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Pompeii

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History,
Classical History and Mythology

   A computer-generated depiction of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79
   which buried Pompeii, from the BBC's Pompeii: The Last Day.
   Enlarge
   A computer-generated depiction of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79
   which buried Pompeii, from the BBC's Pompeii: The Last Day.

   Pompeii is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region
   of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. It was
   destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius
   in AD 79 on August 24th. The volcano buried the city under many feet of
   ash and it was lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery.
   Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed
   insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.
   Today, it is one of Italy's leading tourist attractions and is a UNESCO
   World Heritage Site.

Location

   Pompeii and Roman Campania
   Enlarge
   Pompeii and Roman Campania

   The ruins of Pompeii are situated at coordinates 40°45′00″N,
   14°29′10″E, near the modern suburban town of Pompei. It stands on a
   spur formed by a lava flow to the north of the mouth of the Sarno River
   (known in ancient times as the Sarnus). Today it is some distance
   inland, but in ancient times it would have been nearer to the coast.

History

Early history

   Although most of the archeological digs at the site only extend down to
   the street level of the 79 AD volcanic event, deeper digs in older
   parts of Pompeii and core samples of nearby drillings have exposed
   layers of jumbled sediment that suggest that the city had suffered from
   the volcano and other seismic events before then. Three sheets of
   sediment have been found on top of the lava bedrock that lies below the
   city and, mixed in with the sediment, archeologists have found bits of
   mal bone, pottery shards and bits of plants. Using carbon dating, the
   oldest layer has been placed as 8th-6th century BC, about the time that
   the city was founded. The other two layers are separated from the other
   layers by well developed soil layers or Roman pavement and were laid
   down in the 4th century BC and 2nd century BC. The theory behind the
   layers of jumbled sediment is large landslides, perhaps triggered by
   extended rainfall. (Senatore, et al., 2004)

   The town was founded around the 6th century BC by the Osci or Oscans, a
   people of central Italy. It had already been used as a safe port by
   Greek and Phoenician sailors. When the Etruscans threatened an attack,
   Pompeii allied with the Greeks, who then dominated the Gulf of Naples.
   In the 5th century BC, the Samnites conquered it (and all the other
   towns of Campania); the new rulers imposed their architecture and
   enlarged the town. It has been supposed that during the Samnites'
   domination, Rome conquered Pompeii for a while, but these theories have
   not been verified.

   Pompeii took part in the war that the towns of Campania initiated
   against Rome, but in 89 BC it was besieged by Sulla. Although the
   troops of the Social League, headed by Lucius Cluentius, helped in
   resisting the Romans, in 80 BC Pompeii was forced to surrender after
   the conquest of Nola. It became a Roman colony with the name of Colonia
   Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum. The town became an important passage for
   goods that arrived by sea and had to be sent toward Rome or Southern
   Italy along the nearby Appian Way.

1st century AD

   The Forum seen from inside the basilica.
   Enlarge
   The Forum seen from inside the basilica.
   A quiet street in Pompeii.
   Enlarge
   A quiet street in Pompeii.
   Fresco on the wall of a Pompeii house.
   Enlarge
   Fresco on the wall of a Pompeii house.
   Teatro Grande with a large audience capacity, next to Teatro Piccolo.
   Enlarge
   Teatro Grande with a large audience capacity, next to Teatro Piccolo.
   Pompeii palestra (exercize court) as seen from the top of the stadium
   wall.
   Enlarge
   Pompeii palestra (exercize court) as seen from the top of the stadium
   wall.

   The excavated town offers a snapshot of Roman life in the 1st century,
   frozen at the moment it was buried in August 24 AD 79. The Forum, the
   baths, many houses, and some out-of-town villas like the Villa of the
   Mysteries remain surprisingly well preserved.

