The Lost Voices of Pompeii : The Final Day in Seven Lives by Dr Jess Venner

We all know how the people of Pompeii died. But what about how they lived?

 In 24 hours, Pompeii will vanish. The morning of the eruption was a day like any other.

Julia Felix opens her tavern for another day of business, defying every convention that says a woman can't succeed alone. Petrinus, newly freed from slavery, wrestles with an impossible decision about his future. Politician Gaius Cuspius Pansa prepares to host the Plebian Games, a spectacle that will cement his power forever.

In 24 hours, seven lives will change forever. Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Dr Jess Venner brings the ancient streets to life through the eyes of those who lived, worked, loved and ultimately met their fate in Pompeii. Here is a community more complex, diverse and human than we ever imagined.

Pompeii is remembered for its destruction, but here we discover the vibrant lives that came before. Richly evocative and immersive, The Lost Voices of Pompeii vividly recreates the final twenty-four hours before the eruption, reminding us exactly what – and who – was lost in 79 AD. This is the story of everything, and everyone, that was lost.

__________ For anyone who has ever walked the ruins of Pompeii and wondered what lives beneath the ash, this is the book that answers that question.

SPECIAL EDITION PRINTED HARDCOVER

Format:Hardback 368 pages, 20 b/w, illus
Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers
Imprint:Mudlark
ISBN:9780008756802
Published:23 Apr 2026
Classifications:Italy, Ancient World, BCE to c 500 CE, True stories of heroism, endurance & survival, Classical texts, European history, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Social & cultural history, Archaeology by period / region, Environmental archaeology
Weight:584g