Jeremy Hartnett is Associate Professor and Chair of Classics at Wabash College, Indiana, where he holds the Anne and Andrew T. Ford Chair in the Liberal Arts. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters on Roman urban history, the history of photography, and collegiate pedagogy, and has been awarded fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Michigan Society of Fellows, and the Archaeological Institute of America.
'Focusing especially on evidence from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome, Hartnett brings Roman streets to life, weaving together information from roadbeds, street monuments, and building facades with historical and literary descriptions, inscriptions, and representations in art. This topic is rarely tackled, says Hartnett, because of the reliance on birds-eye plans and a focus on grand public spaces. His book is divided into an introduction and three parts of multiple chapters: the activities of the street itself - traffic, social interaction, and self-display; the scale and frame of the street, including facades, sidewalks, and benches; and case studies of two specific streets, one in Pompeii and one in Herculaneum. ... the author brings to light the flow of the city and the intersection of citizens and slaves. Readers can picture the sounds, sights, and smells of the street as a stage for posturing, displaying respect, and enacting disgrace and revenge. Hartnett cites sources liberally and usefully provides many original Latin texts in footnotes on each page. The bibliography is thorough, and illustrations are ample throughout the book.' Choice