This is everything that a documentary should be. Detailed, properly argued, and with important points to make. Some of the star points are:-
1. The wooden furniture that has survived, including some with enough pigment to show how it was painted.
2. A marble head of a woman, with surviving pigment, showing how the statue was painted.
3. Documentary evidence showing that man who a arrived in the town as a slave rose to be the owner of one of the biggest houses.
4. Further analysis showing that the society had considerable social mobility, including slaves.
5. Analysis of ancient coprolites (fossilized feces) that challenges traditional ideas of the diet of less than rich citizens.
6. The proof that a popular modern wine is the same as that drunk in Herculaneum.
Prof. Beard's recent documentary on Pompeii is very good, but this is better.
1. The wooden furniture that has survived, including some with enough pigment to show how it was painted.
2. A marble head of a woman, with surviving pigment, showing how the statue was painted.
3. Documentary evidence showing that man who a arrived in the town as a slave rose to be the owner of one of the biggest houses.
4. Further analysis showing that the society had considerable social mobility, including slaves.
5. Analysis of ancient coprolites (fossilized feces) that challenges traditional ideas of the diet of less than rich citizens.
6. The proof that a popular modern wine is the same as that drunk in Herculaneum.
Prof. Beard's recent documentary on Pompeii is very good, but this is better.