JOLEE-Power-Edition-2020

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Italy
Pompeii
By Susan Berger
New York / San Francisco / Hong Kong / London / Tokyo /
Rome / Toronto
Before the catastrophe struck in 79 AD, the town of Pompeii, located south
of Naples at the base of Mt. Vesuvius, was a resort for Rome’s upper class.
Magnificent villas lined the paved streets, and the town was filled with
tourists and slaves, factories, artisan shops, taverns and cafes, brothels,
bathhouses, markets and open-air squares.
It is estimated that 12,000 people lived in Pompeii at the time of the
eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Most had time to flee. Those who stayed
encountered falling ash and collapsing buildings, following by a surge of
superheated poison gas and pulverized rock which poured down the side of
the mountain, obliterating everything in its path. When the eruption
finished the following day, Pompeii was buried under millions of tons of
volcanic ash, 20 feet high, and stayed untouched until 1748, when it was
discovered by a group of explorers looking for ancient artifacts. The ashes
preserved the town in exactly the condition it was in 17 centuries before.
Buildings were intact and skeletons were frozen where they fell;
archeologists later even found jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread.
An account of the explosion was detailed in two letters written by Pliny the
Younger.
Hundreds of homes have been excavated containing elaborate wall paintings
and floor mosaics, providing a history of architecture for at least four
centuries. The center of the city’s life was the Forum, a rectangular area
surrounded by a two-story colonnaded portico. Surrounding it are temples,
a large market, the headquarters of the woolen industry, the meeting place
of the government, the palaestra (sports ground) and a theatre. Excavations
have revealed gardens, bakeries, food and wine shops, hotels, and shops of
sculptors, toolmakers, and gem cutters. The discovery of Pompeii was
responsible for the neo-Classical revival of the 18th century, as Europe’s
wealthiest families displayed art and reproductions from the ruins, which
helped to shape the architectural trends of the era. Pompeii is of great
historical significance, providing insight into the social, economic, religious
and political life of the ancient world.
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