Travels and Thoughts
Pompeii was a resort town for the rich. It had a population of around 15,000 to 20,000 people. When Vesuvius (seen in background) erupted, it was a total surprise to the inhabitants. Previously, people thought that the inhabitants suffocated; however, now it is known that they died of the heat. Exposure to at least 482 °F hot surges (known as pyroclastic flows) at a distance of 6 miles from the vent was sufficient to cause instant death, even if people were sheltered within buildings. The people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to 12 different layers of tephra, a general term for all pyroclastic materials ejected from a volcano. in total 82.0 ft deep, which rained down for about six hours.
People were killed instantly as the photo to the right shows. These are casts if actual inhabitants who died that day, Oct. 24, 79AD.
The main road ran from east to west. At the eastern end stood a statue to Apollo (god of light) and at the other end, his sister Artemis (god of moon). The road used to go to the port; however, over time, the waters have receded greatly, and no water exists anymore. The road was built with no concrete to hold the stones together, yet it has remained for over 2000 years.
Left: this is the forum where people gathered for all sorts of reasons. It was the social area of the city. Every Roman city would have an area for economic trade (65% of the buildings in Pompeii are devoted to commerce), religion (to the right of the forum is the grand Temple of Apollo. Unlike today's churches, people did not go inside to pray, rather the walked around the building in groups perhaps talking about their wishes. Another public building was the basilica, a multi-purpose building. Government functions would be carried out in the forum area. There were many other features of this area; however, if you are interested in a virtual tour, go to www.archeolibri.it/it/video/pompei.html and use the password gzzf12b5.
I will stick to including the facts I found most interesting.
Right: this is the view of Pompeii from the tourist area before entering the actual area.
Below: these are some of the many shops selling everything from bread to clothes to sundries.
Right: this room was one of many storage areas. This one included all sorts of useful items. NOTE: in the glass cage is the frozen remains of a dog caught in the explosion. His poor body is contorted because dogs can smell much more effectively than people, and he must have been somewhat aware that horrible things were going to happen.
In order for the sailors to communicate to the madam what they were interested, the outside walls were decorated with drawings of all possible activities (no picture included for obvious reasong). The sailor would point to his desired activity, and the madam would take him to the appropriate room.
Right: Sailors tended to drink a great deal and would soon become drunk and disoriented. In order for them to find the area of town they desired, the road contained symbols "pointing" the way.
Because Pompeii was a port town, it would often be swamped with sailors who spoke other languages and had been at sea too long. Prostitution was a thriving "industry" and left is one of the many prostitute rooms. The bed was uncomfortable encouraging the sailor to spend little time chatting.
After customers had had their fill of drink and lust, they would often be unable to find the way back to their ship. For that reason, the Romans placed little pieces of white tilek in the road to light the way (by moonlight) to the sea.
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Citizens could quench their thirst and fill their containers with fresh water from any of the many public fountains (right). The water would constantly spill out of the person's mouth.
Left: This is an actual lead pipe used by the Romans to transport water. They didn't know about the dangers of lead, but they knew the metal was soft enough to work with.
When it rained, the streets would flood. So the Romans added stepping stones for citizens to walk across without getting their sandles wet. They were spaced so a chariot could still travel the road. The wheels fit beween the stones.
Of course, Pompeii had a great amphitheatre for performing Greek and Roman plays. There would also have been gladiator games for the enjoyment of the vacationer. The first photo on the page is of the gladiator practice area. A gladiator who had survived would train so that a grand show could be performed.
The Romans knew that hot baths, cold dips, and cleansing creams helped prevent disease. The provided hot water by channeling the heat from the ovens that baked bread for the city to the water supply (below). From the hot bath a customer would then dip into a cold bath after which he would have lotions rubbed on his body.
The tiles would have had another floor above them. The tiles would absorb the heat from the water and keep the bath at an even temperature.
Today, everything is a drab stone color; however, in the day, tiles and vivid colors would have adorned everything. Left: original floor tiles. Above: ceiling painted in once vibrant colors. Left of that is a section of wall that still maintains some of the original color. And above that are wall inlays that would have been on all buildings. It must have been quite some sight to the Roman tourist coming to take the baths or recreate.
Left is just one of the many baking areas. Bakers had to provide daily bread for 15,000 to 20,000 people - no small accomplishment.
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All vacations must unfortunately end, and ours ended with a splended "Foods of the World" buffet at the beautiful hotel in Rome. Left: just a hint of the food area which went on and on. There were booths with foods from Italy, Japan (sushi), England, Thailand, Germany, America, etc., etc. Red and white wine were supplied as needed - no limits! We had a grand time, and I look forward to my next vacation in Greece next October.