54 pages • 1 hour read
Pompeii: A Novel
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Part 2, Chapters 6-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2: “Mercury”
Chapter 6 Summary: "DIL”CULUM"
At dawn, Attilius goes to the harbor to meet his team. Musa, Becco, Corvinus, and Polites are there but Corax is yet to arrive. The navy's oarsmen march to the ship, led by Torquatus, the captain of the Minerva. They load the engineering tools onboard and, when they are ready, Attilius is prepared to leave without Corax. As the ship departs from the harbor, Corax runs along the dock and leaps aboard. On the hill above the harbor, Pliny watches the Minerva depart. He thinks about Attilius as the "embodiment of muscular Roman virtues" (82). In his mansion, he keeps notebooks filled with "every interesting fact he [has] ever read or heard" (83) as well as many other strange and fascinating treasures. Before recording his most recent observations, he drafts a message to be sent to the recently-appointed Emperor Titus, who is known for his "lethal rages" (85).
The Minerva sails to Pompeii. Attilius sees Ampliatus's mansion on the hillside. It has been abandoned in the night, as Atia warned him it would be. On the ship, the men talk about how Ampliatus made his money in Pompeii in suspicious circumstances. After an earthquake in Pompeii, Ampliatus bought villas for "next to nothing" (87) and then resold them for many times the price. Whether he actually owned the houses he was selling is still in doubt; Ampliatus may have bribed local officials. However, the men are unwilling to answer Attilius's question over whether Exomnius might have been involved. As the journey continues, Attilius thinks about the invention of hydraulic cement and how it has allowed the Roman Empire to construct vast cities. The sudden boom in construction has created "a new class of millionaires" (90), men who are land speculators like Ampliatus. The luxurious villas along the coastline are evidence of this new wealthy group. Attilius's thoughts turn to his dead wife, Sabine.
After a short sleep, Attilius watches his men play dice. Corax accuses Attilius of bringing him bad luck. In Pompeii, Corax will lead a separate party, so Attilius suggests that the men roll the dice to see who should accompany him. Corax and Musa will locate the fault in the aqueduct, Becco and Corvinus will ride further up to Abellinum and close the sluice gates, and Attilius and the slave Polites will remain in Pompeii to organize the tools and transport. Musa complains that the slave is given the easy job. His complaints are ended by the ship's arrival in Pompeii. As they pull into the harbor, Attilius sees a fountain flowing. He plunges his head beneath the "clear arc of water" (97).
Chapter 7 Summary: "HORA QUARTA"
Attilius hires five horses in the Pompeii harbor. As he tries to organize his men, he curses the local bureaucracy and the distraction caused by a "public holiday" (99). As they move through the streets, they see the water "pumping through the city" (101). After giving each team their instructions, Attilius sets them on their ways. Attilius visits the Pompeii aqueduct facilities, where the faster-than-usual flow has caused a pile-up of debris. Attilius agrees with Corax's earlier diagnosis that the local water-slave is "useless" (107), though the man is seemingly nowhere to be found. In the slave's absence, Attilius inspects the reservoir and frees the debris. When Tiro the slave does appear, Attilius admonishes him for his tardiness. Then, he notices that Tiro is blind. Tiro offers to take Attilius to the local magistrate, Popidius.
Tiro leads Attilius to the house of Popidius. As they walk, Attilius notes that Popidius's family are the former owners of Ampliatus. Tiro says nothing. Their journey is briefly interrupted by a mild earthquake. The people of Pompeii pause "for a few moments" (111) and then resume their lives. Tiro explains that these minor seismic events happen regularly in Pompeii, especially in recent months. Exomnius, he explains, was similarly perturbed by the earthquakes while he lived in Pompeii. Tiro nervously admits that he saw Exomnius two weeks ago. When they arrive at Popidius's house, Attilius sends the slave back to the aqueduct.
Chapter 8 Summary: "HORA QUINTA"
Even though the porter says that Popidius is not home, Attilius insists. He brandishes his letter and claims that he is working on "the emperor's business" (116). Attilius is led through the immense old house. He finds Popidius lounging in a room with the three other "elected magistrates of Pompeii" (119): Gaius Cuspius, Marcus Holconius, and Quintus Brittius. Though he is concerned about losing time, Attilius hands over the letter from Pliny describing the water issues in the nearby towns. The rich magistrates are unconcerned about problems in other towns, and they do not want to do anything to help, least of all on a "holy day" (121). Attilius threatens to cut the water supply to Pompeii and report them to the imperial authorities if they try to sell whatever water they have to other towns. The men's outrage is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Ampliatus. To Attilius's surprise, the other men seem to defer to the former slave. Ampliatus assures Attilius that he will receive all the help he needs to get the aqueduct running "as soon as possible" (125). With the help secured, Attilius leaves the room.
