The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

Eric E. Poehler

Offers a deep archaeological description and analysis of the Pompeian streets.
Uses analysis of 600 examples of street-level "wear and tear" to propose theory of Pompeian traffic patterns.
Situates the systems of traffic at Pompeii archaeologically within the wider world of Roman urbanism.

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

Eric E. Poehler

Description

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii is the first sustained examination of the development of road infrastructure in Pompeii—from the archaic age to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE—and its implications for urbanism in the Roman empire. Eric E. Poehler, an authority on Pompeii's uniquely preserved urban structure, distills over five hundred instances of street-level "wear and tear" to reveal for the first time the rules of the ancient road. From his analysis of curbstones, cobbled surfaces, and ruts emerge the intricacies of the Pompeian traffic system and the changes to its operation over time. Though archaeological expertise forms the backbone of this book, its findings have equally important historical and architectural implications. Later chapters probe the impact of design and infrastructure on social roles and hierarchies among property owners in Pompeii, illuminating the economic forces that push and pull upon the shape of urban space. The final chapters set the road system into its broader context as one major infrastructural and administrative artifact of the Roman empire's deeply urban culture. Where does Pompeii's system fit within the history of Roman traffic control? Is it unique for its innovation, or only for the preservation that permitted its discovery? Poehler marshals evidence from across the Roman world to examine these questions. His measured and thoroughly researched answers make this study a critical step forward in our understanding of infrastructure in the ancient world.

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

Eric E. Poehler

Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter 2: The Development of Pompeii's Urban Street Network
Chapter Three: Surfaces of the Streetl
Chapter Four: Architecture of the Street
Chapter Five: Evidence of Traffic
Chapter Six: The Traffic Systems of Pompeii
Chapter 7: World of the Mulio
Chapter Eight: Traffic in the Roman World
Chapter Nine: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

Eric E. Poehler

Author Information

Eric E. Poehler, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst Classics Department

Eric E. Poehler is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Co-Director of the Pompeii Quadriporticus Project. He has published widely on Roman urbanism, infrastructure, and architectural history.

The Traffic Systems of Pompeii

Eric E. Poehler

Reviews and Awards

"This is a thorough, and very well documented book about a topic that has been waiting for a systematic treatment for decades.... The main line of argument always remains clear, and is where necessary clearly illustrated with high-quality maps, and pictures. This, in other words, is a book that will last. It has a clear relevance now, and will still have its relevance in twenty, thirty years' time." - BABESCH, Annual Papers on Mediterranean Archaeology

"The book is a major contribution to the study of infrastructure, traffic, urban streets and networks, and municipal management. It is remarkable for the completeness and authoritativeness with which it treats the topic of vehicular traffic throughout the empire, and the depth and degree of detail it provides about its primary case-study." - Michael Anderson, San Francisco State University, Journal of Roman Archaeology

"The Traffic Systems of Pompeii is an exemplary product of Poehler's long-term engagement with the archaeology of urban spaces ... this volume should be mandatory reading for every student of the ancient world who despairs at the apparent insolubility of historical questions, who argues against the subordinate position of archaeology in discussions of human activity, and who seeks a theoretical and methodological guide to best practice in making sense of the past." - Peter Keegan, BMCR

"This is the strangest and most delightful history of the city of Pompeii that you'll ever read." - Annalee Newitz, Science Friday: Summer Science Reading List 2018