The ancient siteof Pompeii constitutes an exceptional archaeological testimony to Roman history. The city was entirely buried during the eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79. Numerous archaeological excavations have revealed nearly three quarters of the city, which today constitutes a unique testimony to the life of a provincial Italian city of the 1st century AD And thanks to the miracles of modern technology, it is now possible to visit the site while remaining comfortably seated in your armchair, via a Google Map cartography that we have integrated into this article. Guided tour…
History of Pompeii, from its origins to the eruption of Vesuvius
Pompeii was an ancient port city established near Naples, on the Amalfi Coast, at the mouth of the Sarnus (now Sarno). The city, founded around 600 BC. BC by the Osques, was later conquered by the Etruscans, then by the Samnites. Dictator Sulla made it a Roman colony (80 BC) and it later became a popular resort for wealthy Romans, with a population of around 20,000. Located between Herculaneum and Stabies, at the mouth of the Sarno, Pompeii plays a significant commercial role in the opulent valley of the river, as the port of the cities of Nola, Nuceria and Acerra. During the Roman Empire, Pompeii, a medium-sized provincial city, populated by traders and craftsmen, was particularly appreciated for its exceptional setting, and became a real resort town for the wealthy Romans.
The city was heavily damaged by a violent earthquake on February 5, 62 AD. J.-C. (first fruits of the volcanic eruption). Some buildings are still being restored when, in the afternoon of August 24, 79, Vesuvius wakes up and, in a few hours, buries everything in its vicinity; Pompeii is not spared and, on the morning of the 25th, there is no trace of the city. Pompeii does not disappear under a mudslide - as is the case of its neighbor Herculaneum -, but under a layer of 4 to 6 m of burning ash and lapilli of pumice stones. The eruption was so violent that it also altered the course of the river and lifted the waterfront, placing the river and the shore a considerable distance from the remains of the city currently visible.
Archaeological discoveries
Pompeii lay under a blanket of ash and lapilli for over 1,500 years. It was not until 1748 that excavations were undertaken. The significance of the finds was first revealed by the work of German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann. New excavations were carried out after 1870 and from 1924, archaeologists began stratigraphic excavations in order to reconstruct the architecture of the buried buildings.
Several houses were unearthed in a street that connects Strada dell'Abbondanza to the amphitheater. This area of the city is called Nuovi Scavi (“new excavations”). Some ruins were badly damaged by the aerial bombardments of the Second World War and had to be restored. New excavations are constantly undertaken, and more than a quarter of the city remains to be discovered.
Most of the public buildings date from the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 1st century BC. In general, public buildings combine architectonic elements of Greek art, for example the central chambers of temples, with characteristic elements of Roman architecture. In the southwest of the city, the major religious, administrative and commercial buildings of Pompeii are concentrated around the esplanade of the forum. Finally, the city has several thermal baths, two of which are public:the Forum baths and the Stabian baths.
The ruins of Pompeii:an open-air treasure
An important aspect of the finds made at Pompeii is the remarkable degree of preservation of the objects. The rain of ash and lapilli that accompanied the eruption hermetically sealed the city and protected the many public buildings, temples, theaters, baths, shops and houses. The site also delivers the remains of about 2,000 victims of the disaster, including several gladiators still chained. The ashes mixed with rainwater formed a kind of mold around the bodies which remained when the corpses crumbled into dust.
Liquid plaster was poured into some of these natural molds by the researchers in order to find the shape of the bodies at day of the disaster. You can see some of these casts of the bodies at the Pompeii Museum, near the Marina Gate, one of the eight city gates. Beyond the Herculaneum Gate, the Villa of the Mysteries houses a whole series of Roman copies inspired by Greek paintings.
Most residents managed to escape with their personal belongings. They returned after the eruption was over and dug tunnels into homes and public buildings to grab valuables. This is the reason why few objects of great value were discovered in Pompeii. Those collected there were placed in the National Museum of Naples, as well as the most remarkable frescoes and mosaics with which the site abounds. The ensemble of buildings and objects give an exceptionally complete picture of the life of a provincial Italian city of the 1st century AD. The surviving buildings mark a transition between the pure Greek style and the building methods of the Roman Empire and, as such, are particularly important for the study of Roman architecture.
The archaeological site of Pompeii is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To go further
- Pompei, travel guide.
- Pompeii. Roman City Life by Mary Beard. The Threshold, 2012.
- Pompeii - Rediscovered Antiquity, by Jean-Marc Irollo. Art Book, 2014.