Last Supper in Pompeii

-Brand new research based on the excavation of drains and rubbish pits -Newly commissioned photography from both Pompeii and Naples -Further new research on the first ever excavation of a Roman vineyard - one near Oplontis - which is at the foot of Vesuvius, between the volcano and Pompeii Last Supper in Pompeii looks at the traditions of Roman dining - including its political and religious role, and the ever-present link between feasting and death. Pompeii has always been one of our most valuable sources of information because of the sudden preservation in the midst of life. The catalogue covers where the Romans got their ideas from; the influence of Etruscans and Italics (who had themselves been influenced by the Greeks); the production and distribution of food around Pompeii; a look at the role of food and feasting in the Roman house; the arrival of the Romans in Britain, and the impact on dining there. Contents: 1. Foreword; 2. Introduction; 3. Where did Roman ideas on food come from; 3.1 Etruscans; 3.2 Etruscans (Diet and archaeological evidence); 3.3 Italics - Paestum; 3.4 Fondo Ioszzino (Massimo Osanna); 3.5 Pompeii 5-4 century BC grave group; 4. Production; 4.1 Literary sources; 4.2 Archaeological evidence; 4.3 Villa B (Giuseppe Scarpati) pop-up: 750 words, 4 images; 5. House; 5.1 Atrium; 5.2 Garden - intro and sources; 5.3 Garden - general; 5.4 Garden - food of the gods; 5.5 Dining Room; 5.6 Bracciale d'Oro; 5.7 Kitchen; 5.8 Conservation project bronzes; 5.9 Latrine contents; 6. Britannia; 6.1 General; 6.2 Production and distribution; 6.3 Food, diet and archaeological evidence (Iron Age); 6.4 Food, diet and archaeological evidence (Roman Britain); 6.5 Dining; 6.6 Death; 7. Death and Pompeii; 7.1 General; 7.2 Resin Lady (context, discovery, possessions); 7.3 Resin lady (scientific analysis); 8. Index of Objects: Tombstone info and bibliography for all displayed objects. Published to accompany the exhibition 'Last Supper in Pompeii' which runs from 25 July 2019 to 12 January 2020 at the Ashmolean, Oxford.

Paul Roberts is Sackler Keeper of the Department of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum. He is also a governing body Fellow at Wolfson College. Formerly, he was Roman Curator (1994-2007) and Senior Roman Curator (2007-2015) in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, London, where he curated the exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum (2013).