The location of Pompei

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

The ruins of Pompeii are situated near the modern town of Pompei, just south of Naples.

There are several entrances to the ruins, that can easily be reached on foot from the modern city.

From Naples Pompeii can be visited through FS trains or through the so-called Circumvesuviana, which runs directly to the excavations.

From Rome it is best to take a train to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana, which makes for a very pleasant day trip.

There are several car parks near the archeological site.

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Daily Life in Ancient Pompei

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

In ancient times Pompeii would have been nearer the coast than it is nowadays. It was an important passage for goods that arrived by sea and had to be sent toward Rome or Southern Italy along the Appian Way.

The ground around Pompeii was very fertile and agriculture, oil and wine production were important.

Pompeii’s streets were straight and laid out in a grid, in the purest Roman tradition and had houses and shops on both sides of the street.

There was even a hotel (now nicknamed the “Grand Hotel Murecine) a short distance from the town.

Pompeii got its water from the Aqua Augusta aqueduct in Naples, built by Agrippa around 20 BC.

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Pompei’s Early History

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

Pompeii, as deeper diggings show, had already suffered from landslides and volcanic eruptions before the 79 AD catastrophe.

The archaeological digs at the site extend to the street level of the 79 AD volcanic event. The oldest layer has been dated to the 8^th-6^th centuries BC, but the excavations the way tourists can visit them now show the 79AD Pompeii.

Pompeii was founded by the Oscans, and during the first centuries of its existence captured by the Etruscans (a 6^th century necropolis has been excavated), by the Greek colony of Cumae, and the Samnites.

After the Samnite wars (5^th century BC) Pompeii was forced to accept the status of socium of Rome, maintaining administrative autonomy however.

After a couple of wars against the Romans Pompeii finally became a Roman colony in 80 BC. It came to be called Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum.

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Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

Pompeii was buried and frozen in its existence on 24 August 79. The scavi show the very smallest details of everyday life, through inscriptions and graffiti on walls and floors, but also wine jars. An example of this is the inscription Salve, lucru (Welcome, money) on the floor of a trading company.

At the time of the eruption Pompeii is thought to have had 20,000 inhabitants and many Romans had their holiday villas there.

Large numbers of frescoes, often erotic in nature, have been preserved. Many of these ended up hidden in the vaults of the University of Naples.

Among the best preserved remains of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii are several houses, baths and the Forum and the Villa of the Mysteries. A great food market, a mill and a number of bars and small restaurants were also found.

In 89 BC, after the annexation to the Roman Republic by General Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeii’s infrastructure improved vastly.

The amphitheatre, the gym (Palaestra) with its swimming pool and especially the aqueduct are worth mentioning.

The Aqueduct branched out from the Castellum Aquae and was made in such a way that in case of drought the public fountains would be the last ones to stop functioning.

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Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

Pompeii’s inhabitants had long been used to minor quaking but on 5 February 62 a severe quake caused considerable damage around the bay and particularly to Pompeii.

That day there were to be two sacrifices, as it was the anniversary of Augustus being named “Father of the Nation” and one to honor the guardian spirits of the city.

Fires added to the panic and it is thought that most of the buildings in Pompeii were at least somewhat affected by this quake.

Some rebuilding was done, but some of the damage had still not been repaired when Mount Vesuvius erupted again in 79, partly due to smaller eruptions that kept taking place.

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The rediscovery of Pompeii

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

Thick layers of ash covered the two towns, Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were abandoned and eventually forgotten.

In 1738 Herculaneum was rediscovered by when the King of Naples, Charles of Bourbon, wanted to have a summer palace built.

Pompeii itself was found ten years later, although in reality Domenico Fontana had already discovered both towns when digging a new course for the Sarno river in 1599.

After the first excavations under Karl Weber several architects led the proceedings, but it was Giuseppe Fiorelli who realized that the voids with human remains in the layers of ash were spaces left by the decomposed bodies.

He devised a technique to inject plaster into the spaces and thus create the forms of Mount Vesuvius’ victims. Fiorelli’s technique is still in use, albeit with resin instead of plaster.

Some of the erotic frescoes are thought to have been reburied by Fontana in accordance with the prudish times he lived in.

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Pompei Today

The location of Pompei
Daily Life in Ancient Pompei
Pompei’s Early History
Pompei – A Snapshot of an Ancient Roman Town
Leading up to the Eruption of the Vesuvius
The rediscovery of Pompeii
Pompei Today

Pompeii, now part of a larger Vesuvius National Park, is the most popular tourist attraction in Italy with 2.5 million visitors a year.

The Soprintendenza Archaeologica di Pompei have tried to alleviate the pressure on the city by issuing tickets that also allow tourists to visit Herculaneum, Stabiae and the Villa Poppaea as well.

UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site by in 1997.

Unfortunately Pompeii has been subject to both natural and man-made forces (erosion, water damage, poor methods of excavation, vandalism, theft and, of course, tourism), which have worsened the deterioration.

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