Escape from Pompeii
The Great Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Its Survivors
- Publisher's listprice GBP 19.99
-
9 550 Ft (9 095 Ft + 5% VAT)
The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.
- Discount 10% (cc. 955 Ft off)
- Discounted price 8 595 Ft (8 186 Ft + 5% VAT)
Subcribe now and take benefit of a favourable price.
Subscribe
9 550 Ft
Availability
Estimated delivery time: In stock at the publisher, but not at Prospero's office. Delivery time approx. 3-5 weeks.
Not in stock at Prospero.
Why don't you give exact delivery time?
Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.
Product details:
- Publisher OUP USA
- Date of Publication 5 March 2026
- ISBN 9780197678220
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages288 pages
- Size 244x164x29 mm
- Weight 503 g
- Language English
- Illustrations 25 black and white illustrations 693
Categories
Short description:
For centuries a debate has raged about whether people survived the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE; Steven L. Tuck settles that debate. After an exhaustive search for evidence, he locates survivors in twelve communities and reveals how they survived and rebuilt their lives, livelihoods, and identities after fleeing the volcano.
MoreLong description:
A story of triumph out of tragedy, uncovered in the ashes of Vesuvius
The archaeological park of Pompeii is one of the most famous sites of destruction anywhere in the world. From the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE until the eighteenth century, Pompeii and its neighbor Herculaneum lay preserved under a thick layer of volcanic material. Since excavations began three hundred years ago, Pompeii has been revealing the secrets of its victims and the ordinary shape of their lives prior to the catastrophe. But did anyone survive the disaster?
In popular culture, the eruption is viewed as an apocalyptic event in which everyone died, while scholars generally assume that some escaped. Steven L. Tuck settles that debate. He starts by establishing the circumstances and timeline of the eruption and the evidence that people at both Pompeii and Herculaneum had the chance to escape the eruption. From there, he moves to the search for survivors. Using evidence from inscriptions supported by archaeological, documentary, and literary sources, Tuck finds survivors in twelve different communities and uncovers details on how they rebuilt their lives, livelihoods, and identities after fleeing the volcano. While some survivors integrated quickly into their new communities and used their new city's name in the personal names of their first generation, others preserved cultural markers from their destroyed communities through language, religious dedications, and renewed businesses. Many of the families that escaped intermarried with other refugee families, but also ran for public office in their new cities, made generous donations to their communities, and integrated while maintaining their former identity. Some refugee families came to the aid of the less fortunate by taking in poor and orphaned survivors, while others married beneath their previous station. The Roman government responded to the needs of the refugee communities with new housing, infrastructure, and services, but, as Tuck demonstrates, the real work was done by the refugees themselves.
By asking new questions about Pompeii and innovatively examining the evidence, Escape from Pompeii proves the survival of Pompeians and Herculaneans after the eruption. It sheds new insight into their lives, pre- and post-eruption, and provides new conclusions about the Roman world and its response to unimaginable suffering.
In this refreshing new approach to the eruption of Vesuvius, Steven L. Tuck plausibly shows both that there were numerous survivors and that they or their descendants can be traced in nearby cities. The importance of family connections for refugees which emerges from close study of name patterns is a lesson still relevant today.
Table of Contents:
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Notes on Names
A Note on Addresses at Pompeii
Part I: Framing the Question of Survivors from Vesuvius and How to Answer It
Part II: Survivors and Supporting Evidence Organized by Resettlement Community
Part III: Analysis and Conclusions
Glossary of Latin Terms
Bibliography
Index
