Contents - Musée Maillol

« Water, and its uses around the home »
By Hélène Dessales, master of archaeological conferences, Ecole normale supérieure, Paris
“You ask for hot water; I don’t have cold water yet.” This complaint by the poet Martial (Ep.
8, 67, 7-8) gives us some idea of how the provision of water and its various uses were
valued in a Roman home. Little evidence remains of those uses, making any restoration
difficult. However, the exceptionally well-preserved vestiges found at Pompei at least provide
a key to understanding the different levels of water provision, and the types of equipment
involved, whether for providing communal services or those in individual homes. By following
the trail of piping that is still visible at the site, or by the marks left behind, archaeological
studies can now evaluate the role that water played in the home, and how that role was
reflected in three main areas: the way in which the urban water network was organised, the
link between water and hygiene, and the role of water in décor. In Pompeii, what remains of
the city’s hydraulics therefore tells us about the lives of its residents, from their daily routines
to their personal and cultural habits.
« Gardens »
Annamaria Ciarallo, Director of the Applied Sciences Laboratory of the Archeological
Superintendence of Naples and Pompeii.
Pompeii’s vegetable plots and gardens constitute an exceptional record. It’s the only
evidence that has come down to us about the organisation of green spaces in a provincial
town of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago.
Thanks to new research techniques, especially since 1970, we have been able to identify the
plants that were cultivated in antiquity, which has allowed us to reconstruct former gardens.
Like today’s cities, Pompeii wasn’t just made up of streets and buildings. Every house,
whether it was rich or poor, had its own garden. There were also green spaces aimed at the
general population: baths, gymnasiums and temples. Burial grounds were confined to the
outskirts of the town.
In these gardens, some of them very extensive, others no bigger than a pocket handkerchief,
they grew plants that were used in everyday life, both to feed the family and to sell at the
local market.
Some crops, such as grapes, were particularly important for the town’s economy. Others
were used in locally made products. Sweet-smelling plants were used to produce essences
that were employed to make ointments and perfumes, while others went into making
wreaths for religious offerings.
The fertile soil allowed for intensive farming and several harvests a year. They specialised in
vegetables that could be preserved in vinegar or brine so that they could be consumed
throughout the year. They also grew a lot of hazelnuts, figs, apples, pears and grapes for the
table that could be eaten either fresh or dried. Peaches and figs were conserved in honey.
Even in pleasure gardens the most popular plants were medicinal ones for home use, as well
as other plants used for domestic purposes.
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