What to see in Pompeii, the city buried by Vesuvius
In AD 79 time stopped for the citizens of Pompeii when a violent eruption from the nearby volcano Vesuvius hurtled towards the bay of Naples (Link: What to see in Naples) and engulfed the city. If you have some time to spare during your trip to Rome then don’t miss the chance to witness ancient Roman life, captured in time by volcanic ash, just 200km from the Eternal City.
The famed German writer Johan Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote of Pompei, ‘Many calamities have befallen the world but no other has given so much pleasure to later generations.’ In this short line Goethe captures the emotional conflict – lying somewhere between horror and fascination – the visitor to Pompeii feels when they walk the streets of this ancient city.
Pompeii and its tragic story
Although the details of its foundation are still disputed by experts, it is generally understood that Pompeii was founded at some point during the 6th century BC by a pre-Roman tribe known as the Osci. What is not
disputed, however, is the fact that the city was besieged by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 89BC and subsequently surrendered in 80 BC, becoming part of the growing Roman empire.
Pompeii’s proximity to the sea and, later, its connection to Rome via the Appian Way made it a city of high economic importance and its booming economy led to it being awarded the title municipium, which was the second highest class of city in the Roman Empire. However, even before the disaster, Pompeii’s economic dominance was already beginning to wane. Initially, one reason for its economic dwindling came in 59 AD when a riot at a gladiator fight between local Pompeians and visiting Nucerians resulted in the emperor Nero banning the lucrative blood sport in Pompei for ten years. Just three years later, Pompeii was hit by a large earthquake, from which the city still had not completely recovered when Vesuvius erupted.
The eruption that buried Pompeii
Pliny the Younger was the only witness present who managed to document what actually happened on that fateful day. Although he dated his notes as the 24th August 79 AD, recent excavations have shown that the eruption actually took place in October of that year instead.
Roma
Roma
Occidental Aran Park
- Accessible from Rome airports and shuttle service.
- Spacious rooms with balconies
- Panoramic restaurant
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
Roma
Occidental Aurelia
- Excellent location
- Ideal for business travel
- Modern and fully equipped rooms
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
Considering the circumstances, Pliny could be forgiven for making this mistake but it seems more plausible that this error was actually the result of centuries of transcription and translation of his works.
Pliny the younger’s notes, which take the form of missives to his good friend and historian Tacitus, are invaluable to the modern historian and visitor to Pompeii. They describe in detail what Pliny saw that day, including the death of his uncle and mentor, Pliny the Elder who succumbed to the same devastation as the citizens of Pompeii. In his honour, eruptions similar to that of Vesuvius in 79 AD are known as ‘Plinian Eruptions’.
The catastrophe claimed the lives of 5000 people in total, since the effects of the eruption were felt in the neighbouring cities of Herculaneum and Stabiae. Excavations are still taking place in Pompeii, where the remains of 1500 people have been discovered so far. But there is some good news in this tragic tale, since there are records that show the population of Pompeii at the time was actually 15,000 many of the citizens appear to have fled to safety.
Today, scholars believe that the whole eruption lasted at least two days and happened in two phases. The first phase was the Plinian eruption, which hurled enormous quantities of pumice stone and ash into the air, raining dark destruction on Pompeii before the second phase brought pyroclastic flows that were capable of reaching speeds of 700km/h and temperatures of up to 1000°C. The latter covered Pompeii completely and burned anything that remained.
After the disaster, the name Pompeii fell into obscurity beneath the thick layers of ash and time. Until, that is, in the 18th century when remains of the city were discovered and the king of Naples ordered archaeological sexcavations to begin. Since then, archaeologists have recovered buildings – as well as the painting and objects that decorated them – in unbelievably good condition. Among these incredible findings were hardened ash which took the forms of the people they covered at the time of the eruption. When they were discovered, these ‘spaces in the ash’ still contained human remains but it was decided to fill the spaces with plaster in order to preserve these macabre testaments to the power of nature and the last moments of a tragic populace. These slightly unnerving ‘statues’ can be spotted all over the city, where many of them were placed in the same buildings where they were discovered.
