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HISTORY OF POMPEII

Pompeii is a key destination for tourists each year. The ancient city is located in Campania, Italy near the Bay of Naples. In the distance, tourists can see the southeastern base of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that decimated the city of Pompeii centuries ago.

MT. VESUVIUS

Mt. Vesuvivus’ volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. entombed the city of Pompeii. With the eruption brought ash, pumice and other volcanic debris which would overlay the city. The depth of the debris were estimated over 3 meters (Jashemski, 2019). The destruction continued with surging turbulent clouds containing pyroclastic material and hot gases entombing the city. Rains of ash and pyroclastic flows continued adding an additional 3 meters of debris (Tronchin, n.d.). After the volcanic event, the city of Pompeii was preserved under an estimated 6 meters of pumice and ash (Jashemski, 2019). It laid undisturbed and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1748. Archaeologists continue to excavate and uncover the ancient city’s history (Shpulak, 2019).

CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY

Pompeii’s destruction as well as its unique preservations captures a moment frozen in time. Preserved organic materials (i.e. eggs, loaves of bread, clothing, etc), art, workshops, restaurants, temples, et al. have been unearthed through continued excavations (Western Australian Museum, 2010). These findings provide a glimpse of what everyday life was like in the first-century Italy.

A carbonized loaf from one of Pompeii’s 32 bakeries. (Photo credit: Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli)(Source: Nayeri, 2019)

In Granai Del Foro exists a repository for excavated artifacts – pottery, pillars, and plaster castings of Pompeian citizens. (Source: Jim Park)

Significant preservation of the ancient city. (Source: Jim Park)

TOURISM

Approximately 2.5 million tourists visit Pompeii each year making it one of Italy’s more popular destinations (Pullella, 2010). Situated in the Campania region of modern-day Italy. Pompeii is located southeast of Naples.

Pompeii, located in Western Italy, in Campania. (Source: ESRI, USAToday)

The city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 (UNESCO, 2011) as the city serves as a historical repository of antiquity. A site “must be of outstanding universal value” to be inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage list. Further details on the criteria can be found on their website. It’s easy to see why this is of outstanding universal value, excavated over several centuries, what is seen today is a vivid impression of ancient antiquity. The pictures below are from Professor Jim Park’s visit to the ancient city in 2019.

Mensa Ponderaria

A measurement block used as a standard for measures to check the weight or amount of goods in trade.

Public Fountains

Most street corners had fountains present that had constantly running water and a tank of 4 large blocks of rock

Purpose-built streets

Stepping stones kept feet dry and out of the rainwater, sewage, and all sorts of other waste that would have filled the streets

Igor Mitoraj at Pompeii

An exhibition comes to life in Pompeii with sculptures, like the centaur, by the late Igor Mitoraj

Heated floors

Bricks added gaps between the foundation and the floor to allow for circulation of hot air to warm the floor beneath your feet

Tile Mosaics

Many houses had intricate mosaics at the entrance which described the status, wealth, and philosophy of that household

The Odeon

A small theater, built by Romans, for popular theatrical performances like miming, singing, and plays

House of Paquius Proculus

The atrium has a impluvium at the center of the room with the floor covered in decorative mosaics

The Forum

Located at the heart of Pompeii, the Forum was a thriving market and trade center

Citations

Jashemski, Wilhelmina Feemster. “Pompeii.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Pompeii.
Nayeri, Farah. “Stuffed Dormouse and Fish Gut Sauce: The Flavors of Pompeii.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/arts/design/rome-food-last-supper-in-pompeii.html.
Pullella, Philip. “Pompeii Collapse Prompts Charges of Official Neglect.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 7 Nov. 2010, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-pompeii/pompeii-collapse-prompts-charges-of-official-neglect-idUSTRE6A51BE20101107.
Shpulak, Iryna, et al. The Lost City of Pompeii. National Geographic, 14 June 2019, https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/pompeii/.
Tronchin, F. (n.d.). Pompeii, an introduction. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/beginners-guide-rome/a/pompeii-an-introduction.
UNESCO. World Heritage Sites: Pompeii. 2011, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829.
Western Australian Museum. (2010, September). Daily Life in Pompeii. Retrieved from http://museum.wa.gov.au/pompeii2010/daily-life/water/index.html.

Catalina Rivas, Graduate Student
Fall 2019