A modern excavation of four tomb precincts at Pompeii - WILLIAM VAN ANDRINGA , HENRI DUDAY et SÉBASTIEN LEPETZ , MOURIR À POMPÉI: FOUILLE D'UN QUARTIER FUNÉRAIRE DE LA NÉCROPOLE ROMAINE DE PORTA NOCERA (2003-2007) (Collection de l’École française de Rome 468, 2013). 2 vols., pp. 1452, many figs. ISBN 978-2-7283-0913-9. EUR. 540.

Abstract

Pompeii has been the focus of archaeological research for over 250 years, but true archaeological excavation remains a rarity at the site. Despite increasing emphasis on the subsurface deposits over the past decades, only an estimated 2% of the town has been systematically excavated, as opposed to the 66% that has been cleared of volcanic overburden. 1 Outside the walls, in the necropoleis that dominate the suburbium, excavation has been practically non-existent. 2 In publishing the careful excavation of a Pompeian tomb group, therefore, Mourir à Pompéi makes a significant contribution to Pompeian studies. The two beautifully-produced volumes provide detailed documentation of the excavated contexts, inviting future work on a wide variety of topics.