Pompeii
We visited Pompeii in 2004 and again in 2010. The Pompeii archaeological site is a partially buried Roman city near Naples.
In 79 CE about 20,000 people were living in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried town under 4 to 6 m of ash and pumice. The town has a normal roman grid layout with elegant houses and villas, middle class houses, taverns and cafes, and brothels and bathhouses including a number of small factories and artisans’ shops that line paved streets. The town large had open-air squares, forums, and marketplaces for people to shop and relax as well as a 20,000-seat arena.
After the eruption Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748 when it was rediscovered. During the excavations the team realized the large spaces in the ash were left by the decomposed bodies of the victims. So a technique was devised to inject plaster into the spaces to recreate the forms of Vesuvius' victims. There are several “bodies” of victims (people and dogs) that are on display at the site.
Unlike Herculaneum only the first story of many of the building survives, as well as the mosaic floors and some wall frescoes. Pompeii was more of a middle class town so the bakeries, baths, and brothels are some of the main sites to visit as well as the villas.
Read MoreIn 79 CE about 20,000 people were living in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried town under 4 to 6 m of ash and pumice. The town has a normal roman grid layout with elegant houses and villas, middle class houses, taverns and cafes, and brothels and bathhouses including a number of small factories and artisans’ shops that line paved streets. The town large had open-air squares, forums, and marketplaces for people to shop and relax as well as a 20,000-seat arena.
After the eruption Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748 when it was rediscovered. During the excavations the team realized the large spaces in the ash were left by the decomposed bodies of the victims. So a technique was devised to inject plaster into the spaces to recreate the forms of Vesuvius' victims. There are several “bodies” of victims (people and dogs) that are on display at the site.
Unlike Herculaneum only the first story of many of the building survives, as well as the mosaic floors and some wall frescoes. Pompeii was more of a middle class town so the bakeries, baths, and brothels are some of the main sites to visit as well as the villas.
