In describing the intensity of political life in ancient Pompeii, Cicero remarks, "at Pompeii it's difficult" (Pompeis difficile est). Drawing on thousands of fragmentary writings--campaign posters, graffiti, inscriptions, and business receipts--recovered in the excavations of lava- and mud-covered Pompeii, James L. Franklin assembles evidence from the eras of emperors Augustus through Vespasian to prove the validity of Cicero's statement.
By collecting, sifting, and cross-referencing these varied documents, Franklin proves it possible to trace the major political alliances of the...