Pompeii: What to Expect from Italy’s Legendary Ruined City

Pompeii is known not only as a destination site but also as a historical event throughout the world. This archaeological site is situated near Naples, Southern Italy. It is famous because an unexpected volcanic eruption once destroyed it and left many remains intact. Visiting Pompeii can really give you a flashback to the time of Ancient Rome. 

The Volcanic Eruption

Pompeii was one of the great, richest, flourishing, and significant resort cities during the time of ancient Rome. However, in 79 AD, the city got razed down by the eruption of a nearby volcano and was hidden under 20 feet of ash and debris. The eruption lasted for about 24 hours and roasted the entire city and residents of Pompeii. About 2000 people died in the eruption, and the city was abandoned for almost many years. After the eruption, nobody discovered the town, and it remained untouched until 1748.

After many years, when a group of explorers and researchers discovered the site in 1748, they were surprised to see that Pompeii was almost intact under the debris and dust as it had been nearly 2000 years before. Their building was intact; the skeleton was frozen right where they had fallen. The city’s remains still exist in the Bay of Naples, modern-day Italy. However, the artifacts, buildings, and skeletons left behind in buried cities have taught us about everyday life in the ancient world. During the city’s excavation, archeologists discovered luxurious houses, big buildings, theaters, etc., and some remains are still present, attracting the tourist towards itself. 

Moreover, one of the fascinating facts that are also the saddest fact about Pompeii city is that citizens were not familiar with the term called a volcano. When the volcano started to erupt, they could run for shelter, but they didn’t realize that the mountain was a volcano. In their unawareness, they kept waiting in the city, not knowing what to do, and eventually died.

History of the City

Pompeii city was originally settled around the 7th century BC by the Oscan people, and the port city was a popular location for trading and farming. It is estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 people lived in the city, which is not much if you think about it today, but at that time, the world population was used to be less than 500 million. So if we consider this number, Pompeii was fairly a large city with lots of people living there. However, the city was booming with economy, culture, and business. It was considered the modern city of that time.

At that time, Pompeii city was a popular vacation destination by Roman, and they had their summer homes in the town where they spent their summer months. It was typically a Roman city, but researchers also believed ancient Greeks also ruled it. However, there is not any evidence showing the exact date during which the Greeks occupied it, but few signs show the existence of a Greek Doric Temple in Pompeii.

Fascinating Pompeii Ruins

Pompeii is one of the most visited archaeological sites with about 3million visitors in the previous year. It is a compelling and alluring site to visit because of the following top attractions; 

House of the Vettii

House of the Vettii is one of the best-preserved Roman villas that was renovated after the earthquake of 62AD. It covers an area of approximately 1,100 square meters and features a fresh design that includes a mixture of beautiful frescoes painted with black backgrounds framed in red and yellow. The house contains a series of entertainment rooms surrounding a large central courtyard surrounded by columns. Inside the house of Vettii, Sculptures and some home furnishings have been restored to their original context so that visitors can see what the house looked like when a volcanic eruption destroyed it. 

Lupanar of Pompeii

Lupanar of Pompeii, also famous as Lupanare Grande, is the city’s famous brothel, which is one of the top attractions for tourists. This brothel was built on two floors and features ten small rooms with brick platforms topped with mattresses that were once served as beds. Inside the Lupanar, a few paintings on the wall are sexual in nature. These paintings are graffiti that both prostitutes and clients have made on the wall, which amazes visitors.

Pompeii Thermal Baths

Thermal baths or public baths were a common feature of this smallest city; it is like a pool like a modern swimming pool but was not as big as today’s swimming pools. There were pools with warm water and a pool with cool water that was opened all the time for every class, including slaves, men, and women, although they bathed separately. These public baths were considered the main place to meet as well as to wash.

There were three sets of public baths in Pompeii: Stabian, forum, and central baths. The stabbing represents the oldest thermal baths in the city. It was composed of three sections, including rooms in the north section, a second section consisting of a group of private baths, and a third section made up of changing rooms.

Forum baths are the smallest bath and were elaborately decorated that include two sections, including the men section and the women section. And the third one; central baths that were still unfished when the volcano erupted in 79 AD. Central bath had no separate sections of men and women.

The House of the Tragic Poet

The House of the tragic poet is another fascinating beauty to see that is famed for its artful decorations. The entire building is full of fine mosaics and frescoes. Near the entrance, a mosaic is shown with the word “cave canem” – Beware of the dog – written underneath. 

The outstanding decoration of the house has wondered everyone about the lives of homeowners, but, unfortunately, there is not much information about the family members of the house.

The House of the Faun

It is the largest and opulent house discovered in Pompeii, which is taking up an entire city block. House of faun was featured with great art pieces, including the marble floor set in a geometric pattern, which is the most impressive artwork of this site. From this massive structure, archeologists discovered Pompeii’s greatest artistic treasures.

Not only this, but there are many other sites to see in this city. So you must have to plan a visit to this beautiful archeological site.