Pompeii A Guide to the Ancient City Author:Salvatore Nappo A city of thriving prosperity, Pompeii was a cultural center with a population of some 25,000 people before the sudden and devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it entirely -- its streets, homes, shops, public buildings, and citizens -- under 23 feet of volcanic ash. Rediscovered accidentally in the 18th century, the remarkably preserved... more » remains of Pompeii have since revealed a detailed picture of what an ancient city was like. From its theaters to its baths, from its palatial homes to Herculaneum Gate, from the Temple of Apollo to the Temple of Venus, the book re-creates Pompeii as a flourishing center of activity, the way it appeared before that fateful day on August 24, AD 79. Illustrated with over 200 color photographs and illustrations, including architectural renderings and floor plans of many structures, this book reveals Pompeii as never before for the tourist or armchair traveler.« less