The Destruction Of Pompeii

“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.”

Good morning Ms Lewis and class, today I’ll be speaking to you about Pompeii. Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in the southern Italy’s Campanian region which was home to about 20,000 people. It was both a busy port and an important centre for business. Once a striving and sophisticated Roman city, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed the city, killing its inhabitants and burying it under tons of ash.

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.

Archeologists all over the world work towards not only discovering the tracks left behind by societies millions of years ago, but also make an effort to save those footprints for future generations. However, conservation and preservation of archaeological sites can prove to be as arduous as discovering them, or may be more. As a historical site is discovered, it becomes the responsibility of the government and everybody who has to play a role, to secure that site and to not let it deteriorate. Doing so is now also made part of law in many countries and it comes as no surprise when preservation of historical sites is the prime goal of numerous international organizations. Pompeii is one of the most popular historical sites that have been a point of concern for not only Italy’s government but also UN itself. In this paper we try develop an insight of barriers that restrict the development of restoration. Pompeii is an ancient Roman town near the modern Naples, which was first discovered in the 18th century, after it had been destroyed by a volcanic eruption, courtesy of the close standing Mount Vesuvius during the first century. This area and the closer one of Herculaneum was covered in about 20 feet of ash when it was discovered but much of the objects had been able to survive, specifically the ones below the city, as there had been no exposure to air or moisture. This destination is of great importance for the present world as it provides a quality insight into the ‘Pax

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.

Jaye Pont is an Australian potter by trade and achieved a PhD in ancient history (Catchpole, 2004). In 1998, in 2001 Pont joined the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii where she was able to make significant discoveries about their everyday life that enhances our knowledge and understanding of everyday life in Pompeii. Jaye Pont is well known in her field for the contributions she has made regarding Pompeii’s trading behaviours through the medium of pottery and has challenge preconceived beliefs and have allowed for new understandings of life in Pompeii. Pont disproved previous theories concerning overseas ceramic trading and, as a result there was need to revaluate Pompeii’s role in trade and commerce during the time before 79AD (Zarmati, 2005). Pont’s findings were significant to understanding life in Pompeii and her conclusions have been recognised in numerous scholarly articles, therefore publicising her findings and enhancing the public’s knowledge of Pompeii. Jaye Pont was at the forefront of archaeological investigation at Pompeii and has contributed significantly to our understanding of this ancient city today.

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.

One of those ways is their regular daily objects. “Tiny boxes filled with dark, shiny powder tell us that the women liked to wear eye makeup” (The Buried City, 38). Jewelry, especially pearls at the time, was worn as well. Pompeii was full of graffiti. Etched-in phrases or words cover the city. Small grilling

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

Living in today’s society it is extremely hard to imagine growing up in a house that is occupied by eight other families. However, this was the case for all children living in seventeenth century Huronia. Due to the fact that the seventeenth century was so far in the past, that it is difficult to fathom what life must have been like growing up in these circumstances, as the inhabitants of this time are not around anymore. With the help of archaeology we are able to distinguish many aspects of seventeenth century Huron life. Using applied archaeology, replicas of the longhouses can be made to represent the true size of these buildings. There are evident soil burns, which show hearths within a long house, implying the amount of families that occupied the building. Although this archaeology paints a general picture of their civilization, to get a truer representation of seventeenth century life, analysis of actual Jesuit missionary accounts should be conducted.

Pompeii “In the darkness you could hear the crying of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men. Some prayed for help. Others wished for death. But still more imagined that there were no Gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness.” written by Pliny Younger in 79 A.D. shows an extraordinary view of people during the tragic destruction of a beautiful city known as Pompeii home to over 20,000 people was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius over 2,000 years ago.

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.