We all know how Pompeii died… but how did it live? Archaeologist and historian Jess Venner takes us beyond the ash and into the bustling streets of the ancient city on its final day. Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, she reconstructs the lives of real Pompeians; entrepreneurs, politicians, freed slaves and families, whose stories have too often been overshadowed by the drama of Vesuvius. Meet Julia Felix, a savvy businesswoman navigating Roman society; Petronus, newly freed and weighing his future; and Gaius Cuspius Pansa, consolidating his status through spectacle and civic pride. Through their eyes, the city emerges as vibrant, complex and strikingly human. Immersive and deeply moving, this is Pompeii as you’ve never encountered it before… not just a tragedy frozen in time, but a living community with everything to lose on that fateful day in AD 79.