INTRODUCTION

Pompeii was not a particularly significant Roman town. Even within its region of Campania, it was not as large or important as Naples or Puteoli; not as fashionable as Baiae or Stabiae; not as strategically important as Misenum nor as celebrated in literature as Cumae. No Pompeian made his mark on Roman literature or politics. No crucial moments in Rome’s history hinge on Pompeii.