Pompeii Research Papers

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

“The study of Pompeii and Herculaneum provides us with a wealth of sources – However we are faced with issues regarding their limitations, reliability and evaluation.”

The economy of Pompeii was based primarily on two factors: the endless lushness of the Campanian soil and the town’s position. The two outstanding agricultural products were wine and olive oil. The Pompeiians worshipped many gods, primarily Graeco-Roman gods such as Jupitar the Greek Zeus, Juno, Minerva and Apollo and most houses had a small shrine or lararium where daily ceremonials and rituals were performed.

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).

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.

Evidence suggests that religion was a huge part of everyday life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The religion at the time was polytheistic, meaning they worshipped and believed in many gods. Religion was an active part of everyday life and offerings to the gods were performed in order to keep the gods satisfied and to ensure the safety of themselves and the family. There were a variety of ways in which citizens of P. + H. would worship the gods. Both in public or the privacy of their own homes.

Pompeii used to exist in Italy, in the colony of Naples. Establish on the Italian Coast. It rests on a stimulus conceive by a lava issue, fair north of the Sarno River. Present-day, it is detected more interior land, before, it was nearby to the coast. In addition to was a bigger city Campania.

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.

So far for jobs archaeologist Fiorelli and his crew found doctor tools and instruments in houses. Another thing is cooking that archaeologist Fiorelli uncovered and found cooking materials such as glasses, jars, and bread pans. There were also housekeepers in that time. Fiorelli found the preserved bodies of servants holding food. That is some of the job they had.

In August, Mount Vesuvius erupted again. The blast send a plume of ashes, pumice, rocks, and scorching hot volcanic gases so high into the sky that people could see it for hundreds of miles around. As it cooled, the tower of debris drifted to earth : first the fine-grained ash, then the lightweight chunks of pumice and other rocks. As for ash fell, it clogged the air, making it difficult to breath and buildings started to collapse. Then a pyroclastic surge poured down the side of the mountain and swallowed everyone and everything in its path. By the time the Vesuvius eruption sputtered to an end the next day, Pompeii was buried under millions of tons of volcanic

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

Due to the large amount of thermopolia in ancient Pompeii and the fact that only “rich” houses had private kitchens, we know that thermopolia were popular among poorer citizens who were unable to afford private kitchens. The

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.