Italy. Life and Death in Roman Pompeii
In 79 AD Pompeii was a medium-sized Roman city located on modern-day Italy’s Bay of Naples. August 24 began as a normal late summer day. Bakers tended ovens and people were busy working, shopping, and socializing. There had been earthquake tremors but nothing serious enough to generate a sense of alarm. At about noon nearby Mount Vesuvius began ejecting volcanic debris into the air, much of it showering downwards onto the city. Soon after, people began fleeing to escape falling pumice. The deluge of falling rock continued for eighteen hours covering sections of the city to a depth of three meters which caused the roofs of some buildings to collapse. While the majority of city residents were able to escape, the situation soon became more perilous. During the night or early the next day, clouds of superheated gas and ash from the volcano knocked down buildings while temperatures exceeding 250°C brought instant death to persons remaining in the city. Some victims were covered with layers of ash where they died. Today, the ruins of Pompeii offer a snapshot of life and death within an ancient Roman city.
The first settlement located on the site was as a Hellenistic city established by the Greeks around 740 BC. During the 6th century BC, the city was surrounded by a tufa wall and served as a crossroads to other cities. After 340 BC, the city fell under the Romans and by 79 AD Pompeii had become a city of 20,000 that featured stately neighborhoods and public buildings that included an amphitheater and Odean (entertainment center).
Traveling from Rome by bus, my first objective was to see Mount Vesuvius, located on the Plain of Campania and 8.5 kilometers northwest of Pompeii. Vesuvius has experienced multiple eruptions within recorded history including nine between 203 and 1007 AD. Several others took place in the 1600s through the mid-1900s including one in 1631 that destroyed nearby villages and killed 3,000. Looking upward from the parking lot we could see the edge of the volcano’s cone, 1,281 meters above sea level. Measuring 305 meters deep by 610 meters across, the summit was reshaped in March 1944 when lava flowed over one side of the crater towards the town of San Sebastian. When the hot oozing lava began spilling out the opposite side, a nearby U.S. military base was evacuated. Today, the volcano’s slopes are covered with orchards and vineyards as they were in ancient times when wine produced there was called “Vesuvinum.” A few other parts of the mountain have been colonized by oak, chestnut, maritime pine, and birch trees. We followed the four-kilometer (roundtrip) trail to the top of the crater for panoramic views of the Bay of Naples, Tirone Reserve, and Campanian Plain. Part way along the rim trail we stopped to talk with a vendor selling a wine called “Lacyma Christ” (the tears of Christ).
After climbing Vesuvius, we parked near the public entrance to the Pompeii archaeological site. The city is located on a coastal plateau formed by a previous eruption that was subsequently covered with sediment from landslides. At the time it was destroyed, Pompeii was located on the coastline (it is now 700 meters from the ocean). Located nearby, the mouth of the Sarno River was used as a port by Phoenician and Roman sailors. The fertile region around Pompeii produced wheat, barely, millet, olive trees, and wine grapes. The city itself was irregularly shaped. Inside were bakeries and shops used by gem cutters and tool makers. There were also inns, restaurants, and private homes adorned with artwork and tiled frescos.
Much of what is known about the eruption and its aftermath comes from the writings of lawyer and author Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (aka Pliny the Younger) who watched the eruption from a vantage point located across the Bay of Naples. Immediately after the eruption, survivors and treasure hunters arrived to salvage artwork, precious metals, and other valuables. Pompeii remained largely undisturbed for hundreds of years until being rediscovered during the 16th century. Systematic excavations of the site were first initiated in the 18th century under Swiss architect Karl Weber. During the 1950s, the site was excavated by the Italian archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri. In reconstructing a timeline for events associated with the eruption it was determined that some organic substances such as human bodies were encased with ash. Although the bodies eventually decayed, they left imprints that could be used to create molds representing people at the time of death.
Pompeii has been a popular tourist destination for more than 200 years. Today, the 65-hectare Archaeological Park of Pompeii is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts more than 2.5 million tourists each year. After walking the city’s cobblestone streets, we toured the Amphitheater of Pompeii and visited a thermopolium where hot, ready to eat food was once sold from stores located along the city’s streets. Vendors served from masonry counters with openings designed to hold jars containing food or wine. Passing private homes that date to the 4th or 3rd century BC, we strolled down Pompeii’s main street, known as Via Stabiana. It is crossed by Via dell'Abbondanza and Via di Nola Streets. Another stop was the Forum, a large rectangular area surrounded by a two-story colonnaded portico that served as the city’s center for cultural and religious life. On its north side is a temple dedicated to Juno, Minerva, and Jupiter and on its east side was an indoor market called the Macallum. To the south of the Forum was the Temple of Vespasian and the Capitolium, a meeting place for the city council that housed the offices of city magistrates. Pompeii also had a large basilica used for the administration of justice.
