Herculaneum: Art of a Buried City

This massive, generously illustrated coffee-table book documents the stunning remains of Herculaneum, a Roman town buried by the 79 C.E. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Unlike Pompeii, it was unaffected by the 1980 earthquake in the region, and perhaps, according to the authors, it is more perfectly preserved, with relics including food, wax tablets, and papyri in carbonated form. Beginning with photographic overviews of the city, piles of skeletons, and a pair of delectable gold snake-headed bracelets, archaeologists Guidobaldi and Esposito guide readers through the history, excavation, restoration, and recovered treasures of Herculaneum (now a UNESCO World Heritage site) including such mysterious, charming, and elegant artifacts as a tintinnabulum (a type of bell chandelier) in the form of a gladiator battling his own panther-headed phallus; a circular marble relief of a satyr carrying a plate of fruit and a torch; and a fresco of three Cupids playing hide-and-seek. A must-read for archeology buffs and lovers of ancient Roman culture and art, this book evokes a voluptuous culture distant from our own and yet with images so strangely familiar that it will capture the imagination of any student of humanity. Illus. (Dec.)