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In January 2021 a well-preserved "large, four-wheel ceremonial chariot" was uncovered in the portico of the luxurious villa in Civita Giuliana, [86] north of Pompeii, where a stable had previously been discovered in 2018. [37]
- Overview
- History of excavations
- Description of the remains
The ruins at Pompeii were first discovered late in the 16th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Herculaneum was discovered in 1709, and systematic excavation began there in 1738. Work did not begin at Pompeii until 1748, and in 1763 an inscription (“Rei publicae Pompeianorum”) was found that identified the site as Pompeii. The work at these towns in the mid-18th century marked the start of the modern science of archaeology.
Under the patronage of Don Carlos, king of Naples, the military engineer Karl Weber carried out systematic studies from 1750 to 1764, but other early digging was often haphazard and irresponsible, carried out by treasure seekers or other untrained workers. Haphazard digging was brought to a stop in 1860, when the Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli became director of the excavations. Areas lying between excavated sites were cleared and carefully documented. Pompeii was divided into nine regions; the insulae (blocks) in each region were numbered, and each door on the street was given a number so that each house could be conveniently located by three numerals. Fiorelli also developed the technique of making casts of bodies by pouring cement into the hollows formed in the volcanic ash where the bodies had disintegrated.
In 1951, after the interruption caused by World War II, intensive excavation was resumed under Amedeo Maiuri, who was in charge of the excavations from 1924 to 1961. Large areas were uncovered to the south of the Via dell’Abbondanza, in Regions I and II, and the debris piled outside the city walls was cleared away. This revealed the Porta (Gate) di Nocera and an impressive stretch of cemetery lining each side of the road leading from the gate to Nuceria. By the 1990s, about two-thirds of the city had been excavated.
In the vicinity of Stabiae and Gragnano, excavations initiated by Don Carlos of Naples discovered 12 villas between 1749 and 1782. Work was resumed there in the 20th century. The Villa of San Marco, with its two large peristyle gardens and bath, is the best preserved. Other villas have been found at nearby Scafati, Domicella, Torre Annunziata, and on the lower slopes of Vesuvius near Boscoreale and Boscotrecase. Many of these villas were reburied after excavation, but a few can be seen, notably the Villa of the Mysteries.
The ruins at Pompeii were first discovered late in the 16th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Herculaneum was discovered in 1709, and systematic excavation began there in 1738. Work did not begin at Pompeii until 1748, and in 1763 an inscription (“Rei publicae Pompeianorum”) was found that identified the site as Pompeii. The work at these towns in the mid-18th century marked the start of the modern science of archaeology.
Under the patronage of Don Carlos, king of Naples, the military engineer Karl Weber carried out systematic studies from 1750 to 1764, but other early digging was often haphazard and irresponsible, carried out by treasure seekers or other untrained workers. Haphazard digging was brought to a stop in 1860, when the Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli became director of the excavations. Areas lying between excavated sites were cleared and carefully documented. Pompeii was divided into nine regions; the insulae (blocks) in each region were numbered, and each door on the street was given a number so that each house could be conveniently located by three numerals. Fiorelli also developed the technique of making casts of bodies by pouring cement into the hollows formed in the volcanic ash where the bodies had disintegrated.
In 1951, after the interruption caused by World War II, intensive excavation was resumed under Amedeo Maiuri, who was in charge of the excavations from 1924 to 1961. Large areas were uncovered to the south of the Via dell’Abbondanza, in Regions I and II, and the debris piled outside the city walls was cleared away. This revealed the Porta (Gate) di Nocera and an impressive stretch of cemetery lining each side of the road leading from the gate to Nuceria. By the 1990s, about two-thirds of the city had been excavated.
In the vicinity of Stabiae and Gragnano, excavations initiated by Don Carlos of Naples discovered 12 villas between 1749 and 1782. Work was resumed there in the 20th century. The Villa of San Marco, with its two large peristyle gardens and bath, is the best preserved. Other villas have been found at nearby Scafati, Domicella, Torre Annunziata, and on the lower slopes of Vesuvius near Boscoreale and Boscotrecase. Many of these villas were reburied after excavation, but a few can be seen, notably the Villa of the Mysteries.
The city of Pompeii was shaped irregularly because it was built on a prehistoric lava flow. Excavations indicate that the southwestern part of the town is the oldest, but scholars do not agree on the stages by which the walls were expanded or on who the builders were. The walls are 2 miles (3 km) in circumference, and they enclose an area of about 163 acres (66 hectares). Seven city gates have been excavated. The chief street running in a southeast-northwest direction was the Via Stabiana; it connected the Porta Vesuvio, or Vesuvius Gate (144 feet [44 metres] above sea level), in the highest part of the city, with the Porta di Stabia, or Stabiae Gate (26 feet [8 metres]), in the lowest part. Through this gate came traffic from the Sarnus River and Stabiae. This street was crossed by two other main streets, the Via dell’Abbondanza and the Via di Nola.
