Pompeii By Carolina and Cali

 Pompeii

By Carolina and Cali

LAFS 26 in front of Caecilius Iucundus' Domus

CIAO! To begin our adventure on this lovely morning, our educated group of students and teachers visited Pompeii. As we explored the city, we were filled with awe as our eyes captured the sight of real Roman villas, shops, and roads that they used in an age long past.

As we stepped onto the roads (oftentimes trying to catch up to our quick-footed tour guide), we observed long grooves in the road’s stones, which were etched by workers carrying carts, wagons, and wheelbarrows through the city for centuries.

Figure 1: Notice the grooves in the stones

We also got to visit one of Pompeii’s theaters, which was a location where the community gathered to watch stage productions. This particular theater contained a backstage.

Figure 2: Seats in the theater, where Romans would sit to watch productions component to its stage, which was a unique feature.

Figure 3: Notice how the layout of the city is very organized

Figure 4: Mount Vesuvius looms over the city of Pompeii

During the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, the volcano struck Pompeii with significant pyroclastic flows (HOT flows of gas, ash, and volcanic rock). Pompeii, however, was a bit further away from the mountain than Herculaneum, so the pyroclastic flows were slightly cooler (though still lethal). This allowed for the preservation of both the city’s buildings and its people under dry ash and pumice stones.

Figure 5: Body preserved in a “cast” of volcanic ash

Figure 6: Inside of Roman villa; notice the expansive frescos on each wall 

Figure 7: Paint was preserved; even brush strokes could be seen

In our Pompeii adventures, we explored many Roman villas, which were painted with colorful frescoes on nearly every inside surface. Most frescoes were unique to each house, with most paintings being related to their specific room in the villa. They were amazingly preserved due to the porous pumice stones that covered the houses, which absorbed the humidity of the eruption and sealed the paintings off, keeping them dry for centuries.