In the gardens of the villa, Attilius finds Corelia swimming in a pool. In a whispered, urgent conversation, Corelia reveals that her father actually owns the villa where Popidius lives. Furthermore, Corelia and Popidius are betrothed to be married. Though this is none of Attilius's business, he is struck by an "unexpected anger" (127). Popidius believes the marriage is beneath him and Corelia resents the betrothal. She warns Attilius not to allow her father to "trap" (128) him. Ampliatus interrupts the conversation, angry that Attilius is with his daughter once again. However, he beckons for Attilius to follow him while talking disparagingly about the magistrates.
Chapter 9 Summary: "HORA SEXTA"
Ampliatus and Attilius walk from the villa to "a little wooden door set into a wall" (131). Attilius thinks about Corelia's warning about her father as he follows Ampliatus inside. The courtyard behind the door is a large, impressive building site. Soon, they will be "the finest baths outside Rome" (132). Ampliatus talks to the foreman and arranges for the men and supplies Attilius will need to repair the aqueduct. Attilius is wary that this generosity may come at a price. While the supplies are fetched, Attilius receives a tour of the future baths. Ampliatus is a "persuasive salesman" (135) when talking about his plans for the site. However, Attilius manages to impress his host with knowledge of which woods should be used for certain purposes. Discussing his ever-increasing fortune, Ampliatus recommends that "there's no safer investment than property in Pompeii" (137). He credits the earthquake in recent years for the opportunity to make a great deal of money. Attilius has impressed Ampliatus, so Ampliatus offers him "a share of the profits" (139) of the baths in exchange for advice. Attilius declines the offer. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the equipment wagons.
The wagons are led by Polites. Ampliatus leaves to attend his feast with the magistrates. Though he recognizes Ampliatus as "undeniably cruel and ruthless" (142), Attilius is impressed by the qualities of the tools and supplies. He takes an inventory and thinks about how much water will be needed for the baths. Ampliatus, Attilius thinks, will need to pay a great deal of "water taxes" (142). He begins to suspect that the rich man may not be "paying anything at all" (143). Issuing instructions to the men, he leaves on his own through the open gate.
Part 2, Chapters 6-9 Analysis
Each chapter of Pompeii has an epigraph taken from a modern scientific document explaining volcanoes and volcanology. The chapter of each title is a Latin word for a specific time of day as a timestamp counts down to the moment at which Mount Vesuvius will erupt. The contrast between the 20th century explanations of volcanoes and the classical language of the chapter titles blends together the modern and classical worlds. This is an example of the structure of the novel being used to explore the theme of Modern Attitudes in a Classical World, drawing attention to when characters from the classical world come close to grasping this modern knowledge. Pliny checking the tremors using a glass of wine tallies with the epigraph at the beginning of the chapter, describing the build-up of magma beneath the volcano and the ensuing seismic activity. The contrast creates a sense of “dramatic irony,” in which the audience is aware of information which is denied to the characters. Rather than amusement, the dramatic irony creates a rising sense of dread. As the timestamps run down, as the chapter titles tally the hours, as the characters fail to grasp the meaning of the geological activity, it becomes clear that the characters are not adequately prepared for the imminent disaster.
At this early stage of the novel, however, the characters are not thinking about volcanoes. They already face an existential threat as the aqueduct which supplies towns and cities around the Bay of Naples has ceased to work. The aqueducts are one of the great achievements of Roman society. They allow cities and towns to grow far beyond their traditional limitations while also irrigating previously unfarmable land and transforming the landscape into a rich, bountiful space which can sustain many people. The aqueducts are a great achievement, but the life they sustain is inherently fragile. Attilius observes the rapid speed at which society collapses without access to water. In Misenum, the water is rationed: these rations are not enough for everyone and—after just a single day without water— people begin to riot. The failure of the aqueduct is an existential threat to the people in the Bay of Naples and a reminder of the fragile nature of its society. For all its imperial achievements, Roman society is only a day without water away from complete societal collapse. Even before the volcano erupts, Attilius is shown that his society is not as strong and powerful as it believes itself to be.
Even apart from the looming volcano and the vanishing water supply, Attilius is given many warnings about the precarious nature of Roman society. Ampliatus's rise to power is one such indictment, revealing the rot at the heart of the Roman social project. Ampliatus is a former slave who has strived to become one of the richest men in the region. On the surface, his story appears to be inspirational: He has defied the rigid social structure and risen up through society, becoming an example for any poor person who strives to better themselves. Lurking beneath this aspirational surface, however, is a dark truth: Ampliatus is a criminal. He schemed, scammed, and extorted people to rise to power and he has lost his humanity in the process. He has even decided to marry away his beloved daughter as a way to control his former master, using Corelia's happiness as a vehicle for his own retribution.
Attilius must uncover the truth about Ampliatus’s rise to power, as it is hidden from the public. By uncovering the truth about Ampliatus, he can learn that all the rich and powerful people in society are just as corrupt. Roman society itself is not the moral, honest society it pretends to be. Instead, it is populated by criminals like Ampliatus and the magistrates who are hiding in plain sight. Like the blockage in the aqueduct and the imminent eruption of the volcano, the terrible hidden power of the world is steadily revealed throughout the course of the novel.
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