The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

by Paul Bourceret

Overview

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii is the first sustained examination of the development of road infrastructure in Pompeii--from the archaic age to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE--and its implications for urbanism in the Roman empire. Eric E. Poehler, an authority on Pompeii's uniquely preserved urban structure, distills over five hundred instances of street-level "wear and tear" to reveal for the first time the rules of the ancient road. From his analysis of curbstones, cobbled surfaces, and ruts emerge the intricacies of the Pompeian traffic system and the changes to its operation over time. Though archaeological expertise forms the backbone of this book, its findings have equally important historical and architectural implications. Later chapters probe the impact of design and infrastructure on social roles and hierarchies among property owners in Pompeii, illuminating the economic forces that push and pull upon the shape of urban space. The final chapters set the road system into its broader context as one major infrastructural and administrative artifact of the Roman empire's deeply urban culture. Where does Pompeii's system fit within the history of Roman traffic control? Is it unique for its innovation, or only for the preservation that permitted its discovery? Poehler marshals evidence from across the Roman world to examine these questions. His measured and thoroughly researched answers make this study a critical step forward in our understanding of infrastructure in the ancient world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190668709
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	396,948
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Eric E. Poehler is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Co-Director of the Pompeii Quadriporticus Project. He has published widely on Roman urbanism, infrastructure, and architectural history.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents: Preface Acknowledgements List of Figures List of Tables Chapter One: Introduction Chapter 2: The Development of Pompeii's Urban Street Network Chapter Three: Surfaces of the Streetl Chapter Four: Architecture of the Street Chapter Five: Evidence of Traffic Chapter Six: The Traffic Systems of Pompeii Chapter 7: World of the Mulio Chapter Eight: Traffic in the Roman World Chapter Nine: Conclusion Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"The book is a major contribution to the study of infrastructure, traffic, urban streets and networks, and municipal management. It is remarkable for the completeness and authoritativeness with which it treats the topic of vehicular traffic throughout the empire, and the depth and degree of detail it provides about its primary case-study." — Michael Anderson, San Francisco State University, Journal of Roman Archaeology

"The Traffic Systems of Pompeii is an exemplary product of Poehler's long-term engagement with the archaeology of urban spaces ... this volume should be mandatory reading for every student of the ancient world who despairs at the apparent insolubility of historical questions, who argues against the subordinate position of archaeology in discussions of human activity, and who seeks a theoretical and methodological guide to best practice in making sense of the past." —Peter Keegan, BMCR

"In this book, longtime Pompeii insider Eric Poehler blends (1) a bench scientist's gift for critical analysis, (2) an apparently-encyclopedic knowledge of the city's streets and archival material, and (3) his own pioneering method for detecting and scrutinizing patterns of the wheeled traffic that scarred, scraped, and rubbed against Pompeii's stones. The result is the most extensive, systematic, technical, and archaeologically rich contribution to the study of Pompeian traffic to date. All interested in this city, and even Roman urbanism more generally, will want The Traffic Systems of Pompeii on their shelf and in their bibliography." —Jeremy Hartnett, Wabash College

"Based on brilliant archaeological detective work this book is destined to become a Pompeian classic. Poehler makes the technical details of the city's infrastructure come alive every bit as much as does the tour de force view of the traffic system through the eyes of Sabinus the Muleteer in chapter 7. The importance of this study for our understanding of Roman urbanism is difficult to overstate." —Barbara Kellum, Smith College

"This is the strangest and most delightful history of the city of Pompeii that you'll ever read."—Annalee Newitz, Science Friday

From the Publisher