POMPEII

Pompeii (Italian, Pompei) is an ancient Roman city in Italy, which perished along with Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae on August 24-26, 79 A.D. as a result of an eruption of Vesuvius volcano.

Etymology of the name Pompeii, most likely, goes back to “pumpe” in Oscan language. The word “pompe” is an enumerative meaning “five;” in relation to the city, it meant that it was divided into five parts.

There is another hypothesis, however, of the origin of the word Pompeii: Greek word “pompe” indicates a triumphant procession, but this etymology is as clear as it is unverified. It has its roots in an ancient legend about the foundation of Pompeii (and nearby Herculaneum) by Hercules. After defeating Geryon, Hercules with the cows he captured triumphantly marched through the city.

The ruins of Pompeii are located on the outskirts of today’s little town of Pompei (province of Naples, Campania region), not far from the coast of Gulf of Naples –– which was called in ancient times Cumaen Bay — and north of the Sarno –– at the ancient times the Sarnus River.

The ancient settlements of Pompeii were founded by Oscan tribes in VII century B.C. at the crossing of the roads leading to Cumae, Nola and Stabiae, and in VI century B.C. were conquered first by Etruscans and then by Greeks from Cumae. During the Samnite Wars (343-290 B.C.), Pompeii gained status of Rome’s ally and maintained loyalty to it also during the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.). During the War of the Allies (91-88 B.C.), Pompeii found themselves on the side of Rome’s enemies and was taken by storm by Sulla, who in 80s B.C. populated the city with his veterans. Since that time Pompeii became a Roman colony (Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum, Latin) and an important sea port, through which goods were shipped to southern Italy and Rome along the famous Appian Way, as well as the center of agriculture producing wine and oil.

Since the end of I B.C. and until its perdition in 79 A.D., Pompeii reached its highest blossom. The main types of constructions typical to a Roman city were erected here: on the Forum along with cult and administrative buildings of various kinds and designation there was a Jupiter temple, an indoor market and a basilica. In the city there were two theaters, the smallest of them was used as Odeon; the amphitheater (the oldest of all known today –– around 80s B.C.) was designed for 20 thousand spectators; three big thermae. A number of residential facilities and shops named after their owners, in honor of outstanding works of art or in honor of outstanding individuals or events remained here (“The House of Faun,” “The House of Epigram,” “The House of Menander,” “The Villa of Mysteries”). The walls of rich houses and social buildings were adorned with decorative frescoes (Dionysian mysteries on the Villa of Mysteries) and mosaics (The Battle of Issus with depiction of Alexander the Great in the House of Faun).

A premonition of the terrible catastrophe that befell the city located near Vesuvius volcano was an earthquake on February 5 of 63 A.D., when in Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Naples many buildings were damaged to such an extent that they were not restored even in sixteen years.

An eruption of Vesuvius began in the afternoon of August 24, 79 A.D., and lasted until August 26 and terminated Pompeii and three more Roman cities –– Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. Testimonies of Roman writer Pliny the Younger contributed to archeological excavations in these cities: he wrote in his two letters to famous historian Tacitus about the death his uncle –– a scientist and prefect of Misenum Fleet Pliny the Elder. When a pinia-shaped cloud of dingy white appeared from Vesuvius’ direction, Pliny the Elder ordered that the ships should be made ready to sail from Misenum to Pompeii to evacuate those living on the coastline. However, access to the shore was blocked by a landslide, so then Pliny made a decision to go to Stabiae, the rest place of rich Romans located south-east of Pompeii. Here Pliny the Elder took over the command: he tried to calm down the people and started a gradual evacuation advising them not to hide in the houses from red-hot ash and pieces of pumice falling from the sky but to tie pillows to their heads with towels and leave the city. As the night fell down, lava streamed from Vesuvius’ side; everything became ablaze; ash made it hard to breathe. On August 25, after an earthquake a tsunami started; the sea moved away from the shore, and a black thundercloud hung above Pompeii and the surrounding cities; the cape of Misenum and Capri Island could not be seen because of it. It became pitch dark, and ash started to heavily rain. The majority of Pompeii’s population was able to escape, but in the streets and inside the houses of the city around two thousand people died from poisonous sulfur gasses. Pliny the Elder was among the victims.

The ruins of Pompeii were accidentally discovered as early as in the end of XVI century, but systematic excavations began only in 1748 and still continue to this day along with reconstruction and restoration works. During that time it was discovered that Pompeii located 9.5 kilometers away from Vesuvius crater and 4.5 kilometers away from the volcano’s foot was covered by a 5.7 meters high layer of small pieces of pumice and volcanic ash. This mass affected by the pouring rain that turned it into liquid dirt later on became solid and formed a layer of about 1.5 to 6 meters thick. Another city, Herculaneum, located 7 kilometers away from the crater of the volcano and about 2 kilometers from its foot was covered with a layer of volcanic ash, the temperature of which was so high that all the wooden items were completely incinerated. Rain turned volcanic ash into volcanic dirt, which became solid and very hard. On top everything was flooded with lava. The total height of the volcanic layer in Herculaneum is from 12 to 23 meters thick.