Founded circa 800 B.C. - or possibly earlier - the city of Pompeii has a rich, vital history beginning with a small permanent settlement and ending as a bustling, thriving port town/holiday centre that was destroyed by the epic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Thanks to ever-improving and evolving excavation techniques, we can 'see' what it had been and get an all-round picture of its politics, people and everyday life - even down to the graffiti-artists of the day. This books gives as much of the history that is so far known; its discovery in 1594, dismissed as of no importance and its rediscovery in 1748...and incorrectly identified at Stabiae. But it wasn't long before there was undisputed evidence that the site was Pompeii. The excavation of this long-lost town, together with its sister town of Herculaneum continues to this day and we know now a great deal about the life of Pompeii - its graffiti bandits, trade, produce, household religions, water supply, cuisine, womens' roles in Pompeiian society, art, gardens and so much more. With contributions by: Jean-Paul Descœudres; Penelope Allison; Robert Carson; Peter Connor; Kay Francis; J. Richard Green; B. Dexter Hoyos; Estelle Lazer; Beryl Rawson; Edward Robinson; Frank Sear; F. Lin Sutherland and Louise Zarmati. Illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, maps and sketches.