The public buildings are for the most part grouped in three areas: the Forum (elevation 110 feet [34 metres]), located in the large level area on the southwest; the Triangular Forum (82 feet [25 metres]), standing on a height at the edge of the south wall overlooking the bay; and the Amphitheatre and Palaestra, in the east.
The Forum was the centre of the city’s religious, economic, and municipal life; it was a large rectangular area surrounded by a two-story colonnaded portico. Dominating the Forum on the north was the temple dedicated to the Capitoline triad of deities: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. To the east was the Macellum, or large provision market. To the south were the small sanctuary of the city Lares (guardian deities), built after the earthquake in 62 ce; the Temple of Vespasian; and the imposing headquarters of the woolen industry, erected by the wealthy patroness Eumachia. Opposite the Capitolium, on the southern end of the Forum, were the meeting place of the city council and the offices of the magistrates of the city. The large basilica, with its main room surrounded on four sides by a corridor, is the most architecturally significant building in the city; it is of considerable importance in studying the origin and development of the Christian basilica. It served as a covered exchange and as a place for the administration of justice. To the west was the Temple of Venus Pompeiana, patron deity of Pompeii. Across from the basilica was the Temple of Apollo, one of the earliest in the city.
The Triangular Forum is the site of the Doric Temple, the oldest temple in Pompeii. Between the 3rd and the 1st century bce a theatre, a palaestra (sports ground), and a small covered theatre were built to the east of the Triangular Forum. The temples of Zeus Meilichius and of Isis and the old Samnite palaestra were nearby. In the east corner of Pompeii was the Amphitheatre, and to the west a large palaestra was built to replace the old Samnite palaestra. Baths were scattered throughout the town: the Stabian Baths (which predate the Roman period), the Forum Baths, the Central Baths (still under construction at the time of the eruption), and many baths in luxurious private homes.
But more significant than the public buildings, examples of which have been excavated at other sites, are the hundreds of private homes. These are unique, for only at Pompeii is it possible to trace the history of Italic and Roman domestic architecture for at least four centuries. The earliest houses date from the first Samnite period (4th–3rd century bce). The House of the Surgeon is the best-known example of the early atrium house built during this period.
The most luxurious houses were built during the second Samnite period (200–80 bce), when increased trade and cultural contacts resulted in the introduction of Hellenistic refinements. The House of the Faun occupies an entire city block and has two atria (chief rooms), four triclinia (dining rooms), and two large peristyle gardens. Its facade is built of fine-grained gray tufa from Nuceria, the chief building material of this period. The walls are decorated in the First Pompeian, or Incrustation, style of painting, which imitates marble-veneered walls by means of painted stucco. The famous Alexander the Great mosaic found in the House of the Faun is probably a copy of a lost Hellenistic painting. Many of the houses from this period were decorated with elaborate floor mosaics. (See mosaic: Roman mosaics.) The House of the Silver Wedding, with its imposing high-columned atrium, was also built during this period, but it underwent later alterations. The handsome banquet hall and the exedra, which served as a schoolroom for children of the family, were decorated in the Second Pompeian, or Architectural, style, which was popular from 80 bce to 14 ce.
- Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski
2 days ago · Pompeii, preserved ancient Roman city in Campania, Italy, that was destroyed by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The circumstances of its destruction preserved Pompeii’s remains as a unique document of Greco-Roman life. Learn more about Pompeii, including its history and excavations.
- Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski
Aug 27, 2010 · Pompeii and Herculaneum were flourishing resorts on the coast of Italy until Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., burying the cities’ ruins under tons of ash and rock.
- Missy Sullivan
- 2 min
Mar 21, 2018 · Pompeii was a large Roman town in Campania, Italy which was buried in volcanic ash following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Excavated in the 19th-20th century, its excellent state of preservation gives an invaluable insight into Roman everyday life.
- Mark Cartwright
- The number of survivors or deaths after the eruption of Vesuvius over Pompeii in 79 CE is not known. The population of the town has been estimated...
- The volcanic eruption of 79 CE covered Pompeii and there are many skeletal remains. Plaster casts have also been taken of the impressions left by t...
- Pompeii is today a massive archaeological site with significant remains of several thousand buildings. Ruined buildings include villas, baths, an a...
- Pompeii is special because the volcanic eruption of 79 CE preserved the entire town. Buildings, artworks, artefacts, and even human remains all giv...
Feb 17, 2011 · 1924 - 2003. Monumental peristyle in the Casa del Menandro © Spinazzola was succeeded by one of the most dynamic and controversial archaeologists in the history of the excavation of Pompeii -...
By James Owens. 5 min read. On a fateful summer morning in A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius buried the vibrant Roman city of Pompeii—and many of its citizens—beneath tons of volcanic ash and debris.
