Pompeii

 

Imagine a bustling 180 acre port city supporting 20,000 inhabitants.  There is a sophisticated city grid of streets, shops, public baths, 46 fountains with running water, and a large public square with a large temple dedicated to Jupiter, government offices, hall of justice, library, and more shops.  The streets are paved with boulders and spacers that permitted crossing by pedestrians to avoid the unsanitary water run-off and yet spaced so that all sorts of carts and wagon axels could also get through.  There were amphitheaters and stages to hold thousands attending musical or dramatic performances and games. Imagine a brothel which was legal and taxed like any of the other businesses and shops in town.  Imagine fertile farmland and fields along with a beautiful blue bay now known as the Bay of Naples, serving as a port hub connecting the north and south. There was a wall surrounding this city with seven gates to protect the inhabitants from barbarians and invaders.  Imagine all of this situated along the foot and up the sides of a mountain called Vesuvius. 

In 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius exploded with enough hot lava and ash to bury the entire city of Pompeii in 25 to 40 feet of lava and ash, which poured over the earth for three days to cover and push out the waterfront further out over a mile. While 16,000 citizens managed to escape, 4,000 were buried in lava or asphyxiated by the ash and poison gas. When it was over Vesuvius now had a huge crater, the landscape was changed radically, and Pompeii was buried under lava and ash.

Around the mid-1700s, farmers tilling the area began to butt up against the still standing structures, finally revealing the fate of Pompeii.  It took 250 years to excavate the site as it looks today, but there are still 60 acres still buried. The bodies trapped in the ash had decayed but scientists filled the remaining voids with plaster which revealed the final moments of those killed. The excavated ruins, the plaster bodies, and surviving artifacts are open to the public.

Below are my photos of our tour on Tuesday through the ruins of Pompeii – it was truly a fascinating visit:

Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Part of Pompeii's complex city grid

The large amphitheater and stage

Looking over a large plaza from the top of the ampitheater

Street view and sidewalks

Another street view - dead end.  Now you walk to the main square.

 

Gladiators rooms - they were locked up because they were slaves and
were intended to battle in the ampitheater

 

Some of the artwork in the men's public baths.  The public baths had a cold water pool,
a tepid water pool, and a hot water pool. The women's public bath was
similarly set up.

A better view of the surviving artwork,

The bodies that decayed in the ash left a void that scientists filled with
plaster.  The details that emerged, from sandals, clothing and even
facial expressions were surprising.

One of the local shops.

 

Adjacent to the public baths - note the artwork on the side of the building.