Pompeii : Life Of A Roman Town, By Mary Beard

The private and public leisure activities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were largely abundant. Many activities could be participated in and were used often. These include Drama performances, gladiatorial games, drinking, gambling, brothels, exercise, gardens, baths and food and dining. All these were an important part of Pompeian and Herculaneum life. They were seen as important to keep the body and mind healthy in most cases. Though some opposed some of the activities like brothels, gambling and drinking. But all give a important look into the life of those in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius which completely destroyed

Both the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were influenced by foreign customs and religions, due to links with other cities through commerce and

In ancient Pompeii, there were many important establishments in the Forum. It was seen as the primal hub of the town, and due to the busy trading nature, a commercial centre for exchanging foreign goods was a necessity. However in Herculaneum, being a quiet fishing village, the structure of the Forum would have been very different to that of Pompeii.

The layers of pumice and ash that fell on Pompeii formed a shell over the city, preserving it as a time capsule of Roman life. Archaeologists have unearthed dazzling treasures, like jewels, mosaic artwork, and statues. They even found a basket of petrified eggs and the remains of a bowl of chicken soup.

Over the past centuries, since its discovery in 1749, many archaeologists have contributed to our understanding of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Archaeologists were initially focused on excavating, most of which were improperly done causing extensive damage. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli introduced new excavation methods; those succeeded him include August Mau, Vittorio Spinazzola and Amendo Maiuri. Now attention has shifted towards conservations and restorations which are reflected in the works of Fausto Zevi and Pier Guzzo.

Most of these attributes were derived from the Grecian culture around 210 BC and disseminated all over Rome (Nardo, 60). Not only did the people contribute to the arts, but so did the government, which built bronze statues of the emperors or Gods, like the statue of Marcus Aurelius in 175 AD, and decorated the currency with elaborate drawings (Hinds, 172). A lasting example of the Roman taste of the arts was preserved in Pompeii after the volcanic eruption. According to written documents, a museum owned by two wealthy businessmen in Pompeii was available for public viewing, which displayed the gratitude of the people of Pompeii toward their own culture (Hinds, 178).

The Sanctuary of the Public Lares was located in the North-East of the Forum in Pompeii. The Lares Publici were the protectors of the crossroads (compita). Historians argue whether the building was either commenced after the earthquake of 62 AD or almost fully reconstructed as a dedication to the tutelary gods of Pompeii due to the recent misfortune. The architecture was quite unusual showing changing designs. The temple had no roof and had a floor with coloured marble arranged in a geometric pattern. It had no wall on the Forum side that left it entirely open. It could be entered through a portico adjoining the colonnade of the Forum. On entering the temple there was two alcoves where statues of the Lares would most likely have stood. Remains show a centred altar. The rear wall reveals a niche where statues of the town’s gods would have been positioned.

In many societies religion has played a major role in their development, and the Roman Empire was no different (Roman Religion, Definition by Donald L. Wasson published on 13 November 2013). Michael Grant summarises Roman Religion for us when he says;” Roman religion was largely concerned with ritual, not faith or belief. The Romans did not have a personal relationship with their Gods nor did their religion offer them doctrine or an explanation of the World. They were Polytheistic; they worshipped many Gods” (Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum 2001, Michael Grant, pg.56). Within this paper my aim will be to show how Pompeii’s religious spaces compared to that of other Roman Towns, from the Roman Colonisation of Pompeii era onwards. I will identify some of these religious spaces and evaluate their purpose within Pompeian society. I will also identify how these spaces impacted upon the daily life of the Pompeian’s and how they contributed to the new Identify and establishment of Pompeii as a new Roman Colony.

The town itself had many temples devoted to their gods. The city even had an amphitheatre, which is the oldest of its kind dating back to 80 BC. The people of Pompeii had a serene living condition and well function social classes.

Before its destruction, the city of Pompeii was home to a flourishing city that through observations made from its archeological excavation and through the analysis of certain artifacts and various buildings An exact image of the city as it stood in the first century is presented to the archaeologists. This provides insight into the lives of the people living at the time.

Whenever someone hears the name, Pompeii, one event comes to mind: the eruption that demolished it. Most people simply know this society only for the incident that buried it for centuries. They do not fully understand the importance of the culture underneath the ashes. The catastrophic events that took their toll on the ancient city of Pompeii, though tragic and unforgiving, serve as fundamental historical insight into the Pompeian culture and the calamity that demolished this central portion of the Roman Empire.

Pompeii was a city of ancient Rome. Pompeii as well as Herculaneum and many other villas were destroyed and buried in 4 to 5m of ash and pumice due to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. This happened in 79 AD. Osci found the town in the 6th or 7th century BC. Rome then later on conquered it and made it a colony by 80BC. Approximately 160 years after the eruption, the population rised to 11,000 people, they had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, and a port. The eruption destroyed everything and buried it all under ash making it difficult to find any remains. This evidence was provided from Pliny the Younger who saw the whole thing from a distance and wrote a letter. His uncle was in the city at the time trying to help people make it out. He

Although most paintings in Pompeii were of the prosperous class, there are still some paintings of the less exalted. These paintings weren’t as frequent as the murals that the wealthy had but they still represented the superiority of men. In the taverns catering to the lower classes there were frescos painted on the walls giving insight into the life of the less exalted. In the painting “Scences in a Pompeii Tavern, In the first picture, it shows a prostitute, kissing a man, while the caption above reads: “I don’t want to, with

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Pompeii provides us with the perfect example of a typical roman city and is arguably the most famous site for archaeologists in the world after the events in 79AD. When considering how far Romanized Pompeii had become by the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius it is important for us to take into considerations defining factors that made up Roman cities such as the Political set up, the Governments in place, structure of the city and even the religious aspects of the city, which is all somewhat apparent from Pompeii through discoveries. Within this essay I will compare the defining features that made up a typical Roman city and compare them to what we know of how Pompeii was set up.