This is the first of a three-volume analysis of the internationally renowned archaeological site called the Insula of the Menander, a major city block in ancient Pompeii. Volume one deals with the architecture within the block, especially with the House of Menander, the grand villa for which the site was named. Subsequent volumes will consider the decorations and household objects found during excavation.

The Insula of the Menander at Pompeii: Volume I: The StructuresVolume 1: The Structures

History

Ling, Roger

Ancient Civilizations

Clarendon Press

This volume is the second in a series of five on the Insula (city block) of the Menander at Pompeii. The first (on the structures) and the fourth (on the silver treasure) have already been published; the third (on the objects) and the fifth (on the graffiti) are in preparation. The Insula of the Menander, approximately 3500 sq. m. in area, derives its name from the House of the Menander, one of the best-known dwellings of the ancient city. This was evidently the property of one of Pompeii's leading citizens. Renowned for its architectural grandeur and for the hoard of 110 pieces of silver plate found in a cellar, it also yielded room upon room of splendid wall-paintings and mosaic pavements, ranging in date from the first century BC to the eve of the eruption of AD 79. In addition to this dominant house, the block contains several smaller houses--notably the House of the Lovers and the House of the Craftsman--most of which contain further paintings and pavements of interest. The present volume publishes these decorations in full for the first time. Its importance lies in the fact that it covers the whole block, rather than concentrating upon isolated houses (as most previous volumes have done). This enables the reader not only to look at questions of chronology and iconography room by room and house by house, but also to observe broad patterns of taste and social differentiation within a particular neighborhood of Pompeii.

The Insula of the Menander at Pompeii: Volume II: The DecorationsVolume II: The Decorations

Arts & Photography

Ling, Lesley

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

This book provides a general survey of Roman wall painting from the second century B.C. through to the fourth century A.D., tracing the origins, chronological development, subjects, techniques, and social context of this art which had considerable influence upon European artists of the Renaissance and Neo-Classical periods. It deals particularly with the paintings from the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and its main purpose is to provide an up-to-date summary of the subject in light of the most recent research. This is the first general history of Roman painting written specifically for English-language readers.

Roman Painting

Cambridge University Press

Using thousands and sometimes millions of pieces of colored stone or glass to create elaborate patterns or scenes is a painstaking and expensive way to decorate a surface. Yet the art of mosaic enjoyed spectacular success in the Graeco-Roman world, where its practitioners created some of the most beautiful artworks in history. This handsomely illustrated and elegantly written book traces the evolution of mosaic from the Hellenistic period to the early Christian era, with particular emphasis on the Roman Empire, and examines its regional variations from Britain to North Africa and from the Levant to the Spanish seaboard.
 The eminent classical scholar Roger Ling explains how mosaics were first made in the fifth century B.C. with the use of inset pebbles to provide durable pavements. He shows how mosaic became one of the hallmarks of luxury in Roman times, when such masterpieces of imperial floor decoration as the black-and-white silhouette pavements of Ostia and the colorful figure compositions of Piazza Armerina in Sicily were created. From pavements, mosaic graduated to walls and ceilings, where it culminated in the soaring blue and gold work of early Christian churches in Rome, Constantinople, and Ravenna. Ling examines the wide range of styles and subject matter employed by mosaicists, whether geometric patterns or figurative scenes of mythology, agriculture, and hunting, and explores what mosaics reveal about domestic and imperial tastes and aspirations. Such topics as techniques and materials, the relationship of mosaic to other forms of interior decoration, and the influence of ancient mosaics in more recent times are also discussed in detail.
 Illuminating, attractive, and affordable, this book makes a major contribution to classical scholarship and will also appeal strongly to art historians, artists, designers, and general readers.

Ancient Mosaics

Princeton University Press

ANCIENT MOSAICS

BRITISH MUSEUM

Classical Greece

Harpercollins

Examines the methods used to excavate and restore wall-plaster, as well as the techniques used by ancient plasterers adn painters, decorative schemes, iconography and social and srtistic context.

Romano-British Wall Painting (Shire Archaeology)

Shire Publications

Follows the progress of archaeology in uncovering evidence concerning the political, social, economic, and cultural history of the Greek world from the fifth to the first century B.C

The Greek World (The Making of the Past)

Americas

Peter Bedrick Books

The Greek World: The Making of the Past

Children's Books

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