Day Nine: Pompeii

Today, we visited the remains of Pompeii, a port city that was covered in volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The city was buried in ash until the mid-1800s when archeologists began to excavate the town. What they discovered gave modern scholars an insight into ancient Roman life. The main area excavated for the past 160 years revolved around extremely public places, like the forum. The forum is a lot like a modern-day main street or center of town. People would gather together to attend community assemblies in the basilica (a multipurpose building with special links to legal procedures), to conduct business, or talk politics at the curia, Pompeii’s equivalent of city hall. The Forum was the place to be to mingle and mix and be seen in old Pompeii.

The Forum


At one end of the Forum is the Temple of Jupiter (Zeus). This was the most revered god in the Roman world. It is believed that most ancient cities dedicated a temple in his honor in the center of town. Looming in the shadows behind the temple stands Mount Vesuvius. The volcano is an eerie reminder of how most of the community perished during the volcanic eruption.

Directly behind me is the Temple of Jupiter. All that remains of this once magnificent building are six ruined columns marking the entrance to the temple site and the grand staircase leading to the building. During ancient times, Romans would not worship inside the temples. In fact, no person even set foot inside them. They were considered grand buildings, but small in size. That’s why Christian churches began meeting in the basilica rather than the temples – the basilicas held more people.

 

Human Remains

One of the sides of the forum is also home to some of the human and animal remains. When Mount Vesuvius blew, hundreds of thousands of pounds of ash fell on the city of Pompeii. The Pompeii citizens suffocated under the ash that was falling from the sky. Then, their bodies were buried in the volcanic matter. After a time, the bodies of the victims decomposed. Modern-day archeologists found that their bodies left a hole in the ash. The archeologists filled these holes with plaster and were able to see the image of various victims of the eruption in their last minutes of life. Here is one of the most moving sculptures of modern-day plaster mixed with ancient human bone.

The Dogs of Pompeii


Also, there is an organization that helps homeless animals called the Dogs of Pompeii. This organization sponsors dogs that roam around the ancient ruins. It provides them with needed supplies and food. During our tour of Pompeii, we found that there were dogs loitering around examining the tourists who visited the site. The dogs are friendly and very comfortable around strangers. Their presence made me miss my own pets, Macomb, Ree, and Coco. If you would be interested in donating to the Dogs of Pompeii project, visit their website at http://www.icanidipompei.com/. All of the money goes toward keeping these dogs off the streets and in the hearts of visitors to Pompeii.

We visited so much more than space allows to recall. Visit my Facebook account (http://www.facebook.com/ under Wendy Whitmore Klaasen) for most pictures of this powerful place. Because Pompeii is such a rich and expansive site, we will be visiting again next Monday. Stay posted for more information about the homes found beneath the volcanic ash.