Pompeii
On August 24, AD 79, Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Pumice stones from the volcano rained like hail and reached upwards of 3 inches in diameter. Poisonous gasses were followed by a snow of hot, white, suffocating ash that fell for nearly two days. Herculaneum lay buried under 60 ft. of ash and volcanic material, and Pompeii lay under 8 to 10 feet of pumice and 7 feet of ash. The seacost was altered by the eruption...and Pompeii...once a wealthy seaside town became an inland site.
About 2,000 people perished in Pompeii. Most escaped, fleeing in boats. The population of Pompeii was approximately 20,000. Those who hid in homes perished through suffocation. The difficulty of excavation after the disaster prohibited the recovery of Pompeii, and as the long centuries wore away, the city was eventually forgotten. In 1748 a peasant farmer found traces of the city beneath his vineyard. The excavations began, and were of tremendous interest to Neoclassic artists such as David, and to the court of Napoleon in France, which adopted the dress, hairstyles and furnishings of the ancient Greco-Roman World. An example of this fashionable interest is displayed in David’s portrait of Madame Recamier, who is shown with Classical hairstyle and dress, reclining on couch in a room decorated with a footstool and lamp drawn from Pompeiian originals. In 1927 the beginnings of the excavation of Herculaneum began, with support from the Italian government. Portions of Pompeii, however, will be lost forever, for they lie underneath the modern city and farmlands.
House of the Faun ~ Pompeii
Thousands of objects were well preserved by the volcanic material that showered Herculaneum and Pompeii, and many are in the Archeological Museum of Naples. These items throw light on the everyday life of the people of these two doomed cities. Kitchen utensils, loaves of bread, charred nuts and fruits from the market stalls, tools, potter’s supplies and wares, millstones and bakeries, and even wineshops and bars were preserved. Most fascinating, perhaps, are the plaster casts of the bodies of the people who perished.
We will explore the city of Pompeii and discuss the organization of the private home, the Atrium, the Impluvium and Compluvium, and the painting styles of the frescoed walls that help us to date the periods of history in the life of Pompeii...we will also discuss the eyewitness reports of the eruption of Vesuvius by Pliny the Elder, and travel through the streets rutted by the ancient chariot wheels, and notice the city amenities such as; sewer and water pipes, the baths, the Forum and the temples, the shops and the gardens. Although this was a smallish seaside resort town, it gives us our clearest glimpse into the everyday life of the ancient Romans. Of tremendous value are the well-preserved frescoes, since virtually all Roman painting save the frescoes of Herculaneum and Pompeii have been destroyed through the vicissitudes of time.
House of the Faun ~ Pompeii
Forum BCE-CE Roman Italy
House of the Vetii 1st Century BCE Roman Italy
Villa of Mysteries 50 BCE (c) Roman Italy
House of the Faun 1st Century BCE Roman Italy
Ampitheatre 80 BCE Roman Italy
Odeon 80 BCE Roman Italy
Temple of Apollo 2nd Century BCE Roman Italy
The Forum of Pompeii stood at the crossroads of important trade routes to Naples and Stabia. It was the center of the city at the time of its founding, and, even as the city expanded, it retained importance in the economic life of the city. Until the 2nd century BCE the forum of Pompeii seemed to be primarily a marketplace, except for the ancient Temple of Apollo which has its roots in the 6th century BCE. After the 2nd century BCE the porticoes and temples and law courts were built, expanding the uses of the forum into political and religious realms.
The Basilica is of an unusual type. It is entered through the short rather than the long side. The tribunal where law cases were heard was situated at the back, and was entered via wooden staircases now perished.
The Temple of Vespasian (the irregular space occupied by a copy of the altar) was unfinished at the time of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Villa of Mysteries ~ Floorplan
| The Villa of Mysteries represents and outstanding example of suburban patrician architecture. The floor plan is squared, built on sloping land. In 60 BCE the floorplan was changed..likely due to a reversal of fortune of the inhabitants. |
