When Mt. Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 CE, it buried the people and town of Pompeii in over 12 feet of ash, killing any who were left in the city, and preserved the ruins to an extraordinary degree, including Roman brothels, the first ‘beware of dog’ sign, ancient papyrus scrolls with Roman books on them (now burnt to a crisp), a Roman ‘Lamborghini,’ and even bread that had just been pulled from the oven! This class will explore various facets of life in Pompeii that we can learn from the archaeological remains, including prostitution, gladiatorial contests, what the gods looked like, where Romans drank their wine (at the many, many neighborhood bars), how they decorated their houses, and even the types of food they ate! We will also look at the dead of Pompeii, which can illuminate who walked its streets – from the lowliest slave to the most noble of aristocrats – as well as the animals who served as farm labor, pets, and guardians (bodies of dogs, donkeys, horses have been found). Finally, a secondary goal is to introduce students to the basic sets of evidence available to any scholar of this world (archaeology, literary texts, inscriptions, papyrus scrolls, etc.) and utilize them all to come to a more holistic understanding of what life in Roman Pompeii was like.