Pompeii

June 21st

As a class trip we went or visit the historic site of Pompeii! In Fall of 79AD, a pyroclastic explosion from Mount Vesuvius overtook the port city of Pompeii over the span of three days. During this time, everyone in the city died due to the harsh conditions that the volcano caused. After this event, the city was covered with 7 meters of ash that other nearby people took as a warning to flee the area.

 

Today, you can view the old city of Pompeii, the homes, and the lifestyle that once was in southern Italy during the Roman Empire.

 

I had a wonderfully hot experience roaming the streets and looking at all of the past restaurants, houses, theaters, and other places that the city had to offer. 

 

Here are some highlights:

• I was so amazed with the quality and positioning of the bricks and rocks on both the streets and houses.
• The preserved frescos were each magnificent works of art that would have been seen in almost all of the buildings!
• I most enjoyed the east side of the city where the Amphitheater of Pompeii (dated back to 70BC) was located along with the many intricate buildings and pillars merged with green spaces!
• The plaster casts of the people who were covered in ash and became stone overtime was chilling but provided a real prospective of the city that once was.
• The morning was very very crowded but it cleared up around 1pm.
• The city was HUGE! I didn’t even get to see all of it after being there for over 5 hours! However, most of the houses and building are repetitive, so I was happy to see all of the most preserved buildings and structures.
• If you ever decide to visit Pompeii for yourself, know that there is practically NO shade, plan accordingly with umbrellas, hats, and sunscreen!

 

Italy Fun Facts (Pompeii Addition):

#5 A frescos or “in the fresh,” were done when the stucco was still wet in order to carve and paint to stay longer and brighter

#6 GPS - Geographical penis system (not a real thing)

Penises were engraved into the streets and walls to direct pirates and sailors to brothels where they could choose what service they would like by pointing to a fresco picture. Additionally, the women known to give these services would usually wear loud jewelry and have red hair. 

 

I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Small theater (semi-circle)

Restaurant where mostly different types of soup would be served.

Lead pipes were used in the city of Pompeii causing madness and eventual death of those who outlived disease.

Oven in back of shop

(GPS...)

Brothel with "fast food" style selection for the type of service you wanted...

Moonstone was placed in the ground of main roads to guide people around the city at night. Because city lights were not used, these stones would act as reflectors from them moon and create light!

Fecal matter was usually tossed into the streets do to only the rich having toilets. Stone crosswalks were used to avoid stepping in pee and poop. Fountains from around the city would then be used for drinking and when overflowed, would run through the city to wash down waste.

Square holes were made for wood pieces to slide into to create a second floor.

Grain mill

Bread found in ruins

Fresco picture

Wall fresco

Graffiti from Pompeii residents

Training grounds (usually used for children)

Large Amphitheater (70 BC)

Men's locker room of gym celling

Here is the total ground that I covered (see red boarder) in 5 hours. I left multiple parts of 

Pompeii untouched!