Amarantus

Amarantus and his Neighbourhood is the story of a soft-hearted slave in Pompeii and how he finds love, freedom and happiness, partly thanks to his big nose and partly thanks to the devastating earthquake that occurred about sixteen years before the eruption of Vesuvius.

Although the story is fictional, it is heavily based on the archaeology of Pompeii and the literary sources of the time. This book is the novelisation of a Latin History Course produced by the prestigious Cambridge Schools Latin Project.

To produce this book I worked with experts such as Dr Sophie Hay, Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill and Dr Olivia Elder. The book is brilliantly illustrated by Greek Myth Comix creator Laura Jenkinson-Brown and it is supplemented with lots of online material.

But it’s a great read on its own! So why not follow the story of Amarantus and his neighbourhood as they experience a year of puppies, friendships, weddings, funerals, bar fights, elections and earthquakes! You will discover:
• why honey is a ‘hot food’
• why the best seat in the house was on the ‘lowest’ couch
• where naked sailors kept loose change
• and why the late drinkers supported Vatia in the local elections.