"Wry and imaginative, this gem of a book deconstructs the most famous building in Western history."-Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic
"In her brief but compendious volume Beard] says that the more we find out about this mysterious structure, the less we know. Her book is especially valuable because it is up to date on the restoration the Parthenon has been undergoing since 1986."-Gary Wills, New York Review of Books
At once an entrancing cultural history and a congenial guide for tourists, armchair travelers, and amateur...
Praise for the previous edition:
"Wry and imaginative, this gem of a book deconstructs the most famous building in Western history."-Benjami...
Read the Bldg Blog interview with Mary Beard about the Wonders of the World series(Part I and Part II)
Byron and Hitler were equally entranced by Rome's most famous monument, the Colosseum. Mid-Victorians admired the hundreds of varieties of flowers in its crannies and occasionally shuddered at its reputation for contagion, danger, and sexual temptation. Today it is the highlight of a tour of Italy for more than three million visitors a year, a concert arena for the likes of Paul McCartney, and a national symbol of opposition to the death penalty. Its ancient history is chockfull of...
Read the Bldg Blog interview with Mary Beard about the Wonders of the World series(Part I and Part II)
Pompeii is the most famous archaeological site in the world, visited by more than two million people each year. Yet it is also one of the most puzzling, with an intriguing and sometimes violent history, from the sixth century BCE to the present day.
Destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE, the ruins of Pompeii offer the best evidence we have of life in the Roman Empire. But the eruptions are only part of the story. In The Fires of Vesuvius, acclaimed historian Mary Beard makes sense of the remains. She explores what kind of town it was--more like Calcutta or the Costa del Sol?--and...
Pompeii is the most famous archaeological site in the world, visited by more than two million people each year. Yet it is also one of the most puzz...