Mumsnet Presents: Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79CE devastated the lives of the inhabitants of these ancient cities, but it also preserved evidence of the everyday life of its men, women and children in stunning and poignant detail. The new exhibition at the British Museum contains many of the most famous finds from the excavations at these sites, and some artefacts that have never been shown to the public before.

Literature written by the Roman elite often talks about the area around these cities as if it were a holiday resort, a place for emperors and aristocrats to indulge in dissolute leisure activities. Other evidence points to the cities being inhabited by intellectuals and amateur philosophers.

Meanwhile the archaeological remains suggest that they were affluent towns of middle-class lifestyles and aspirations. So who actually lived in these towns, and what was their life really like? In answering these questions participants will get to discuss ancient evidence that includes letters, speeches, historical writings, graffiti, mosaics, ruins and beautiful frescoes. They will then have the chance to build on this knowledge by exploring the actual objects at the exhibition, with the expert guidance of the morning’s speakers.

What's Included
-A series of short talks on Pompeii and Herculaneum led by Dr Emily Pillinger and some very special guests
-A guided tour of the exhibition at the British Museum

Tutor Details
Dr Emily Pillinger completed an undergraduate degree in Classics at New College, Oxford, she then spent two years working as the Classics Teaching Fellow at Marlboro College, a small liberal arts college in Vermont (USA). Emily moved to Princeton University where she studied for an MA and PhD, with Denis Feeney and Andrew Feldherr as my dissertation supervisors. Back in the UK, she spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at Bristol University’s Institute of Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition. Dr Emily Pillinger subsequently taught as a lecturer in Latin literature at Balliol College, Oxford for two years, before joining the department of Classics at KCL in 2012.