The destruction of Pompeii in ad 79 provides a unique opportunity to explore the use of everyday items. It allows us to identify the source and variety of products available within the city, and enables us to track changes in the consumption of goods over time.

The destruction of Pompeii in ad 79 provides a unique opportunity to explore the use of everyday items. It allows us to identify the source and variety of products available within the city, and enables us to track changes in the consumption of goods over time. In this volume, Jaye McKenzie-Clark presents the far-reaching results of her examination of the red slip tableware within three regions of the city. It pinpoints the initial supply and use of Vesuvian Sigillata, and investigates factors that may have led to the popularity of this style of pottery. The investigation maps the on-going manufacture of these ceramics and identifies changes in production and consumption up to the time of the eruption. Examination of the distribution within contexts of different social use also reveals distinct patterns of consumer demands and consumption within Pompeian society. Such research helps us to explore and understand the use of goods within the city of Pompeii and throughout the Roman world, and also has the potential to shed light on patterns of behaviour in modern consumer societies.