Pompeii in popular culture

The ancient Roman city of Pompeii has been frequently featured in literature and popular culture since its modern rediscovery.

Books

Pompeii served as the background for the historic novels "The Last Days of Pompeii" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (since adapted for film and TV) and "Pompeii" by Robert Harris, as well as appearing in "Shadows in Bronze" and other novels in the Marcus Didius Falco series.

Book I of the Cambridge Latin Course teaches Latin while telling the story of a Pompeii resident, Lucius Caecilius Iucundus, from the reign of Nero to that of Vespasian. The book ends when Mount Vesuvius erupts, where Caecilius and his household are killed. The books have a cult following and students have been known to go to Pompeii just to track down Caecilius's house. [ [http://schoolweb.rgsw.org.uk/classics/general/italy2004/index.html Classics at RGSW ] ]

Louis Untermeyer wrote the short story, "The Dog of Pompeii", which centered on a blind orphan boy and his dog during the last days before Vesuvius erupted.

A number of titles in The Roman Mysteries series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence are set in Pompeii.

Visual art

*Karl Brullov's "The Last Day of Pompeii" (1830-33)

Art Exhibitions

The Birmingham Museum of Art is hosting Pompeii:Tales from an Eruption from October 2007 to January 2008. The show was on exhibit in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, it will later move on to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

TV

Pompeii is featured in many television biographies and documentaries.

Fiction

*It was the setting for the British comedy television series "Up Pompeii!", and the movie of the series.
*In "The Simpsons" episode "The Italian Bob" the family visits the remnants of Pompeii where Lisa refers to the numerous victims whose bodies were preserved by the ash in the position they were in the moment they died. One group of plaster cast victims include a family exactly resembling the Simpsons with a Homer look-alike strangling a Bart look-alike.
*Pompeii featured in the second episode of the fourth series of revived BBC drama series "Doctor Who", named "The Fires of Pompeii". [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/09/25/49091.shtml BBC - Doctor Who - News - Rome Sweet Rome ] ]
* "The Fires of Vulcan" - Doctor Who episode in the city just before the eruption with the Seventh Doctor
* "The Fires of Pompeii" - Doctor Who episode, where it transpires that the Tenth Doctor caused the eruption

Documentaries

*an hour-long drama produced for the BBC entitled" "portrayed several characters (with historically attested names, but fictional life-stories) living in Pompeii, Herculaneum and around the Bay of Naples, and their last hours, including a fuller and his wife, two gladiators, and Pliny the Elder. It also portrays the facts of the eruption. However, it is heavily influenced by Edward Bulwer-Lytton's book "The Last Days of Pompeii" (see above), which – while being responsible for the popularising of Pompeii in Western culture – has been dismissed for its lack of historical credibility.
*Pompeii Live, Channel 5, 28 June 2006, 8pm, live archaeological dig. [ [http://www.five.tv/programmes/revealed/pompeii/ pompeii live | revealed | five.tv ] ]
* Pompeii: Uncovered, National Geographic Asia

Music

In 1769, the famous musical composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, visited the Temple of Isis, which had been recently unearthed. His visit and the memories of the site inspired him 20 years later in his composition of "The Magic Flute".

In October 1971, the band Pink Floyd performed at the vacant 2,000-year-old amphitheater in Pompeii, to an audience composed of film crew including camera operators. This performance, including some exterior shots of the ruins, was released as part of a movie entitled "".

"Last Days of Pompeii" is the 1991 rock opera by alternative rock band Nova Mob.

"Pompeii am Götterdämmerung" is the name of a song by the band The Flaming Lips on their album "At War with the Mystics". The song narrates the tale of a couple who, in reaction to their families' rejection of their love, commit suicide together by simultaneously jumping into a volcano.

"Pompeii" is the title of a song written by Seattle-based progressive rock band Gatsbys American Dream. It is the second track of their 2005 release, "Volcano" - based loosely around the story of Pompeii.

A musical track of the same name is also produced by E.S. Posthumus and has been used in films like "Planet of the Apes" and many others, under the Unearthed album. This music is said to be the favorite among the listeners who have the mentioned album due to the dramatic and imposing tempo.

Canadian band The Tragically Hip's lead singer Gordon Downie refers to a dying family member as "the rock-plug of Vesuvius" in the song Toronto #4.

The city of Pompeii is mentioned in the band, The Mars Volta's song, Cicatriz ESP.

Pompeii is a post-rock band from Austin, TX USA.

"Pompeii" is the name of a song by Dar Williams about the city.

There is a popular band from Kentucky named "We Are Pompeii".

Composer Frank Ticheli wrote a song entitled "Vesuvius" which depicts the last days of Pompeii

Other

*The theme park Busch Gardens Europe features an attraction entitled "Escape from Pompeii," which carries riders through the city as flaming ruins topple around them, ending in a fifty-foot plunge.

*Rexford (Rex) Phillips, a.k.a. "Rexino Mondo", wrote, sang, narrated and produced a 210-minute audio book entitled "Messenger From Pei" in 1992.

*The Siouxsie and The Banshees single "Cities in Dust" (1985) was also inspired by the destruction of Pompeii.

*A Macintosh and Windows computer game was called "" (2000) by DreamCatcher Interactive Inc.. The storyline involved both time travel and ancient pagan gods.

*Pompeii is also the title of an Aristocrat Mark VI slot machine. It features a volcano wild symbol which erupts as well as a free games scatter feature sounding "Veni, Vidi, Vici!"

References