"Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum was mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD."
“Researchers believe that the town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC by the Osci. It came under the domination of Rome in 80 BC after it joined an unsuccessful rebellion against the Roman Republic".
"By the time of its destruction, 160 years later, its population was estimated at 11,000 people, and the city had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium, and a port.” Thanks to Vesuvius, it is no longer on the sea but quite a way inland and is part of suburban Naples.
The amphitheatre could hold 20,000 people.
The gymnasium had a large swimming pool in the centre and was surrounded on all four sides by colonnades and shaded by plane trees. It must have been quite a sight.
"The eruption destroyed the city, killing its inhabitants and burying it under tons of ash. Evidence for the destruction originally came from a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the Roman fleet, who tried to rescue citizens. The site was lost for about 1,500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748."
"The objects that lay beneath the city have been preserved for more than a millennium because of the long lack of air and moisture. These artifacts provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana."
Beautiful household vessels without even a chip, crack or scratch.
"During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids in the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed archaeologists to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died."
"Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years. Today it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year."
A hot food shop.
In mosaics, a 'Beware of the dog' sign at the entrance to a house.
Lockers in the changing room at the men's baths. There were eight public baths in Pompeii.
Lockers for the women.
This is the decoration, colour and statutory in the men's baths.
And the magnificent roof.
The House of the Fawn.
Some houses were very large, having many rooms as well as internal and rear gardens. Pardon my head! I was too busy keeping upright on the uneven terrain to take photos. All photos in this post are courtesy of Paul.
A magnificent impluvium. Most houses had an impluvium in the "first main area" after the entry, to catch rain water and fill underground cisterns.
A house with a water garden. This property grew a good deal of fruit. The experts know that by analysing pollen spores - amazing!
And finally to the largest public area and highest point in Pompeii - the Forum. And to think that everything in these photos has been uncovered by the removal of between 4 and 6 metres of fine ash that set like concrete two thousand years ago.
Vesuvius with its top blown off, still brooding over Naples.
Next - Paris.
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