REVIEW: Pompeii

Pompeii (The Disaster Series)
Author: Timothy L. Biel

I'm a history and science junkie. I'm always up for learning something new about the world and vast universe around us. I've always been interested in Pompeii. The preservation of a Roman Empire city for nearly 2000 years is definitely interesting. I've watched many documentaries on the city and on the scientific testing they have done to ascertain as much information from the area as possible.

Pompeii by Timothy Biel presents information on Roman society and life, eye witness and historical accounts of the disaster (especially the letters from Pliny the Younger), and the discovery of the buried city in the 1700's. The information is presented in a pleasing and informational format that would definitely interest students middle-grade and up who are interested in history. Some of the facts are outdated, especially the information on how the residents of Pompeii died. The book talks about suffocation by ash, but it has since been proven that residents left in Pompeii and the nearby city of Herculaneum were actually killed by extreme heat from a pyroclastic surge, or a explosion of super-heated hot gas and ash. But the rest of the data is factual on the Roman Empire, daily life in the city, discovery of the preserved city, and the preservation of the bodies with plaster.

Pompeii is part of the World Disasters series, published in the late 80's and early 90's. The series includes 18 books on major historical catastrophes. Subjects range from The Black Death and the Crusades to the Chernobyl accident and the Challenger explosion. While some of the facts presented are, of course, outdated, the historical background and overview presented in these books is still outstanding. The facts are easily checked for updates with a quick search of the internet and some supplemental reading. This series is out of print, but used copies are easily found online.

These books could easily be used in a classroom to talk about how science and history can be updated as we learn more about events and life the past. The story of Pompeii has developed over time as scientists and historians uncover more about the city and the fate of its residents. I could definitely see students reading these books then investigating online to see what new, or additional information, is available. Great lesson in research, while learning some interesting historical facts.