Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

In the early empire, they have a really important family with several branches. One of them is a major advisor of Augustus and an advisor of Tiberius. I'm pretty sure that he's the guy who was the definitive inhabitant of that house. Why? Because a portrait bust of him was found. How do we know it was him?

In the early empire, they have a really important family with several branches. One of them is a major advisor of Augustus and an advisor of Tiberius. I'm pretty sure that he's the guy who was the definitive inhabitant of that house. Why? Because a portrait bust of him was found. How do we know it was him?

In the early empire, they have a really important family with several branches. One of them is a major advisor of Augustus and an advisor of Tiberius. I'm pretty sure that he's the guy who was the definitive inhabitant of that house. Why? Because a portrait bust of him was found. How do we know it was him?

Because he also built a really rather splendid building in North Italy, a place called Vellea. And there, his portrait bust has an inscription saying Calpurnius Pisa, right? So you've got a ringer, you've got the face, you've got the name, and you've got... the Epicurean Library.

Because he also built a really rather splendid building in North Italy, a place called Vellea. And there, his portrait bust has an inscription saying Calpurnius Pisa, right? So you've got a ringer, you've got the face, you've got the name, and you've got... the Epicurean Library.

Because he also built a really rather splendid building in North Italy, a place called Vellea. And there, his portrait bust has an inscription saying Calpurnius Pisa, right? So you've got a ringer, you've got the face, you've got the name, and you've got... the Epicurean Library.

I'll tell you that story, but I want to go back to the past. Because you're absolutely right in your recital of famous figures from the Greek past, but also Romans who must be family members. You say, was it Scipio? And there's another. Is it Seneca? No, of course it isn't. Seneca. Seneca. It's got to be a family member.

I'll tell you that story, but I want to go back to the past. Because you're absolutely right in your recital of famous figures from the Greek past, but also Romans who must be family members. You say, was it Scipio? And there's another. Is it Seneca? No, of course it isn't. Seneca. Seneca. It's got to be a family member.

I'll tell you that story, but I want to go back to the past. Because you're absolutely right in your recital of famous figures from the Greek past, but also Romans who must be family members. You say, was it Scipio? And there's another. Is it Seneca? No, of course it isn't. Seneca. Seneca. It's got to be a family member.

And they're presenting themselves as in the great line that goes back to great Greek generals. This is the sort of company we keep. We Calpurni. They are nothing if not ambitious. And so their papyri, too, are part of their ambitions. They're associating themselves with that extraordinary Greek world of so many achievements and of philosophy.

And they're presenting themselves as in the great line that goes back to great Greek generals. This is the sort of company we keep. We Calpurni. They are nothing if not ambitious. And so their papyri, too, are part of their ambitions. They're associating themselves with that extraordinary Greek world of so many achievements and of philosophy.

And they're presenting themselves as in the great line that goes back to great Greek generals. This is the sort of company we keep. We Calpurni. They are nothing if not ambitious. And so their papyri, too, are part of their ambitions. They're associating themselves with that extraordinary Greek world of so many achievements and of philosophy.

And it is the most extraordinary gift that we have those papyri surviving. And I think it's worth remembering that we don't have papyri surviving from the rest of the site. It's a great disappointment. I think there are one or two examples of fragments of papyri that are actually documentary papyri, but not works of literature and so on. And I'm really puzzled. Where have they gone?

And it is the most extraordinary gift that we have those papyri surviving. And I think it's worth remembering that we don't have papyri surviving from the rest of the site. It's a great disappointment. I think there are one or two examples of fragments of papyri that are actually documentary papyri, but not works of literature and so on. And I'm really puzzled. Where have they gone?

And it is the most extraordinary gift that we have those papyri surviving. And I think it's worth remembering that we don't have papyri surviving from the rest of the site. It's a great disappointment. I think there are one or two examples of fragments of papyri that are actually documentary papyri, but not works of literature and so on. And I'm really puzzled. Where have they gone?

Grand Romans, they read literature. Don't tell me that they didn't have books too. So it's a bit of fluently good luck that some, because of where exactly it was, the way that the eruption affected it, maybe it was a lovely protected room, they looked after the papyri very well. They survived and other ones have not. So that makes them really, really exceptional.

Grand Romans, they read literature. Don't tell me that they didn't have books too. So it's a bit of fluently good luck that some, because of where exactly it was, the way that the eruption affected it, maybe it was a lovely protected room, they looked after the papyri very well. They survived and other ones have not. So that makes them really, really exceptional.

Grand Romans, they read literature. Don't tell me that they didn't have books too. So it's a bit of fluently good luck that some, because of where exactly it was, the way that the eruption affected it, maybe it was a lovely protected room, they looked after the papyri very well. They survived and other ones have not. So that makes them really, really exceptional.

Hence, our desperate desire to read them. And we're talking about something like 800 scrolls still to read.

Hence, our desperate desire to read them. And we're talking about something like 800 scrolls still to read.