Virginia L. Campbell, The Tombs of Pompeii: Organization, Space and Society, New York, 2015.

Abstract

Virginia L. Campbell in her book “The Tombs ofPompeii: Organization, Space and Society” offers acomprehensive overview of graves, tombs and developmentof the necropoleis in Pompeii throughaspects of spatial and social organization. The bookis organized in seven chapters, three appendices(catalogues of graves, tombs and funerary inscriptions),index, and illustrations which correspondwell to the text. The book is a result of researchundertaken by the author for her dissertation basedon analysis of extensive documentation and seriesof very diverse scientific works dealing with Pompeiiand their necropoleis but concentrating mostlyon the most famous and most decorative finds andtombs without systematic study of entire scopeof the sepulchral area. In her study the author attemptedto solve some crucial questions, primarilyif detailed analysis of each individual burial areacan reveal social, economic, legal or cult traditionsand regulations (possibly specific only for Pompeii);ways in which funerary monuments reflect behaviourof the individuals or groups, and administrativeprocedures necessary for organization of afuneral. The author answers these questions in thediscussion parts of the book, from the third to thesixth chapter.