By Marcia Abramson
I selected Ancient Pompeii since I would also have the opportunity of seeing the infamous volcano Vesuvius which erupted for the first time in 79 A.D. with eruptions in just about every 20 years over the last 100 years, the last one being in 1944. The next cataclysm is long overdue and just about every tourist believes that they see the oncoming smoke as they tour the ruins at Pompeii. Vesuvius is not the highest or most dangerous volcano in the world, but the eruption that buried Pompeii and nearby Herclanium has made it the most famous. In fact, Goethe wrote, "Many a calamity has happened in the world, but never one that caused so much entertainment to posterity as this one."
According to historians, Vesuvius had been letting off steam and debris for several days prior to August 24, 79 A.D. About early that morning the basalt plug collapsed, unleashing the full force of the volcano. It was reported that a huge cloud blotted out the sun, raining dust, stone and lava on the surrounding countryside. Pompeii was buried within hours, some 2,000 of its residents killed by falling rocks and asphyxiating gases. The volcano's internal walls disintegrated sending further torrents of ash over the town. I decided that a closer look at the volcano's crater would involve a more than 30-minute climb to the summit after a two- hour local railway ride would take away too much time from touring the remains of Pompeii. When Charles Dickens visited Vesuvius, he was carried to the top in a litter carried by 15 attendants. And James Boswell noted in his diary in 1765 that the climb was hazardous and with all the smoke, he could barely see inside the crater.
The fate of Pompeii became the archaeologists' fortune. The burial of Pompeii gave the world the finest surviving Roman town as well as a wonderful insight into the details of 1st century living. The city's existence was captured by the disaster that overwhelmed its inhabitants. Pompeii started off as a Greek trading post in the 6th century and did not become famous until after disaster struck. It was in the 6th century that Pompeii started its existence as a Greek trading post until it became a thriving Roman colony. But the city remained dormant until after Ancient texts reveals a devastating earthquake in 63 A.D., to be followed by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D. The 1600's made the historians aware of Pompeii's existence, and then excavations began in 1748 revealing most of the site. The site is enormous and even spending a full day is not sufficient to examine one of the most complete of all Roman amphitheatres, with seating capacity for 20,000 people. Built in 80 B.C., it is Italy's oldest surviving amphitheatre and one of the most complete in the Roman world.
The first area I encountered was the Forum at the site's western entrance. This was the center of Roman civic life. Surviving buildings includes the Basilica which is the business center and law courts, a market place, temples to Apollo, Venus, Jupiter and Vespasian. Not to be missed is the Antiquarium which is close by. There, I saw body casts taken from the volcanic ash, figures whose contorted shapes graphically illustrate the horror of that morning. Beyond the Forum is the Terme Stablane, the town's earliest bathhouses. Still preserved are the men's and women's sections of the swimming pools with all the features of changing rooms for storage of clothes. Alongside the bath house is the red light district, the Vico del Lupinare. At one end is a small brothel with bed stalls, and a listing of services available. The Casa del Vetil is Pompeii's best preserved and most artistically rewarding house. It was owned by two very wealthy merchants and possesses the area's finest wall paintings. The frieze of the cupids is deserving of special note. The vestibule contains the renowned well-endowed Priapus, and a roomful of explicit erotica. Phallic symbols appear all over Pompeii, supposedly to ward off the evil eye. There are many other well-kept homes with signs advising to beware of the dog, "Cave canem." About 15,000 pieces of graffiti have been found all over Pompeii, some salacious, others political or even cultural.
Ancient Pompeii has much to offer and is well worth the Renaissance Shore Excursion.
Copyright by Marcia Abramson
