Pompeii, the City Under the Lava
July 7, 2010
Pompeii is a city that disappeared beneath a layer of lava after a volcanic eruption in Italy. Today, part of the city has been unearthed and preserved as a great museum.
The city is located near Naples. The story of Pompeii seems a Greek tragedy, as the first inhabitants of the city were attracted to the region for its fertile land. However, Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, covering the city by a large layer of volcanic lava. The city was not rediscovered until 1599.
The first excavations were carried out in 1748 when he first discovered the ruins of the city. Pompeii is an ideal museum to observe daily life was like tens of centuries ago. Even today you can see loaves of bread that has been preserved as “fresh” for nearly two millennia in ancient ovens. Some of the artifacts ornaments and more interesting objects can be found in the National Archaeological Museum in nearby Naples.
Even now kept several structures were very important for centuries. Highlights include the Forum of Pompeii or the various temples dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, which were rebuilt after the earthquake of AD 62. The Basilica, the administrative center of the city where located in next to the forum.
The house is a stately residence Vettii even fresco representing the life of the classical era. The Garden of the Fugitives is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and spooky in the city, with a large exhibition of masks of victims in the last moments of his life. There are also several old houses, such as the Casa del Fauno, where people seem to continue with their daily lives.
The Villa of Mysteries is one of the best preserved houses in the region. The house is filled with all kinds of frescoes depicting Dionysus and mystic rituals. There are several statues, including a statue of Livia, the wife of Augustus. Nobody knows who owned the mansion, but found stamps with names that could be of the owners or architects who were restored. As in almost all houses, here were also found several bodies of those who later carved molds.
The many frescoes that have managed to retain representing gods of fertility and life, and everyday scenes. Many of the more explicit scenes were kept in the Secret Museum in Naples, where they were allowed entry only mature people, but later were reopened to the public.
The streets of Pompeii are covered by stones and form a plane graph, traditionally Roman city. There are also preserved several buildings and public places such as at least four public baths, several brothels, as bawdy, businesses and shops still open. The Termas Stabiane, one of the most important public bathrooms, locker rooms were two, one for men and one for women, a room with cold water baths, one bath room with hot water and several annexes which were the gym and other pool. Stand the ruins of an aqueduct that provided fresh water to more than 25 sources throughout the city, and has even found a pool.
In Pompeii, visitors can see the old city was a city full of life, where it has preserved many objects of daily life of the Romans. In the houses there are still entries, and floors below you can find the remains of family businesses. Even the old jars of wine have escaped destruction. The ancient ruins of this city have revealed some of the realities of everyday life of the Romans, such as the existence of graffiti that cover some of the walls of the houses, with words and phrases written in a more Vulgar Latin.
Among other interesting places you can visit the indoor market or the city Macellum, mill, Pistrinum, or a bar, Thermopolium, of antiquity. Also found an amphitheater and several smaller theaters. One of the most interesting findings is the findings of a hotel near the city, and houses near the port.
The city is part of the Vesuvius National Park, considered World Heritage by UNESCO. The mountain itself is about snow miles away, and has a height of 1.281 meters. Nearby you can also visit other cities that were covered by lava, and Herculaneum, Stabiae and Villa Poppaea, which were rediscovered after centuries of neglect.
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