Pompeii: the history of the death of the city and interesting facts. The ruins of Pompeii The eruption of Vesuvius the death of Pompeii

The city of Pompeii is a wonderful example of ancient Roman architecture, covered in legends. Rising from the ashes, it has become a popular Italian open-air museum, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Still not fully explored, the city-museum is located in Campania (near Naples) in the shadow of Vesuvius - the infamous volcano, the eruption of which brought death to Pompeii, but not oblivion...

The Beginning of Pompeii

It is believed that Pompeii was founded in the 6th century BC. ancient people - the Osci, who lived in southern Italy. In Oscan, "pumpe" translates to "five", which may symbolize the merger of five small settlements that have existed in the area since time immemorial. According to another version, the name of the city comes from the ancient Greek “pompe”, which means “triumphal procession”. One of the legends tells about the founding of the city by Hercules, who solemnly marched through the streets of Pompeii after defeating the three-body monster Geryon (tenth labor).

All that is known about the early history of Pompeii is that it was owned in turn by the Greeks, Etruscans, Cums, and Samnites. Pompeii became part of the Roman Republic only in 310 BC, while maintaining its own autonomy. It remained self-governing until 89 BC, when the consul Sula gave it the status of another colony of Rome (payback for the anti-Roman uprising).

It should be noted that Pompeii connected Southern Italy and Rome, being one of the important points of the Via Appia trade route.

Here at an accelerated pace:

built markets and other commercial premises;
they built bridges, an amphitheater, baths, and multi-story buildings;

water pipes were installed and streets were paved with stones.

At the same time, most of the city was given over to the luxurious villas of noble Romans.

Beginning of the End

The fatal earthquake that awakened Vesuvius from sleep occurred in 62. As a result of the strong earthquakes on February 5, not a single building remained standing in the city. And although most of the city buildings were repaired, some of them remained dilapidated until the “doomsday” day...

Death of Pompeii

The inhabitants of Pompeii could not even imagine that nature was preparing a truly cruel blow for them. They continued to carry out restoration work, even began the construction of the Central Baths, without taking seriously the new shocks (the seventies). Indeed, in those days, seismic activity in Campania was considered the norm.

However, retribution for the carelessness was not long in coming...

In August 79, Vesuvius awakened, showering innocent citizens with flakes of ash and stones falling straight from the sky. Only a day later the eruption ended, bringing death not only to Pompeii, but also to two large cities - Stabia and Herculaneum, not to mention small villages and villas. It's no joke, the ashes of Vesuvius reached the borders of Syria and Egypt!

There is a version according to which the eruption lasted not one, but two whole days. The first of them was marked by a rapid release of toxic smoke, inhaling which people immediately burned their lungs and died. Those who managed to escape returned the next day when the smoke had already cleared.

As soon as the smoke cleared, lines of surviving residents pulled towards the city, which became their fatal mistake.

On that terrible day, the peaceful city turned into an earthly “branch of hell.” Death seemed to be in the air, catching the townspeople in churches, houses, and markets. She also pursued beyond the city limits, taking, according to various sources, from two to thirty thousand human lives.

It should be noted that most of the inhabitants (at that time the population of Pompeii was 20 thousand people) still managed to avoid death. But they had nowhere to return to. A multi-meter ball of lapilli and ash is all that remains of a thriving house.

An investigative commission sent to Vesuvius came to the conclusion that there was no point in restoring the lost cities. For a long time, people wandered through the ruins of the dead city, trying to find their lost property. But they also left, realizing the futility of such searches.

The city that rose from the ashes

Consigned to oblivion for centuries, the city of Pompeii was accidentally discovered in the mid-16th century by the Italian architect Domenico Fontana.

Who knows if the ancient walls would ever have been discovered if Count Tuttavilla had not wanted to build an underground tunnel from his villa to the Sarno River? But, apparently, Pompeii was destined to be “reborn”...

Between 1592 and 1600, Fontana was lucky enough to discover several fragments of wall paintings and ancient inscriptions, one of which spoke of “decurio pompeis”. However, an incorrect interpretation of the phrase (a reference to a city office in Pompeii was mistakenly taken for the name of the owner of the villa, Pompey the Great) did not allow us to connect the find with the “lost” Roman site.

A find directly pointing to the location of ancient Pompeii was found only at the end of the 17th century. Thus, the inscription, in which the name of the city once again appeared, put an end to the discussion that had lasted in the scientific world since 1637.

However, the excavations turned out to be a very difficult task - a hard and thick layer of volcanic material reliably protected the secret entrusted to him. The boundary post, which clearly indicates the ownership of the ruins, was only excavated in August 1763.

"Modern" Pompeii

Incredibly, the sudden and rapid death “saved” Pompeii from slow destruction - there is no other ancient city that was so well preserved.

How to get to Pompeii

You can get to the famous archaeological complex inexpensively (for 2-4 euros) by the following types of transport:

train to “Pompeii-Scavi-Villa dei Misteri” from Naples or Sorrento - the journey will take just over half an hour;
bus – connections to Pompeii are organized by CSTP (in Salerno), SITF (in Naples) and Marozzi (in Rome).

Traveling in your own car will be much more expensive - you will have to pay about 5 euros for parking just for one hour. Despite the fact that the entrance ticket for adults is 12 euros.

The city of Pompeii - climate and travel features

When planning a trip, you should understand that in the hot summer the temperature in the south of Italy often rises to +35 °C. To prevent a walk around the complex from becoming a tedious task, it is recommended to take plenty of drinking water and a tube of sunscreen with you.

By the way, in addition to classic walking tours, rented bicycles are allowed on the territory of Pompeii. True, the comfort of movement using the latter method is somewhat questionable, since there are a lot of cobblestones on the territory, and the roads are dotted with wide furrows left on the stonework by the iron wheels of carts.

