Author Description

In AD 79 the Roman town of Pompeii was buried under volcanic material from Mount Vesuvius. Among the remains of Pompeii many short texts were found, most of them inscribed or painted on walls and columns in houses and public buildings. These 'graffiti' offer a fascinating panorama of Roman city life. They include quotations of Virgil and other poets, but more often they show us the daily concerns of average Pompeians: money, sex, and communication. Names, salutations, threats and insults, riddles and jokes, obscenities: all of this was widely written on the walls of Pompeii. This book is the largest anthology of Pompeian graffiti available in any modern language. It presents some 1,000 texts, selected because of their personal character, and arranged according to their original locations. Oh Happy Place! allows readers to make a virtual tour of Pompeii. A unique way to experience life in this Roman town in the words of those who lived here.