Secrets of Vesuvius: Exploring the Mysteries of an Ancient Buried City

by Sara C. Bisel and Jane Bisel

Book Overview

Two thousand years ago, Mount Vesuvius' eruption buried the Roman town of Herculaneum. Complemented by photographs, diagrams, and stunning full-color paintings, this book brings the people of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590438514
• ISBN13: 9780590438513
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 27.9" x 21.6" x 0.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Secrets of Vesuvius is an outstanding book

In researching my historical novel THE FOREVER GIRL, I found Dr. Bisel's book on the skeletons unearthed at Herculaneum an immensely valuable reference. Think about it: These poor people are buried in a volcanic eruption that happens in a single day. They are then discovered after the passage of 19 centuries. The story Dr. Bisel relates is not just about a time period, or an era, it is about one summer day in the life of people living in the Roman Empire. The slave girl Dr. Bisel calls Petronia is found cradling the body of a small baby, but there is more to it than that. The baby is well cared for, well fed, with a gold bulla around his neck. He is one of the elite. Petronia, on the other hand, has been cruelly overworked throughout her short life. She is a slave and nothing more. The whole history of human oppression is contained in this pair of ancient skeletons. What Dr. Bisel describes in her book almost brings tears to the eyes. It is very profound, simple, and moving. I consider it a perfect book for middle school students to read and discuss, and recommend it highly.

Teach history and good writing simultaneously with Dr. Bisel

One horrid day, a volcano spewed its poisonous gases and suffocating ash on terrified Romans. We've heard the stories before, but Dr. Bisel uses a clever blend of fiction and non-fiction to make us feel the agony of Vesuvius' victims. The book opens with Dr. Bisel introducing herself as "The bone lady", a physical anthropologist who is offered the rare chance to study Roman skeletons. The Romans usually cremated their dead. In the next section of the book, Dr. Bisel presents the fictional story of a young slave girl, Petronia. She is struggling to survive a cruel mistress and the volcanic fire beneath their homes. As Petronia's story enfolds, we meet the individuals who are later revealed as the skeletons discovered in sealed boat tunnels. The fictional narrative, historical information, and scientific revelations are interspersed throughout the text. The pace is effective, quick, yet absorbing. Because of beautifully written descriptions, strong images, and well-crafted characters, we quickly care about individuals in their last moments before and during the eruption. At the same time, we learn about the artifacts and daily life of Ancient Rome as well as the effects of the eruption on the sealed city. I use this in my classroom with 6th graders. My primary lesson is "Good non-fiction uses the same writing techniques as good fiction." I hope they will never accept non-fiction as routinely boring after they have finished this book. Dr. Bisel deserves a "Golden Pen Award" for this excellent work.