„Vom Zauber des Untergangs – Was Pompeji über uns erzählt“ by Gabriel Zuchtriegel

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A New Perspective on Pompeii and the Liberating Power of Culture

Street kitchens, a slave’s room, Greek theaters, villas, baths, and temples—Pompeii’s excavations reveal an entire world. But what relevance does it hold for us today? Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the new director of this UNESCO World Heritage site, powerfully demonstrates that buried antiquities, silent ruins, and frozen images can still have a profound impact on us.

Almost daily, Zuchtriegel crosses the intersection of Pompeii’s two main axes, standing where an entire city was buried under ash and rubble on the morning of October 25 in 79 A.D. When he sees the sculpture of a young fisherman caught sleeping, Zuchtriegel thinks of his own son, curled up the same way against the cold. Moments like these are essential to conveying the ways in which antiquity still resonates with us today—a theme central to this book. Through archaeological discoveries from the 19th century to the present, Zuchtriegel introduces us not only to excavation techniques but to questions connected to social change and our modern world. He intertwines these insights with his own journey as an archaeologist, dedicated not only to preserving Pompeii as a World Heritage site but to ensuring that all people can see it as their own heritage.

“A wise and modestly personal book” – FAS

“A love letter to archaeology” – FAZ

“Archaeology has never been brought to life like this before” – Die Zeit

Published by Propyläen Verlag, hardcover with dust jacket, 240 pages.

ISBN: 9783549100486

Release Date: April 27, 2023

Please note: This book is available for purchase only in German.