggest surprises?

3. Beard takes note of both "Life interrupted" (p. 1; Kindle loc. 10 ) and the "city disrupted" (p. 9; Kindle loc. 22).  For her what's the distinction, and what and when were the disruptions?

Chap. 1, "Living in an Old City" (pp. 26-52; Kindle loc. 48-89)

4. If Pompeii of 79 C.E. was not always a Roman city throughout its history, what else had it been (socio-ethnically, politically...)? How old was the city by the time of the eruption of 79? Are there any visible physical remains of those earlier periods?

5. How extensive was Pompeii's near neighborhood around the Bay of Naples, and what was the nature of those neighbors? Were Pompeii 's origins contemporary with these others? Newer, older? Is it news to you that Greeks had an important presence in the region?

6. What did it mean for Pompeii to "become Roman" (p. 37; Kindle loc. 66)? 

***7. How did Pompeii fit into the "Roman World" (p. 43; Kindle loc. 74)? What was the city's relationship to Rome itself? Did "Rome" give a damn about Pompeii? 

Even the "New Yorker" keeps finding something new at Pompeii. (Click the link below to access The New Yorker):

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/29/pompeii-still-has-buried-secrets

     To view a PDF of the article, click this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nIedsc3WGyBPFzjLi02JI7yNWsuW6pl1/view?usp=sharing