Herculaneum; Paestum; Pompeii

Although the packaging continues to be impressive for the Treccani Video Library visual adaptations of the Italian Encyclopedia, the presentations also continue to be mostly arid and often ephemeral (at least to the general public). These three tapes from "The Ancient World Series" focus on a trio of Italian towns, the most notable of which is Pompeii. Pompeii and neighboring Herculaneum were both buried under volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Each of the tapes discusses the respective history of the towns and spends the majority of the time talking about the architectural facets of the various bath houses, amphitheaters, villas, and temples of the towns. Little details occasionally jump out, such as the unheroic statue of Hercules urinating in Herculaneum, but for the most part the narrative consists of unadorned facts ("X""site has "Y" number of columns in the Doric style, etc.) The tape on Paestum is almost entirely devoted to three temples (2 dedicated to Hera, 1 to Athena), with the usual emphasis on the structure of the buildings. Since Pompeii is at least useful for students who are doing research papers, it is recommended. In fact, for college courses which cover ancient architecture, all three of these titles would be highly recommended. But for public libraries they are strictly optional purchases. (Available from most distributors.)