Copyright 03-25-2006
On 5th February, 62 A.D, some seventeen years prior to the 79 A.D volcanic eruption that finally suffocated Pompeii, an enormous earthquake occurred. In hindsight, this was an ominous sign, foretelling the seismic activity to come nearly two decades later. For seventeen years Pompeii concentrated on restoring the damages that the earthquake had caused. Suddenly, without warning on 20th August, 79 A.D the earth began to crack and thunder as all the living things became restless and anxious for the awaiting disaster. At last, on the morning of 24th August, 79 A.D, the volcano Mt. Vesuvius exploded with its thick, heavy volcanic ash and sulphuric gas as it descended in enormous amounts by the side of hot embers and rocks heading towards the cities of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum. The citizens of Pompeii tried to escape the horrifying disaster but the volcanic ashes chocked and suffocated every living thing covering the cities with molten ash which was approximately twenty feet deep.
Much incite into the real events of the fateful day in August 79 A.D, have come from the now famous, Pliny the Younger, a resident of Pompeii, who recorded the events in two letters to a well known historian of the era. These letters were written in Latin, the language of ancient Rome, and described what appears to be an accurate account of his personal observations. The letters were given serious credibility during the 16th century. The letters were written to the historian Cornelius Tacitus: On 24th August, in the early afternoon, Pliny the Younger’s mother drew his attention to a large dark cloud of unusual size and appearance hanging over the mountain, Mt. Vesuvius, which covered the whole town, nearby cities and the surrounding sea. Pliny wrote in his letters that quite a few earth tremors were felt at the time of the eruption. He also distinguished that the volcanic ash descended in very thick layers and the village he was living in, had to be evacuated. He wrote that the sun was blocked out by the eruption and the daylight hours were left in shadows of darkness.
Pompeii and Herculaneum were not touched for nearly seventeen hundred years when the first scientific excavation started on 23rd March, 1748. However, it wasn’t until Giuseppe Fiorelli directed the Pompeii excavations from 1863 to 1875 introducing a better way of preserving the entombed artefacts, that the full archaeological find was uncovered. Methodical excavation was undertaken. Fiorelli developed the technique of making plaster casts of the victims of the eruption to recreate the forms of plants, human bodies and anything that had been covered by the volcanic ash.
What remained after so many years, was a hole, shaped in the form of the plant, person or thing that was trapped in the ash for seventeen hundred years. Many things in Pompeii were preserved, including paintings and buildings, which left hints for archaeologists to discover and help solve the mystery of this marvellous city, and give an incite into the lives of human civilization at the time of the volcanic disaster.
Rome, a city always famous for its water and wastewater systems was not destroyed like Pompeii, as it was safely many kilometres away. However, similar water systems had been highly developed in Pompeii prior to 79 A.D, by Roman architects and engineers. The Pompeiians received their water via an aquaduct built by the Romans. From there, water ran into three main lead pipes branching off to smaller pipes taking the water under the footpaths of the city to the various water towers. This water was provided for a variety of uses such as fountains, public baths and entertainment. The water from the aquaducts reached only the lower part of the buildings. The citizens of Pompeii, who were on the upper floors had to go and get water from the nearest fountain themselves. Since fire was a constant concern, Pompeiians were encouraged to keep water stored in their rooms.
In first century A.D much off the Pompeiians amusement and leisure time was spent in the amphitheatre, watching gladiatorial battles. This was built in approximately 70 B.C by Q. Valgus and M. Porcius. These two people were the city’s administrators and highest judges. The amphitheatre is one of the oldest and best preserved, of its kind, unlike all the other Roman arenas in Italy. Christians and slaves were often put to death, here, in the amphitheatre.
Religious faith in Italy, relied on continual renewal of beliefs, often adapting rituals for the changes in social conditions. Faith was founded on a variety of unconnected and often inconsistent mythological traditions from the Greek models rather than Italian. Traditional Roman religion was undermined by the influence of the Greek philosophy of their being one God.
During the reign of Julius Caesar, Jews were granted freedom of worship, and during the reign of Pontius Pilate, Christianity had its early beginnings. Christians believed Jesus of Nazareth to be the personification of God. After his politically motivated crucifixion his teachings were promoted by several determined and Christianity flourished.
A much clear picture of the life and time of ancient Roman civilizations has been revealed by the interesting, but often painstaking unearthing of ancient Pompeii. Many of the modern facilities and urban infrastructure that we take for granted today in most modern cities owe their existence to the knowledge developed by early architects and engineers such as these that built Pompeii. More than 2000 years later, the world is learning more and more about Pompeii, where a treasure of information about Pompeiian’s life has been preserved.