August Mau

Born in Kiel on October 15, 1840, August Mau was a German art historian and archaeologist whose name is closely tied to the study of Pompeii. After studying classical philology, he went on to work with the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, where he built a career investigating the material culture of the ancient world.

Mau became especially influential through his research on Roman wall painting. He is remembered for identifying and describing the four Pompeian styles of mural decoration, a framework that helped scholars organize and interpret the frescoes uncovered at Pompeii after the city's destruction in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.

He also wrote about daily life in Pompeii in a way that brought archaeology closer to general readers, not just specialists. Mau died in Rome on March 6, 1909, but his clear, systematic approach still shapes how Roman art and Pompeian houses are understood.