Friday, September 19, 2008

Exploding the Pompei Myths

When I was on ANY QUESTIONS a few weeks ago I met Mary Beard, a Cambridge Don, who writes a blog for The Times. She's just published a book on Pompei and has written a blogpost exploding some of the myths about the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. There wasn't a brothel for every 75 men after all...

12 comments:

  1. Two Is in Pompeii, Iain...

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  2. It's spelt Pompeii, Ian.

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  3. On my count there is just one ( Brothel)– currently the most visited place in the town, doing a brisker trade than it ever did in antiquity I suspect.

    I `ve been there and it is rather good. There are pictures of the various services you might buy and stone penises show you the way . One nearby fascinating group of figures is the petrified Liberalum Partyum Conferenceum in which a lecherous orator is said to have been saying “Prepare for government “ in Latin. They wore sandals and drippy hopeful expressions then as well.

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  4. see the incoming Pompeii in 2012..according to the mayan calendar..the end of time is Dec 21th year 2012. The solar system will enter the photon belt which will increase earth current 3D frequency to the 4th to 7 th dimensions. Lot of hollocaust, apocalypse, natural disasters, wars, social unrest etc. this is also known as the rise and begginning of the New Age and the rise in human consciousness..all is about love and peace physically and mentally. Are you prepared ?
    http://2012-apocalypse.blogspot.com

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  5. The Liberal Democrats will be caught out at the next election rather like the unfortunate residents of Pompeii.

    The LD's will be turned to stone as the electorate seek to punish those who have assisted Labour in messing this country up. The arrognat LD's do not see what is coming and the start of the electoral dust cloud is already desending upon them!

    The LD's are doomed - DOOMED and it looks as though many LD MP's will once again become unelected party stooges, content with delivering Dog Excrement campaign leaflets and advoacting 'holy than thy' rhetoric.


    Nick Clegg = Neil Kinnock!

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  6. VAZ in sleaze probe!

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058575/Labour-MP-Keith-Vaz-faces-sleaze-inquiry-outrageous-bid-sway-judge-behalf-crooked-lawyer-friend.html

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  7. I don't think Harry Potter could even cast a spell on behalf of Labour over the electorate:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7626589.stm

    The Tories still recieved more cash in the same period - desperate spin this by Labour!

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  8. Actually, if Labour undergoes the expected meltdown, the "leftie" types who would rather choke than vote tory, will go to the Libs.

    It would be hilarious to see Clegg heading the opposition and wondering what the hell to do whilst the rump of the Labour party savages itself in post-defeat recriminations.

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  9. Vesuvius is long overdue an eruption. It'll be interesting to see how a corrupt, chaotic city like Naples copes with a massive evacuation.

    Like Manchester coping with labour evcuating themselves with weekend.

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  10. Since she didn't deny they existed we can safely infer that Lurcio, Bilius, Scrubba etc. did exist.

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  11. no brothel for every 75 men, huh? Pah! I'm canceling my easyjet ticket.

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  12. Gordon Broon Eats Hez Bawgies said...

    It's spelt Pompeii, Ian.

    Ahem - it's spelt "Iain", Gordon!

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