Saturday, June 9, 2018

Italy Day 2 - Rome Day 2 Part 2 by Aaron, Pompeii 庞贝古城

Pompeii


~ Aaron

At the Entrance of Pompeii


Entrance

At the entrance


    Pompeii was a very fun place. The archaeological history of the area is interesting. Giuseppe Fiorelli was the first person to make the famous casts. The House of Mysteries is a very well-preserved villa in Pompeii. There are several major temples in Pompeii. Pompeii is excellent to visit.

Exhibition at the Entrance


Casts 

Gold ring

Mural 

Wall decoration

Pots and Mural

        The history of Pompeii is ancient. It did not start as an ancient Roman city, but it eventually became one. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii. Artifacts from Pompeii were discovered since the eruption, but these were not thought to be from Pompeii. When a plaque was discovered announcing the area was Pompeii, it was only then when people accepted that the artifacts were indeed from Pompeii. Initially scholars only took artifacts from the site to sell. When Italy became a country, the ruler needed someone to take charge of the Pompeii site.


Plaster Casts



Cast

Dog cast 




Cast

Baby cast 

Pots 

Statues

Potteries

        The ruler decided to have Giuseppe Fiorelli take charge of Pompeii in 1800s. He did not want to steal artifacts for money. He learned more about the artifacts and all the information they could give. He documented each artifact in detail; where it was found, what condition it was in, etc. In a way, he was the first person to act like a modern archaeologist. It was he who came up with the idea of the casts. When he found spaces where bodies used to be, he would fill them up with plaster of Paris, and it would harden to form a model of the body. Arguably, the most famous cast, is one of a dog curled up still tied to something.

The Villa of the Mysteries


Villa of the Mysteries, Mt. Vesuvius at back 

Entering the villa

Interior of the villa 

2 human casts found at the villa

Walking through houses of the villa 

At the villa

Interior of the villa

Interior of the villa

Interior of the villa 

Murals of the villa

Murals of the villa

Murals of the villa

        The mosaics in the Villa of Mysteries are very impressive. It’s named for one of the walls decorated with frescoes. Scientists are constantly debating about what they show. Some believe it shows the initiation of a person into a cult, while others think it may be a person getting married. It is still one of the best-preserved houses in all of Pompeii. The owner of the villa is also unknown.


Forum


At the forum

At the forum

At the forum

At the forum

At the forum

At the forum

At the forum
At the forum

At the forum

Temple of Venus



Temple of Venus
Temple of Venus

Temple of Apollo



At the temple

At the temple

At the temple

Temple of Fortuna Augusta


Temple of Fortuna Augusta 

At the temple

At the temple

        The temples in Pompeii are all grandiose. The Temple of Venus is dedicated to the patron goddess of Pompeii. The Temple of Apollo was probably the city’s most important religious building and has an ancient history. Before Pompeii was completely conquered by the Romans, the people of Pompeii worshiped the Greek Apollo. When the Romans conquered Pompeii, they enlarged the Temple of Jupiter and made Jupiter the main god for Pompeii. It is best place to see Mount Vesuvius from any of these temples.

Pompeii City


Refilling water from fountain

Mosaic decorates a house floor
Walking on the street

A house









Street view

Walking towards House of Mystery


Casa della Fontana Piccola



Interior of the house

Interior of the house

Water collector
at the entrance

Murals of the house

House of Marcus Lucretius in Via Stabiana


Mosaic floor at the house garden
Mosaic floor

Mosaic floor

At the house

Murals

Murals

Casa dell'Orso Ferito


Mosaic on the wall

Mural on the wall, mosaic on the floor

Piccolo Theater


Piccolo Theater

Piccolo Theater





Grand Theater


Grand Theater

Grand Theater

Colosseum

At the Colosseum
At the Colosseum

Colosseum

Colosseum

Gladiators Training Center


Grand view of the gladiators training center

Walking down to the center 





Gladiator cell

Gladiator cells 

At the center

At the center

Fullonica di Stephanus


Water collector

Mural 

Murals

Interior of the house

Mosaic on the floor

Exterior of the house

Kitchen of the house






Baths


Rooftop of the baths

At the baths

Interior of the baths

Hotbath

Hotbath

Interior of the baths

At the coldbath

A statue at the baths


Lupanar


Murals

A small bed

Murals

        Like most Roman cities, Pompeii has restaurants, bakery shops, baths, a small coliseum, and large and small theaters. The roads and other paved areas keep the same structure. A few of the streets are wide enough for two-way traffic, and some have stepping stones in midway.  All of these are in the ancient Roman style.


        Pompeii has wonderful artifacts. It is hard to believe that scholars from a few centuries ago would take artifacts from a site to sell. The first person to document all archaeological finds, Giuseppe Fiorelli, worked at Pompeii. The House of Mysteries is famous for its well-preserved state. Pompeii has great temples. I wish I could visit Pompeii a few more times.


Ruins of streets and houses
Afternoon walk at Pompeii


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