A History Lesson in Pompeii, Italy

November 3, 2013

Overlook of Pompeii Ruins 

One of the most extraordinary elements of travel is the ability to visually venture back in time when visiting historic locations. In most places this requires a special level of imagination because time and weather have eroded historical architecture and changed iconic landscapes; leaving our mind to fill in the missing parts. Although occasionally archaeologists stumble upon a site that was preserved under the most unprecedented conditions; the ruins of Pompeii, Italy illustrate the perfect example of this.

On August 24, 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted killing around 3,000 of the 20,000 inhabitants of the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, is located only 5 miles away from the volcano, and other cities nearby were completely buried in 6-7 meters of ash and soot after the eruption. Pompeii is the most famous because it was the first discovered; although other locations like Herculaneum were preserved better. Excavation of the site began in 1748 but it was not identified as Pompeii at that time. Progress moved slowly until 1924-1961 when the majority of the walkable city was unearthed. Since the 60's excavation has slowed due to limited resources and inability maintain upkeep of the areas already on display to tourists.

Bath House at Pompeii

Inside the womans bath 

Empty spaces inside the solidified volcanic debris revealed the forms of numerous deceased Romans. Suffocated by volcanic gasses and buried in ash and soot, their bodies eventually rotted inside the solidifying matter.  This air space basically shaped a mold, since the ash that had encompassed the individual held an imprint of the body. Excavators understood this and filled the air pockets with plaster. The resulting "plaster mummies" piercingly catch the human catastrophe of Pompeii.

Out of the 66 hectares that make up the ruins of Pompeii, today only 12 hectares are used as an open air museum for tourists. A complete tour of Pompeii would take about two full days. The lack of exposure to weather allows visitors to experience intimate details of Roman life including: art, home decor, architecture, city planning, the justice system, class distinction, and the quality of life.

Tile Mosaic Floor

Middle Class Home

 Court of Law at Pompeii 

Waste and sewage flowed down the streets of Pompeii; therefore the roads are made of flat stones, the sidewalks are elevated for pedestrians, and larger stones were placed at crosswalks to prevent people from walking in the river of filth.

Home of a High Class family 

Considering the age of this site I was surprised to see how similar Roman life in 79 AD is to life today in many ways. For example Pompeii had restaurants and bakeries, the wealthy lived in lavish homes with elaborate fountains and gardens, prostitution occurred in brothels, and criminals were charged and convicted in a court of law. I was astonished by the remains representing comfort and order in Pompeii.