The 2014 film Pompeii is set in Pompeii and Rome, right before the Vesuvian eruption of 79 AD. Starting with Pliny the Younger’s quote describing the contemporary experience of the eruption, the film draws extensively on both literal and archaeological sources, with great attention to details. For example, the proposal to construct a new aqueduct, better sanitation, bigger bath houses, and a circus show the range of engineering feats and public constructions enjoyed by people in the Roman empire. The accurate arrangement of Pompeii city is another example of drawing on archaeological sources (i.e. excavation of the city and high-tech reconstructions). The depiction of amphitheaters with cloth awnings, the refighting of wars in the amphitheater,