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Loading... Bodies From the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeiiby James M. Deem
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Books concerning the famous Pompeiian disaster usually fall into two categories: stories and interpretations of how everyoe died, and explanations of what happened on the day of the eruption. This book does have a brief description of that day in its first chapter, but it is primarily concerned with the excavation and history of the archeological dig that has been ongoing at the site for a very long time. It spends a great deal of time explaining how archaeologists have come to learn what they have through their excavations. It goes into detail on how the available literature and the evidence dug up help construct a timeline for the deaths they found. Most importantly, the book explains the most famous part of the excavation, the plaster casts of the dead. These molds act as a type of fossil, allowing researchers to see exavtly what kinds of people had lived there, and understand what their final moments may have been like. The author has written many other non-fiction stories for children, and his experiene comes through in his simple but engaging narrative. The pictures are a bit disturbing for younger readers, but knowingthat the book is about death ought to be enough to prepare any reader in the target range, likely 3-6th grade. Bodies from the Ash is another entry into a series by James M. Deem. This text is a detailed view into the buried city of Pompeii. The information is dense but explained in an easily understandable manner. All of the illustrations are quite engaging and follow the text exceptionally well. I have used this book in comparison to a shorter article to illustrate the differences in interpretation on archaeological information. Deem does often state in this text when contradictory information exists which is necessary for students to understand. This book presents the story of Pompeii’s discovery through an array of pictures and informative text. This book is very in-depth, including information even those who have read thoroughly on the subject may not have known. Included are details regarding the plastering process and the story behind the discovery of the city throughout its stages. Textboxes allow for certain points to be explored more thoroughly, and the many pictures present clear and informative images of the plasters taken at the site. A bibliography at the end gives readers places to look for further information. A map of the archaeological dig sites allow the reader to picture the discoveries made as he reads about them. However, though the images and format are clearly designed for children, the information within is written so dryly, its target audience may be turned off. It is very factual, with little narrative within to engage the reader, which will bore many children. Older children, or those interested in the topic, may enjoy the comprehensiveness, but others will find this book more difficult than it appears. no reviews | add a review
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Details the events that occurred when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii in 79 A.D., focusing on how this information was deduced from the skeletons found by archaeologists at the site. In ancient times, Pompeii was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. Its 20,000 inhabitants lived in the shadow of Vesuvius, which they believed was nothing more than a mountain. But Vesuvius was a volcano. And on the morning of August 24, A.D. 79, Vesuvius began to erupt. Within twenty-four hours, the entire city of Pompeii-and many of its citizens-had been utterly annihilated. It was not until hundreds of years later that Pompeii saw daylight again, as archaeological excavations began to unearth what had been buried under layers of volcanic rubble. Digging crews expected to find buildings and jewelry and other treasures, but they found something unexpected, too: the imprints of lost Pompeiians, their deaths captured as if by photographic images in volcanic ash. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)937.7History and Geography Ancient World Italian Peninsula to 476 and adjacent territories to 476 Southern Italy: Campania, Samnium, Apulia, etc.LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Still, this is a good book for a younger mind that cares for non-fiction. ( )