Pompeii Part I

Warning: Long post ahead!

This is the highlight of the trip so far, according to Flora. She is a lover of ancient history, especially ones of archaeological nature. We got a tour guide to show us around after numerous advice from people that have visited before. A very wise decision indeed.

First established in 6-7th century BC, Pompeii was engulfed in a thick layer of ash and lava when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Pompeii was downwind of the eruption and bore the brunt of the first phase of the eruption. However, what survived the onslaught of debris was preserved very well. We started in the auditoriums in which the Pompeiians would have enjoyed a day of entertainment. Much of the stone seats were preserved.

It is amazing how much archaeologists have managed to deduce from their findings. As we walked through the streets of Pompeii, the tour guide pointed out the impressions in the stone made by wagon wheels back when Pompeii was an important, bustling city. We touched the bricks and mortar of the city which was more than 2000 years old. Can you imagine touching something that old? These guys sure know how to build things that last.

The more we looked, the more in awe we were of this ancient civilisation. They have thought of everything: advanced plumbing system, drainage, stepping stones on roads so pedestrians crossing puddles in the road wouldn’t get wet, public baths, public toilets, shops that sold food like modern-day cafeterias, even brothels!

Shops selling food still had their thermopolium (or counters) intact. These were often clad with different pieces of marble. Over 2000 years ago, the Pompeiians were already making marble benchtops! Some of the thermopolia were so well preserved that the marble was in excellent condition and the earthenware jars (or dolia as they were known) that are embedded in them to keep hot food were still completely intact. Curry, anyone?

The guide took us to a seedy part of the city where brothels were in abundance. How did one know that a house contained a prostitute? Easy, just look out for the stone penis that hung above the door (no joke!). There is believed to have only been one purpose-built brothel. Lupanare was a two-storey brothel with small, cramped, windowless rooms for entertaining clients. In each room, there was a stone bed where a mattress would have laid to render sexual services. On the walls, there were erotic paintings or frescoes that have been extremely well-preserved. These showed all manners of sexual positions, assumed to be somewhat of a menu of the services offered. There were lots of chuckles when we saw this.

The public baths cut a very different picture. It was a very large compound, complete with male and female change-rooms. Male and female hot baths were separated. The warm and hot baths were heated by a furnace behind the wall which fed pipes underneath the bath floors. The mosaics and frescoes that remain were astounding.

Finally, we came to a warehouse where archaeologists have stored all the earthenware, statues and tables uncovered during careful excavations. Amongst the collection, there were some plaster casts of victims of the eruption. In 1864, Giuseppe Fiorelli, the director of excavations, discovered a technique to capture body shapes trapped in volcanic ash after soft tissues had decayed. He instructed his diggers to pour plaster into hollow pockets, let them dry for a few days before chipping away at the volcanic ash to reveal whole plaster cast of victims at the time of their death. CT scans of some of these plaster casts have since revealed near-complete skeletons and full sets of teeth.

As I look at Mount Vesuvius from the ancient square, I can’t imagine the terror felt by Pompeii’s inhabitants as they watched volcanic ash and lava spewing out of its mouth. It is the only active volcano on the European mainland and it is a matter of time before it erupts again. The last eruption was in 1944 but it was not destructive. There are approximately 3 million people living within the red zone of Vesuvius. With the chaotic traffic in the area, one would hope that the authorities have got a bulletproof (or volcano-proof) evacuation plan.

There is so much to write about Pompeii, but perhaps it is better told through photos. Flora could have spent days just roaming around this ancient city. If you appreciate ancient history, this city should be on your bucket list.Read more