Essay about The History and Destruction of Vesuvius and Pompeii

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

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.

Amendo Maiuri grand vision was to reconstruct the entire site to its original appearance. He excavated right around the walls of Pompeii, uncovering the cemetery as well as significant buildings eg. insulaes along the via dell’ Abbondanza, the amphitheatre and the palaestra. Maiuri used mechanical equipment to clear away debris from earlier excavations and to assist in areas that previously had been considered too hard to excavate. As part of conservation, Maiuri restored the walls and ceilings and erected roofs for protection. However, he was criticized for excavations that were done too quickly with little documentation. Some excavated buildings were unprotected and wall paintings faded without ever being recorded. However, Maiuri’s great enthusiasm for the site and the important buildings he uncovered, attracted many tourists and made Pompeii well known internationally.

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 first century AD, the baths were a place of leisure time during many Romans daily routine.  People from almost every class, men and women ( but not children) could attend the public baths or thermaes3, which could be compared to modern day fitness clubs. Public baths were not only for cleaning purposes only, but in many ways, the baths were the ancient Roman equivalent of community centres. The baths were only part of what the thermae (large bath complex)

2005, p.152) and held sacrificial equipment and Pompeii’s public treasures. The temple was severely damaged in the 62AD earthquake. It was described in Pompeii: The Vanished City (1992, p60) as being ‘turned into a workshop, with uncut blocks of basalt and stonecutting tools, and other building supplies stored there.’ However in the last decade, as noted in Pamela Bradley’s book, it had been repaired and in working order when the eruption occurred.

L​ast night, the city of Pompeii was ruined after an active volcano, ​Mount Vesuvius, blow up slaying two ​thousand human beings. ​

The destruction of Pompeii came about when Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24 AD 79. This eruption was not your stereotypical eruption. The mountain exploded in a long smoldering burst of pumice ash and rock. The eruption covered Pompeii and the neighboring city of Herculaneum in over thirteen feet of pumice and ash, burning and destroying almost all of the city 's. The eruption was said to last over twenty four hours. Turning day to night with clouds of dust and ash. ¨100-miles-per-hour surge of superheated poison gas and pulverized rock–poured down the side of the mountain and swallowed everything and everyone in its path. (¨History.com Staff. “Pompeii.” History.com.) Around 16,000 people died in the eruption. (“Mount Vesuvius - Italy.” ) When Mount Vesuvius erupted many people were unprepared, just standing and watching the volcano until the eruption was on top of them. Many people thought it was just a tremor or earthquake before the mountain exploded and it was too late. Many people did try and escape. Escaping by boat was impossible, the only real way to escape was to go south away from the volcano. There was mass panic in the heart of the city and most people didn 't get out in time. ¨Though my shocked

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.

“ I heard an ear piercing kaboom!” In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted causing chaos among the busy city of Pompeii. Layers upon layers of volcanic ash fell on Pompeii, freezing it in time. Because it was well preserved, some information was able to be found. The daily life in Pompeii is similar to our lives because of household items, jobs and duties, and advanced technology.

He divided Pompeii into nine regions. The blocks in each region were numbered and each house on the street had its own number given to it, so that each house could easily located. Fiorelli developed the technique of using cement to make casts of bodies. He would pour cement into the hollows formed in the volcanic ash where bodies had disintegrated. The excavation continued after the interruption of World War II under the control of Amedeo Maiuri. Under Mairui control large amounts of intense activity saw the discovery of prestigious buildings. For example, the Villa of the Mysteries, the complete recognition of the ancient town's perimeter, the excavation of most of Regio I and II and the necropolis of Porta Nocera, this work allowed us to get a good look into Pompeii's past. The excavation has continued after Maiuri finished his work in 1961. Today, the evacuation of Pompeii is still an ongoing process that began almost three centuries ago. The rediscovery of Pompeii has allowed archeologists learn an incredible amount of information about ancient Roman

Pompeii a glorious city during the Roman Empire, which was turned into ashes within hours. The United States of America one of the world greatest superpower, an untouchable superpower, but like Pompeii could a natural disaster also lead to its destruction? Robert Harris realized that “Rome might be a way to write about America”. In his novel Pompeii Harris incorporated an allegorical interpretation, relating to contemporary America. “Romans believe they were the last world and that nothing would ever come along that would be better.”

There were a few gods in Pompeii and Herculaneum, each god were a head of houses; many houses had small shrines (lararia) with other painted pictures of them or statues. Many gods worshipped e.g. Genius; god of male line of descent and he worshipped on birthday of paterfamilias. Even Pompeian’s worshipped but they worshipped many gods such as Jupiter (the Greek Zeus), Juno (Hera), Minerva (Athena) and Apollo. In Pompeii many, many temples were dated e.g. temple of Venus was built on high found in southwest and was dated 80 BC. Tombs were highly rated, located outside the walls of Pompeii, there were around eight necropolises. 1st century AD many people were cremated, many individuals were given an opportunity to build their own tomb. In Pompeii individuals were hardly allowed to keep/own a tomb. The Laraia was the shrine to the gods of the household and was located in Pompeii. Pompeii and Herculaneum have many different beliefs. In a household shrine objects like the following are found; Lares- protectors of the house, Penates- protectors of the stores, Genius- guardian spirits of the family, Bacchus- (the god of wine), Mercury- (

Mount Vesuvius is one of history’s most recognizable Volcanoes, as each of its eruptions have gone down as a significant event in geologic history. The events that transpired during and after these eruptions have shaped the way scientists and people view the sheer power that these volcanoes possessed. This report will take a look at Vesuvius’ most prolific eruption in 79 AD. The geologic setting of the mountain, precursor activity, and the impact the eruption had on the surrounding populations and towns will all be detailed. Along with these details, this report will also look at the further history of Vesuvius’s explosive past by detailing its eruption cycle. Finally, the current state of Vesuvius and the possible danger

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.