   Pompeii was a lively place, and evidence abounds of literally the
   smallest details of everyday life. For example, on the floor of one of
   the houses (Sirico's), a famous inscription Salve, lucru (Welcome,
   money), perhaps humorously intended, shows us a trading company owned
   by two partners, Sirico and Nummianus (but this could be a nickname,
   since nummus means coin, money). In other houses, details abound
   concerning professions and categories, such as for the "laundry"
   workers (Fullones). Wine jars have been found bearing what is
   apparently the world's earliest known marketing pun, Vesuvinum
   (combining Vesuvius and the Latin for wine, vinum). Graffiti carved on
   the walls shows us real street Latin. In 89 B.C., after the final
   occupation of the city by Roman General Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeii
   was finally annexed to the Roman Republic. Under this period, Pompeii
   underwent a vast process of infrastructural development, most of which,
   built during the augustan period. Worth noting are an amphitheatre, a
   Palaestra with a central cella natatoriua or swimming pool, and an
   aqueduct which covered more than 25 street fountains, more than 4
   public baths, and a large number of private houses ( domus) and
   businesses. The aqueduct branched out through 3 main pipes from the
   Castelum Aquae, where the waters were collected before being
   distributed to the city, although it did much more than distribute the
   waters, it did so with the prerequisite that in the case of gradually
   extreme drought, the water supply would first fail to reach the Public
   Baths (least vital service), then private houses and businesses, and
   when there would be no water flow at all, the system would then at last
   fail to supply the public fountains (most vital service) in the streets
   of Pompeii.

   The large number of well-preserved frescoes throw a great light on
   everyday life and have been a major advance in art history of the
   ancient world, with the innovation of Pompeian Styles the
   First/Second/Third Style demarcation. Some aspects of the culture were
   distinctly erotic, including phallic worship. A large collection of
   erotic votive objects and frescoes were found at Pompeii. Many were
   removed and kept until recently in a secret collection at the
   University of Naples.

   At the time of the eruption, the town could have had some 20,000
   inhabitants, and was located in an area in which Romans had their
   vacation villas. Prof. William Abbott explains "At the time of the
   eruption, Pompeii had reached its high point in society as many Romans
   frequently visited Pompeii on vacations". It is the only ancient town
   of which the whole topographic structure is known precisely as it was,
   with no later modifications or additions. It was not distributed on a
   regular plan as we are used to seeing in Roman towns, due to the
   difficult terrain. But its streets are straight and laid out in a grid,
   in the purest Roman tradition; they are laid with polygonal stones, and
   have houses and shops on both sides of the street. It followed its
   decumanus and its cardus, centred on the forum.

   Besides the forum, many other services were found: the Macellum (great
   food market), the Pistrinum (mill), the Thermopolium (sort of bar that
   served cold and hot beverages), and cauporioe (small restaurants). An
   amphitheatre and 2 theatres have been found, along with a palaestra or
   gymnasium. A hotel (of 1,000 square metres) was found a short distance
   from the town; it is now nicknamed the "Grand Hotel Murecine".

   In 2002 another important discovery at the mouth of Sarno river
   revealed that the port also was populated and that people lived in
   palafittes, within a system of channels that suggested a likeness to
   Venice to some scientists. These studies are just beginning to produce
   results.

62-79

   The inhabitants of Pompeii, as those of the area today, had long been
   used to minor tremors (indeed, the writer Pliny the Younger wrote that
   earth tremors "were not particularly alarming because they are frequent
   in Campania"), but on 5 February 62 there was a severe earthquake which
   did considerable damage around the bay and particularly to Pompeii. In
   the time between 62 and the eruption in 79 AD, some rebuilding was
   done, but some of the damage had still not been repaired at the time of
   the eruption .

   An important current field of research concerns structures that were
   being restored at the time of the eruption (presumably damaged during
   the earthquake of 62). Some of the older, damaged, paintings could have
   been covered with newer ones, and modern instruments are being used to
   catch a glimpse of the long hidden frescoes. The probable reason why
   these structures were still being repaired 10 years after the
   earthquake was the increasing frequency of smaller quakes that led up
   to the eruption.

