The Ancient Greek Vacation In Pompeii

On August 24th in 79 AD at approximately 1300 a cloud appeared over the Roman city of Pompeii. This was all the warning the residents had before the nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius, erupted. Huge quantities of scalding hot ash, pumice and lava pebbles were thrown into the sky. This then cascaded down across an extensive area. Pompeii was buried under 14 to 17 feet of ash and pumice, and the nearby seacoast was drastically changed. Herculaneum was buried under more than 60 feet of mud and volcanic material. Some residents of Pompeii later returned to dig out their destroyed homes and salvage their valuables, but many treasures were left and then forgotten. The remains of 2,000 men, women, and children were found at Pompeii. After perishing

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

For each I've chosen one main source, and gathered a variety of other sources to help explain and reinforce it further. I find that one source (particularly buildings alone) are not enough to base all of the information on, and you gain a more comprehensive understanding by combining them.

In the geological world, Mount Vesuvius’ eruption, and consequently the destruction of Pompeii, is one of the most discussed and debated of history. Pompeii was a large Roman town, which was located on the island of Campania. Pompeii is no longer the same as it used to be. Pompeii was a normal town until 79 CE. On this day Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered the town in ash. Some people believed the universe was being resolved into fire. The ash filled in the air, seas, and land. Ash fell into ships, the closer the ship’s went, the darker and denser.

The sky turned dark as a huge, black cloud rose into the air. Stones, hot ash, and poisonous gases fell down onto the city of Pompeii as the seemingly quiet Mt. Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 A.D. Soon the entire city and all of it’s people were buried under 20 feet of ash. Even though this ancient city lived over 2,000 years ago, their daily life has similarities to ours today. Daily life in Pompeii is similar to us in various ways.

On that day Mount Vesuvius exploded covering a town of twenty thousand citizens in thirty feet of volcanic ash. Citizens did not expect the eruption because seismic was common. Mount Vesuvius is a Stratovolcano. Stratovolcanoes get taller overtime because of layers of dried lava. The immense heat mixed with gasses cause a lot of pressure which leads to the top blowing off letting out a burst of lava. Most of the people in Pompeii didn't die from the lava or ash, they died from heat. It was extremely hot because of the explosion so it burned people's lungs. After they were dead the hot ash covered the city preserving the city and its population for hundreds of years. (http://www.livescience.com, Mary Bagley, 27 March,

Have you ever wondered what pompeii is like or was like? Well if you have this is the essay for you. With amazing facts like, Pompeii looks the same as it did in 79 A.D.! Archeologist have even figured out what people's daily lives were like. They even know what the people of Pompeii were interested in, and how the city was reserved like a time capsule.

Located in southern Italy, the city of Pompeii suffered from one of the most devastating disasters of all time. On August 24, 79 AD, a volcano, known as Mt. Vesuvius, erupted and struck the entire city of Pompeii. As a result, many citizens of Pompeii suffocated to death from the ash and the entire city was left dry and still. The volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the aftermath it left on the city of Pompeii left a positive influence on my academic upbringing.

The common roman people were placed on the lower level apartments called Insulae, and the rich Roman people of Pompeii was placed in large and luxurious complexes called Domus. Many other rich Romans lived in villas. The rich families lived in a single story home that was built around central hall known as the atrium. The atriums were open up to the weather to let the rainwater which the Roman citizen used the water to bathe in and also to drink and cooked with. The atrium was an opening to the courtyard as the peristylum this area included a garden and the garden purpose was for meetings the rooms was decorated nicely. The main rooms were decorated with color plastered on the walls the floor was also decorated and the decoration showed your wealth.

Mount Vesuvius near Pompeii, Italy, begins to erupt on this day in the year August 24, 79 ad; within the next 25 hours, it wipes out the entire town. Hundreds of years later, archaeologists excavated Pompeii and found everything and everyone that had been there that day perfectly preserved by the volcano’s ash. The volcano is classed as a complex stratovolcano because its eruptions typically involve explosive eruptions as well as pyroclastic flows. There was even a detailed account of the disaster by Pliny the younger who wrote a letter to his friend Tacitus. He said, “Elsewhere there was daylight at this time, but they were still in darkness, blacker and denser than any ordinary night, which they relieved by lighting torches and various kinds

The location and stunning view of the bay attracted people to the city. As a result, by 79 A.D., Pompeii was 160 acres and had a population of around 20,000 people. In the afternoon of August 24, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, sending up a plume of pumice and ash twelve miles high that could be seen from across the bay (“Pompeii”, n.p.). Earlier in the month there were several earthquakes that could have served as a warning, however “because seismic activity was so common in the area, citizens paid little attention in early August of 79 when several quakes shook the earth beneath Herculaneum and Pompeii” (Bagley, n.p.). In the article, Mount Vesuvius & Pompeii: Facts & History, Bagley describes a timeline for what happened that

An ancient city lost after being buried under ashes, Pompeii had been found after being lost for thousands of years since the tragedy of Pompeii in A.D. 79. Now, a huge tourist attraction, people come from all over the world to see this mysterious city. “Since its discovery in 1748, people have been digging up Pompeii for over 250 years. You might think there was little more to learn, but as Paul Roberts, curator of the British Museum exhibition says, if there’s one thing that recent research at Pompeii and Herculaneum has made clear, it is that “It’s not so clear”. We are far from really understanding what made Pompeii tick.” (Lloyd) Even though Vesuvius hasn't erupted for a while, it’s due for another explosion at any time. “Mount Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944, but it is still one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Experts believe that another Plinian eruption is due any day--an almost unfathomable catastrophe since almost 3 million people live within 20 miles of the volcano’s crater.” (History.com

One day 2,000 years ago, a town of 22,000 people was burnt alive, covered with ash, and suffocated to death. Pompeii, Italy was once a culture of beauty and prestige. Although we haven’t experienced that violent death, we have more in common with Pompeians than you think. Both times have alike gadgets, ideas of fast food, and many people have multiple roles.

Have you ever been chased by lava? Most people have not. Of course they aren’t the people of Pompeii. The song “Pompeii,” by Bastille, gives them an idea of the almost unbelievable story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. Anyone can imagine the panic on August 24, 79 AD as Dan Smith shows it in the official music video to “Pompeii” by Bastille.

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.