The History of Pompeii

The History of pompeii 🙂 By kelsey

Historical Background
The Ancient City of Pompeii

 

In the early afternoon hours of August 24, 79 A.D. the summit of Mount Vesuvius exploded without warning. A black river of ash and lapilli ran from the crater of the volcano down through the city of Pompeii leaving death and destruction in its wake. The magnificent ancient city of Pompeii was left buried under about 20 feet of earth and ash. Pompeii was originally only 500 meters from the sea, but after the eruption the distance to the sea increased to two kilometres

 

Ancient City of Pompeii
Entrance to Ruins and the Roads of Pompeii

 

The entrance to the ruins of Pompeii is through Porta Marina, so named because it faces the sea. The entrance is composed of two openings covered by a single vault. The small door was for pedestrians and the larger door was for animals and vehicles.

Porta Marina, Entrance to the Ruins at Pompeii

Most of the roads in the ancient city of Pompeii were quite narrow, generally about seven feet to fourteen feet wide, the widest street being more than 20 feet wide.

A Main Road Runs Through Pompeii

All of the city’s roads were paved using polygonal blocks made from the lava of Vesuvius, and most of Pompeii’s roads included pavements or sidewalks.

Charriots Wore Ruts into the Roads of Pompeii.
Note the size of the ruts in relation to the cigarette butts in the photo to the right.

Streets of Various Widths in Pompeii, with Sidewalks

Via Dell’Abbondanza

Via Dell’Abbondanza stretches 600 meters from the Forum to Porta di Sarno through the most commericial and prosperous quarter of Pompeii. The street gets its name from the fountain that is sculptured with the symbol of Plenty, an opulent woman carrying a horn of plenty.  THE FORUM BATHS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Forum Baths are the smallest, but the most elegant of the thermae. They were built shortly after the establishment of Sullla’s colony in 80 BC. An inscription credits the duovir Lucius Caesius and the aediles Caius Occius and Lucius Niraemius. Despite their small size, they contained everything necessary for the full bathing ritual: dressing rooms, hot, tepid and cold rooms, exercise field, and toilets. These baths were also divided into separate facilities for men and women. They were the only baths still functioning in Pompeii after the earthquake of AD 62.

The Central Baths are the most recent version of thermae in Pompeii. When the social-economic axis of Pompeii moved towards the intersection of the Via Stabiana and Via di Nola, a new bath complex was designed, and it replaced an entire block (insula) of the town. The baths were constructed after the earthquake of AD 62, but were never completed before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. It is notable that separate sections for men and women were not provided, nor did it have a frigidarium, but it did have a laconicum instead.