Vesuvius eruption

   By the 1st century AD, Pompeii was only one of a number of towns
   located around the base of Mount Vesuvius. The area had a substantial
   population which grew prosperous from the region's renowned
   agricultural fertility. Many of Pompeii's neighboring communities, most
   famously Herculaneum, also suffered damage or destruction during the 79
   AD eruption. The people of Pompeii were covered in up to 12 different
   layers of soil.

Rediscovery

   Some plaster casts of victims of the eruption still in actual Pompeii,
   many are in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.(Casts can also be
   found, amongst other places,near the forum, inside the baths and at The
   villa of the mysteries)
   Enlarge
   Some plaster casts of victims of the eruption still in actual Pompeii,
   many are in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.(Casts can also be
   found, amongst other places,near the forum, inside the baths and at The
   villa of the mysteries)

   After thick layers of ash covered the two towns, they were abandoned
   and eventually their names and locations were forgotten. Then
   Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1738, and Pompeii in 1748. These towns
   have since been excavated to reveal many intact buildings and wall
   paintings. The towns were actually found in 1599 by an architect named
   Fontana, who was digging a new course for the river Sarno, but it took
   more than 150 years before a serious campaign was started to unearth
   them. The king Charles VII of Two Sicilies took great interest in
   findings even after becoming king of Spain.

   Guiseppe Fiorelli took charge of the excavations in 1860. During early
   excavations of the site, occasional voids in the ash layer had been
   found that contained human remains. It was Fiorelli who realised these
   were spaces left by the decomposed bodies and so devised the technique
   of injecting plaster into them to perfectly recreate the forms of
   Vesuvius's victims. What resulted were highly accurate and eerie forms
   of the doomed Pompeiani who failed to escape, in their last moment of
   life, with the expression of terror often quite clearly visible (see ,
   , )

   Some have theorized, without proof, that Fontana initially found some
   of the famous erotic frescoes and, due to the strict modesty prevalent
   during his time, reburied them in an attempt at archaeological
   censorship. This view is bolstered by reports of later excavators who
   felt that sites they were working on had already been visited and
   reburied. A detailed discussion of the erotic art of Pompeii, with
   pictures, can be found in a separate article.

Pompeii Today

   In modern times Pompeii has become a popular tourist destination; with
   approximately 2.5 million visitors a year, it is the most popular
   tourist attraction in Italy. It is now part of a larger Vesuvius
   National Park, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
   1997. To combat problems associated with tourism, the governing body
   for Pompeii, the Soprintendenza Archaeological di Pompei have begun
   issuing new tickets that allow for tourists to also visit cities such
   as Herculaneum and Stabiae as well as the Villa Poppaea, to encourage
   visitors to see these sites and reduce the pressures on Pompeii.

   Pompeii is also a driving force behind the economy of the nearby town
   of Pompei. Many residents are employed in the tourism and hospitality
   business, serving as taxi or bus drivers, waiters or hotel operators.
   The ruins are only accessible to tourists through the train line to the
   modern town, or else a private train line that runs directly to the
   ancient site from Naples.

   Excavations in the site have generally ceased due to the moratorium
   imposed by the superintendent of the site, Professor Pietro Giovanni
   Guzzo. Additionally, the site is generally less accessible to tourists,
   with less than a third of all buildings open in the 1960s being
   available for public viewing today. Nevertheless, the sections of the
   ancient city open to the public are extensive, and tourists can spend
   many days exploring the whole site.

Issues of Conservation

   When Pompeii was buried under the ash and rubble of Mt. Vesuvius, the
   objects buried beneath it were remarkably well-preserved for thousands
   of years. The lack of air and moisture allowed for the objects to
   remain underground with little to no deterioration, which meant that,
   once excavated, the site had a wealth of sources and evidence for
   analysis, giving remarkable detail into the lives of the Pompeiians.
   Unfortunately, once exposed, Pompeii has been subject to both natural
   and man-made forces which have rapidly increased their rate of
   deterioration.

   Weathering, erosion, light exposure, water damage, poor methods of
   excavation and reconstruction, introduced plants and animals, tourism,
   vandalism and theft have all damaged the site in some way. Today,
   funding is mostly directed into conservation of the site; however, due
   to the expanse of Pompeii and the scale of the problems, this is
   inadequate in halting the slow decay of the materials. An estimated
   US$335 million is needed for all necessary work on Pompeii.

