About this Event
The Lost Voices of Pompeii
Relive the dramatic last day in Pompeii in this immersive story, based on the city's real residents
We all know how the people of Pompeii died.
But what about how they lived?
Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Dr Jess Venner brings the ancient streets to life through the eyes of those who lived, worked, loved and ultimately met their fate in Pompeii.
Along the way, Venner reveals a community more complex, diverse and human than we ever imagined. We meet Julia Felix, a successful female entrepreneur defying Roman convention; Petronus, a slave grappling with his future after gaining his freedom; politician Gaius Cuspius Pansa, who cements his power and prestige by hosting the Plebian Games at the amphitheatre; and many others.
Pompeii is remembered for its destruction, but here we discover the vibrant lives that came before. Richly evocative and immersive, The Lost Voices of Pompeii vividly recreates the final twenty-four hours before the eruption, reminding us exactly what - and who - was lost in 79 AD.
Dr Jess Venner
Dr. Jess Venner is a renowned ancient historian and award-winning scholar known for her groundbreaking work on Pompeii's urban environment. In 2018, she was awarded a prestigious scholarship to pursue her PhD in Classics, Ancient History, and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham. Her research has been featured in leading academic journals, and her insights have reached audiences worldwide through international lectures, spanning London to San Francisco.
​Currently, Jess is continuing her postdoctoral research as an Early Career Research Associate at the Institute of Classical Studies. In January 2026, she will take up the prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at University of Oxford to undertake fully-funded research into the early Roman Empire for three years.
Elisabeth Grass
Elisabeth Grass is a Rare Book Specialist at Blackwell's Bookshop. She is a DPhil student in the History Faculty. Through the prism of the country estate, her research focuses on the socio-cultural activities of West Indian slaveholders in Britain in the eighteenth century. It offers perspectives on wealth derived from enslaved labour and its legacy in our built environment. Elisabeth works closely with the Colonial Countryside initiative and has given presentations and training to staff and volunteers in the heritage sector. A rare book specialist by profession, she is particularly interested in the colonial dimensions of collecting, and in the country house library as a repository of imperial knowledge.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Blackwell's Bookshop, 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, United Kingdom
GBP 6.00 to GBP 22.00
