The Urban Setting Of 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

Pompeii attracted many people before Mount Vesuvius “froze” the city in time for over a thousand years. In the eighth century BC, Pompeii was for wealthy vacationers who came for the sun and scenery. By the first century AD, Pompeii was for Rome’s most dignified and noble citizens. Pompeii had luxurious houses and paved roads. Daily life included relaxing in the thermal bathhouses which were good for the body and were great social atmospheres. In addition, people spent their days going to the amphitheater to watch gladiator shows and going to the market and town squares. Citizens who lived in Pompeii owned and worked in factories, artisan shops, taverns, cafés and more.

Most of the Italian municipalities in their time had a Forum, a square in their town where the political, commercial, and social lives are all intertwined. Not only did it act as a social meeting place for the residents, but it also functioned as the primary religious and economic sector of the city. In Pompeii the Forum was a large area measuring at around 157 by 38 metres, not including all the surrounding buildings (Unfortunately in Herculaneum, the forum is still uncovered). The Forum was lined with the most important buildings in the city. (See figure 1) In Pompeii particularly, the forum held the Municipal offices (A), Basilica (B), Temple of Apollo (C), Forum Olitorium (vegetable market) (C), Latrines (public toilets) (D), Temple of Jupiter (E), Macellum (marketplace) (F), Temple of the Lares (G), Temple of Vespasian (I), Building of Eumanchia (J), and a Comitium (voting house) (K). On the western side of the forum, there is a pedestal, built for outspoken orators. This served as a location where people could express their views on current situations, usually political.

Historians consider the Forum to be the ‘centre of Pompeian life’ therefore it is an important aspect to study as numerous buildings and many events occurred there. From the latest evidence, it is believed that the Pompeian Forum was undergoing a ‘comprehensive, vigorous and ambitious post-earthquake restoration.’ (Bradley. 2005, p.87). The Forum at Herculaneum, however, is still buried under the town of Resina and therefore there is not enough physical evidence to provide a great depth of information. Studies were concentrated on the Forum at Pompeii.

Pompeii was a Roman city that was established in the 8th century B.C. It was located 5 miles from Mount Vesuvius. Many of the citizens were wealthy and had beautiful houses and fancy villas. There was an estimated 20,000 people living there full of slaves, merchants and wealthy families. Nero was to even have a house there in Pompeii. Pompeii was also a trade central transporting goods such as salt, olives, spices and many other goods from other places such as Aceria, and Nola. Earthquakes occurred

The Temple of Jupiter was built in approximately 150BC, within the Pompeii forum, while Pompeii was inhabited mainly by Oscan’s under the rule/doctrine of the Roman Empire. The Pompeii forum was the economic, religious and political centre of Pompeii and the position of the Temple of Jupiter within this Forum was significant. The Temple stood on

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.

How would you have lived in pompeii? Many people died startled to death holding their children. The horrifying disaster ruined so many lives. Pompeii had several similarities to our life today.

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.

To conclude, we wouldn’t have been able to know this information if Pompeii wasn’t well preserved. Daily life in Pompeii is similar to our lives because of households items, jobs and duties, and advanced technology. In 79 A.D. at Pompeii Mount Vesuvius erupted, spreading layers of ash all over. This caused the whole city to go extinct because poisonous gas from the volcano’s ash spread everywhere, freezing everything in

Advisory Body Evaluation. “Archeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata.” United Nations Educational Scientific an.d Cultural Organization Amery, Colin, and Brian Curran. The Lost World Of Pompeii. n.p.:

Nobody has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years and now you know why. Pompeii was a great city with bad luck. Would you have wanted to live in

Many architectural and urban forms and elements that we witness today are largely influenced by how buildings were design and laid in Rome. Not only in terms of its external design that brought upon important messages but the design of interiors and the significance of spatial arrangement of spaces exist within them has created the sense of physical experience in the buildings as well. Rome’s urban development and the rise of architectural movement began during the time of Augustus

The developments in planning and design of urban cities inform the argument surrounding the unsuitability of grids to carfree cities, whose medieval patterns provided efficient radial routes for centrally located goods, services, and transport. The emergence of city planning as a profession borrows significantly from the long and complex history of planning, whereby all cities display variations in forethought and conscious designs that define their layout and functioning. The paper uses Rome as a case study to analyse and critique the concepts and principles in the history of urban planning and design, and their

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.