Deus

From the ashes of Pompeii rose a spiritual revolution Recent excavations have brought us closer than ever to the realities of daily life in the ancient city - revealing not only how people lived, but what they believed. This was a society deeply entwined with sacred ritual and the ancient gods, from Dionysus to Venus, yet one also on the brink of extraordinary upheaval.
From slaves and senators to gladiators and street children, Pompeii emerges as a city in the midst of a crisis. In the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius, the Roman Empire would fracture, and Christianity would rise to become the defining force of a radically reimagined world.
Drawing on groundbreaking discoveries and striking new insights, Pompeii's director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, unravels how the most transformative spiritual revolution in Western history came to pass. Deus vividly brings to life a society at once brutal and beautiful - revealing its humanity in the most unexpected places.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel is Director General of the archaeological park in Pompeii. He studied classical archaeology at the Humboldt University in Berlin and received his PhD from the University of Bonn. In 2015, he became director of the Paestum archaeological park and museum, before being appointed at Pompeii in February 2021. He became an Italian citizen in 2020 and is currently overseeing the biggest dig of the site of Pompeii in a generation.