Pompeii

Евсеенков А.С.

Pompeii (Latin: Pompeii) was an ancient city in Campania, located near the foot of Vesuvius and not far from the Bay of Naples. In AD 79 the city was buried under volcanic ash and lapilli during the eruption of Vesuvius. This catastrophe preserved an unusually complete record of urban life in a Roman city of the 1st century AD.

Unlike many ancient monuments, Pompeii shows not only temples and public buildings, but also streets, houses, shops, workshops, baths, wall inscriptions, kitchen equipment, frescoes and traces of commerce. For this reason the city is one of the most important sources for the everyday life of the early Roman Empire.

Plan of Pompeii with the names of the main streets. Late 20th century.

History of the city

The settlement on the site of Pompeii existed long before the city became part of the Roman state. At different times the region was influenced by Oscans, Greeks, Etruscans and Samnites. This cultural mixture can be seen in the early history of the city, its religious practices, fortifications and connections with other centres of Campania.

After the Social War Pompeii received the status of a Roman colony. Veterans were settled there, while Latin and Roman institutions gradually became dominant in public life. Local traditions, however, did not disappear at once: in its economy and social connections the city remained deeply Campanian.

By the 1st century AD Pompeii was a lively provincial city with a forum, temples, a basilica, baths, theatres and an amphitheatre. Its position in fertile Campania and its access to maritime routes made it a convenient centre for craft, trade and agricultural exchange.

Street of Abundance. Pompeii, modern view.

Crossroad. Pompeii, modern view

Caupona in Pompeii

Urban life

The layout of Pompeii clearly shows the structure of a Roman city. The forum was the main public space, surrounded by administrative, commercial and religious buildings. Streets had stone paving, sidewalks and raised stepping-stones. Public baths, workshops, bakeries, taverns, popinae, cauponae and thermopolia operated in the city.

Houses and shops were often connected: a room could serve at the same time as living space, workshop and place of sale. Election notices, announcements of spectacles, ownership marks and everyday graffiti survived on the walls. Such inscriptions help us see Pompeii as a living city with politics, advertising, humour and conflict.

Water supply, street fountains, baths and drainage channels show that infrastructure was a key part of Pompeian life. At the same time living conditions differed greatly: rich houses stood next to cramped rooms, shops and upper-floor dwellings.

Fresco from Pompeii. Archaeological Museum of Naples. 1st century AD

Houses and daily life

Pompeian houses varied according to the wealth of their owners. Alongside small shops and modest rooms there were richly decorated houses with atria, peristyles, mosaics and wall painting. The atrium was an important part of the house: visitors entered through it, and it could contain ancestral images, household objects and elements of domestic cult.

Peristyle courtyards, gardens and painted rooms show how wealthy citizens displayed status. Frescoes could depict myths, architectural fantasies, still lifes, theatrical masks, landscapes and everyday scenes. They are valuable evidence for the tastes, religion and visual culture of Roman Campania.

Amphorae, lamps, tableware, scales, tools, ovens and storage vessels found in houses and shops allow scholars to study not only the elite but also craftsmen, traders, slaves, freedmen and small householders.

Fresco from the Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. 1st century CE.

Food and trade

Pompeii is especially important for the study of ancient Roman food. Bakeries with mills and ovens, wine shops, amphora stores, commercial premises and snack bars have been discovered in the city. Thermopolia with masonry counters and built-in vessels show how hot food and drinks were sold to passers-by.

Not every inhabitant had a convenient kitchen. Street food, taverns and simple eateries therefore played a visible role in daily life. They could sell beans, lentils, bread, cheese, olives, vegetables, fruit, wine and simple hot dishes. See also Thermopolium, Popina and Food in Ancient Rome.

Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus. Pompeii, 1st century AD

Oven in a public bakery in Pompeii

Frying pans, bronze. Viilla Gragnano. Pompeii Archaeological Park. 1st century AD

Public buildings

Pompeii had a developed system of public spaces. The forum combined religious, administrative and commercial functions. Nearby stood the basilica, temples, markets and rooms connected with civic government. Theatres and the amphitheatre show the importance of spectacles and public gatherings for urban life.

The amphitheatre of Pompeii is among the earliest known stone amphitheatres in the Roman world. It was used for gladiatorial games and other spectacles. Pompeii is also associated with the famous clash between Pompeians and the people of Nuceria during the games, after which the authorities temporarily restricted such shows.

Baths were not only places for washing but also spaces for social interaction. They included rooms of different temperatures, changing rooms, pools and heating systems. Taken together, Pompeii's public buildings show how active the life of a medium-sized Roman city could be.

Relief with gladiators. Marble. Pompeii, Stabian Gate. National Archaeological Museum, Naples. 20-50 AD.

Eruption of Vesuvius

In AD 79 the eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum and several villas around the Bay of Naples. Pompeii was mainly covered by volcanic ash and lapilli, while Herculaneum was more heavily affected by pyroclastic flows and hot volcanic material.

The ancient literary tradition connects the catastrophe with Pliny the Younger's letters to Tacitus. His account became one of the key texts for studying the eruption and the death of Pliny the Elder, who commanded the fleet at Misenum and attempted to approach the disaster zone.

The thick volcanic layer both destroyed and preserved the city. Wooden structures, textiles, food and human bodies survived unevenly, but the urban environment itself was sealed from later rebuilding. This is why Pompeii is so important for the study of Roman everyday life.

The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Event reconstruction.

Archaeological significance

Excavations at Pompeii began in the 18th century and strongly influenced archaeology, interest in ancient art and ideas about Roman daily life. The plaster casts of the victims are especially significant: they were made by pouring plaster into voids left in the volcanic material after bodies had decayed.

Pompeii, together with Herculaneum and the villas at Torre Annunziata, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. For researchers the city is valuable because it preserves not a single monument but an entire urban environment: public buildings, private houses, shops, cult places and traces of everyday activity.

Modern study of Pompeii combines excavation, restoration, inscription analysis, investigation of organic remains, digital recording and conservation of already uncovered buildings. The main task is not only to make new discoveries but also to preserve what has already been found.