Pompeii in popular culture

   Karl Brullov, The Last Day of Pompeii (1830-33).
   Enlarge
   Karl Brullov, The Last Day of Pompeii (1830-33).

Books

   Pompeii served as the background for the historic novels The Last Days
   of Pompeii (since adapted for film and TV) and Pompeii, as well as
   appearing in Shadows in Bronze and other novels in the Marcus Didius
   Falco series.

   Book I of the Cambridge Latin Course teaches Latin while telling the
   story of a Pompeii resident, Lucius Caecilius Iucundus, from the reign
   of Nero to that of Vespasian. The book ends when Mount Vesuvius erupts,
   and Caecilius is killed. The books have a cult following and students
   have been known to go to Pompeii just to track down Caecilius's house.

   In Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" on page 278 it quotes "He
   passes the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, where the remnants of Pompeii
   and Herculaneum are housed. He has seen the ancient dog frozen in white
   ash."

TV

Fiction

   It was the setting for the British comedy television series Up Pompeii,
   and the film of the series.

Documentaries

   More recently;
     * an hour-long drama produced for the BBC entitled Pompeii: The Last
       Day portrayed several characters (with historically attested names,
       but fictional life-stories) living in Pompeii, Herculaneum and
       around the Bay of Naples, and their last hours, including a fuller
       and his wife, two gladiators, and Pliny the Elder. It also portrays
       the facts of the eruption. However, it is heavily influenced by
       Edward Bulwer-Lytton's book The Last Days of Pompeii (see above),
       which — while being responsible for the popularising of Pompeii in
       Western culture — has been dismissed for its lack of historical
       credibility.
     * Pompeii Live, Channel 5, 28th June 2006, 8pm, live archaeological
       dig

Music

   In October of 1971, the band Pink Floyd performed at the vacant
   2,000-year-old amphitheater in Pompeii, to an audience composed of film
   crew including camera operators. This performance, including some
   exterior shots of the ruins, was released as part of a movie entitled "
   Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii."

   Last Days of Pompeii is the 1991 rock opera by alternative rock band
   Nova Mob.

   Pompeii am Götterdämmerung is the name of a song by the band The
   Flaming Lips on their album " At War With the Mystics". The song
   narrates the tale of a couple who, in reaction to their families'
   rejection of their love, commit suicide together by simultaneously
   jumping into a volcano.

   "Pompeii" is the title of a song written by Seattle-based progressive
   rock band Gatsbys American Dream. It is the second track of their 2005
   release, "Volcano" - based loosely around the story of Pompeii.

   A musical track of the same name is also produced by E.S. Posthumus and
   has been used in films like Planet of The Apes and many others, under
   the Unearthed album. This music is said to be the favorite among the
   listeners who have the mentioned album due to the dramatic and imposing
   tempo.

   The city of Pompeii is mentioned in the band, The Mars Volta's song,
   Cicatriz Esp.

Other

   The theme park Busch Gardens Europe features an attraction entitled "
   Escape from Pompeii," which carries riders through the city as flaming
   ruins topple around them, ending in a fifty-foot plunge.

   Rexford (Rex) Phillips, a.k.a. “Rexino Mondo,” wrote, sang, narrated
   and produced a 210-minute “audio book” entitled Messenger From Pei. It
   tells of his tour of duty in the U.S. Army’s 10th Special Service
   Company in Korea, where he encountered, befriended and eventually
   discovered strong bonds with actress Debbie Reynolds. Unexplainable
   cross-currents take them on a journey into a past lifetime, and in
   particular their escape from “decadent Pei,” just prior to that city’s
   complete destruction, the same as the final days of its corrupted
   daughter-to-be “Pompeii.” The work was produced in 1992, and had
   limited circulation.

   Siouxsie and The Banshees single 'Cities in Dust'(1985) was also
   inpired by the destruction of Pompeii.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii"
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