An excursion to the ruins of Pompeii, where it is and what you can see there
Thanks to the excellent conservation work that continues to this day, the structures of this ancient Roman city are still intact and need no new fortifying structures for the visitor to marvel at them in situ. In 1997 Pompeii was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO for its extraordinary artistic and archaeological value.
- The Forum. This was always the heart and centre of any Roman city and it served as a fount of both commercial and social prosperity. In Pompeii you will find a rectangular space lined on three sides with columns and, on its fourth side, by the temple to Jupiter. It is one of the best-preserved parts of the city.
- The temple to Jupiter. This temple was originally dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Built in the ‘Prostyle’ way, this temple only has columns at the front of the building. At the time of the eruption, the people of Pompeii were still repairing the temple after the terrible earthquake in 62 AD and evidence of this can still be seen today.
- The temple to Apollo. Not only was this temple the most important religious building in Pompeii it was also one of the first they built in the city. The area surrounding the temple gives the visitor the chance to appreciate the architectural marvel that it was, with a total of 28 Corinthian columns that line its outer edge. Not content with these columns, however, the original architects surrounded the precinct with no fewer than 48 more, some of which are still standing in situ today.
- The Basilica. Located next to the forum, the Basilica was a highly important place for the citizens of Pompeii since it was the Roman equivalent of the ministry of justice.
- The Thermal Baths. There was a total of four thermal baths in Pompeii, all of which are open to visitors. The most important of these is located near the Forum and it is notable for the beauty of its decorations still visible on the walls. However, the most famous of these baths today is that which features paintings of erotic scenes on the ceiling of the changing room.
- The Amphitheatre. In Pompeii there were two theatres built in the Greek style since this allowed the architects to make the most of the steep inclines of the hills against which they were built. The Amphitheatre is the oldest of these and it boasts a prestigious past, being built long before the Colosseum (link: The Colosseum: the embodiment of a glorious empire) in Rome. This amphitheatre was the first of its kind to be built in stone and its modern claim to fame is that Pink Floyd played on its stage in 1971.
- The Lupanar. There were a number of brothels in Pompeii but the Lupanar is particularly famous for its erotic wall paintings, which have survived incredibly well, and the presence of some comical inscriptions from contemporary clients.
- Villa of Mysteries. Located on the outskirts of the ancient city centre, the Villa of Mysteries is noteworthy for the quality of its surviving frescos. These are especially important because they appear to depict the initiation rituals for the cult of Dionysus, which was a ‘mystery’ cult, meaning its members kept their rites a secret.
Roma
Roma
Occidental Aran Park
- Accessible from Rome airports and shuttle service.
- Spacious rooms with balconies
- Panoramic restaurant
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
Roma
Occidental Aurelia
- Excellent location
- Ideal for business travel
- Modern and fully equipped rooms
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
Pompeii is simply bursting with buildings of important historical interest like those above. There is the House of the Faun, where the most complete and best-preserved mosaic of Alexander the Great was found and is now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The House of the Tragic Poet, which contains the now-famous mosaic of a dog bearing the Latin term Cave Canem, or ‘Beware of the Dog’. And finally, the Garden of Fugitives, which contains plaster casts of 13 victims who fell here while trying to flee the volcanic destruction. Thanks to its preservation, visitors to Pompeii get a unique chance to see how contemporary Romans lived and there is so much more that still waits to be uncovered.
Information of interest
How to get to Pompeii from Rome
-
By train: You can take the fast train from Termini station directly to Naples. From there, take the Circumvesuviana train to Piazza Garibaldi, which takes around 40 minutes.
-
By car: Pompeii is 250 km from Rome and will take around 3 hours on the A-1 motorway.
-
By bus: Buses run directly from Roma Tiburtina station to Pompeii and take the same amount of time as travelling by car.
It is always recommendable to book tickets to the archaeological area of Pompeii in advance from their official website.