The tragic fate of Помпей and Herculaneum quite a bit literary works are sanctified to. It is difficult to imagine a man, not drawing even short information about the ancient Italian cities lost during eruption of Vesuvius the summer of 79. A catastrophe divided their history into two stages last from that, in particular excavations and creation of museum under open-skies, presented almost in all already known editions. This book also will acquaint a reader with the destroyed cities, but sparing much more attention to living. Pictures from life of Помпей and Herculaneum are recreated on the basis of historical compositions of Плиния Senior, of Плиния Junior, Cicero, Titus of Ливия, Тацита, Страбона, the written in verse classics, Марциала, Ювенала, Ovid, magnificent satire Петрония. References to works of the Russian researchers of В. Классовского and А. Левшина, visiting South Italy at the beginning XIX centuries, illustrated by their plans and pictures.