The appearance of stone blocks is easily explained by the specific structure of the ancient trading city, conventionally divided into upper and lower parts. Sewage flowed along the pavements of the latter, mixed with garbage, making it impossible to cross to the other side of the street. To solve the problem, high stones were installed - an ancient prototype of a modern pedestrian crossing (“zebra crossing”).

What are the ancient walls “silent” about?

A traveler who sets foot on the legendary lands for the first time discovers superbly executed statues, mosaics, and frescoes, which testifies to the high level of skill of their performers.

The next thing that catches your eye is the difference in architectural styles - the chaotic development of old quarters built during the Oscan times is replaced by new “slender” rectangular quarters with straight streets, temples, markets and amphitheaters.

Other advantages of Roman urban planning include the presence of:

paved streets, the care of which fell on the shoulders of the townspeople who repaired and cleaned the area adjacent to his house;
the sloping profile of sidewalks and roads that direct wastewater to the so-called urban sewer.

At the same time, shopping streets were framed by the facades of buildings, the lower floors of which were given over to shops, and the upper floors to private quarters (housing).

The residential areas did not look nearly as presentable. Thanks to the warm climate, private houses here were built mostly without windows, which made it possible to significantly save on expensive glass. Only occasionally did narrow cracks appear in the blind ends facing the street.

Through the efforts of outstanding archaeologists (Alcubierre, F. le Vega, Caroline Bonaparte, Giuseppe Fiorelli) the following were discovered:

necropolises and forums;
theaters and temples;
gates, amphitheater and defensive walls;
“remains” of animals and people - scientists discovered numerous voids in the thickness of the lava. Filled with plaster, they helped to recreate the poses and even facial expressions of the dead;

entire residential areas filled with perfectly preserved household utensils, frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures.

A layer of solidified lava protected the interior of the houses from the merciless influence of time, which did not affect significant cultural values - an important source telling about the urban way of life, life, and art of the Romans who lived here in the 1st century. And although more than half has already been cleared (about 3/5 of the ancient territory), the city of Pompeii continues to carefully guard its secrets, the solution of which falls on the shoulders of future generations.

The city of Pompeii and its attractions

Having allocated a whole day for an excursion, the tourist allows himself to calmly stroll through the streets in search of the next “tidbit”.

But what should people with limited time do?

There are a number of attractions that are recommended for mandatory visits during a tour of the city of Pompeii:

Temple of Apollo - considered the oldest temple erected in honor of the Greek god in the 18th century BC. Of its majestic colonnade, consisting of 28 slender columns, only two have survived. It is believed that the main building, which lies in ruins today, rests on an ancient altar. The only thing that managed to survive were the frescoes decorating the internal niches of the temple (dedicated to the Trojan War);

On August 24, 79, one of the most catastrophic eruptions of Mount Vesuvius occurred. The Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, located at the foot of the volcano, were destroyed. Vesuvius generated a giant hot cloud of stones, ash and smoke up to 33 km high, releasing thermal energy many times greater than that released by the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.
Systematic excavations at Pompeii began in 1860. At the same time, researchers found 40 bodies of city residents buried under the ashes. Historians have discovered that the area around Vesuvius was destroyed by pyroclastic flows.
I have always been amazed by the history of Pompeii and Herculaneum - lying for thousands of years under a shallow layer of ash in one of the most densely populated areas of the world - the foot of Vesuvius! Nearby is the largest and oldest city in Italy, Naples, and no one thought to take a shovel and go digging... what if there was something useful left!?

Recently, a huge number of photographs of the affected cities taken by tourists have appeared. The state of preservation is amazing. What was surprising was the fact that at the end of the 19th century the photos showed protruding roofs of buried houses - that is, people knew and remembered that there were towns here, people lived and had property... but no one even dug!!! Naturally, they took care of antiquity!
But I have always been especially amazed by the fact that the date of the death of Pompeii is known until the day - August 24, 79! For thousands of years people remembered this terrible disaster.
I decided to dig into how many other eruptions there were later that were deposited in people’s memory.
I’ll start with the last one - 1944, there are many videos and photo documents.

Everything is the same - ashes, lava and human sacrifices.

The next eruption in the depths of time was 1906...from here https://www.liveinternet.ru/users/bo4kameda/post415512041/

This is a photograph of a buried volcanological observatory founded in 1841-1842.

This is what historians write about the history of Vesuvius eruptions...
“Presumably, the Vesuvius volcano appeared 25,000 years ago as a result of the collision of two tectonic plates. Traces of the oldest known eruption are dated 6940 ± 100 BC. e.

The eruption, which occurred 3,800 years ago, covered the area covering Naples with pyroclastic flows.
The strong (5 on the eruption scale) eruption of 79 destroyed several cities - Pompeii and Stabiae were covered with volcanic ash, up to 8 m thick in places, and Herculaneum was covered with mud flows due to the rain that accompanied the eruption. There is also a version about a large pyroclastic flow that destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii. The pyroclastic flow was so saturated with gases that they tightly sealed the buildings of the cities, leaving them without oxygen, as a result of which the remains of the victims of the eruption did not decompose, but froze in volcanic ash.
There were also major eruptions in 1631, 1794, 1822, 1872 and 1906. The eruption of 1631 was 10 times weaker than the eruption of 79, but the higher population density of the surrounding areas led to a large number of victims, about 4,000 people. During the eruption, the volcano erupted in several phases. As a result of the eruption, the volcano became lower by 168 m. In 1805, the eruption of Vesuvius was relatively weak, but most of the city of Naples was almost completely destroyed, and about 26 thousand people became victims of the disaster.

The 1872 eruption is also in the photo - https://humus.livejournal.com/3408653.html
There was destruction and casualties, but not very much!
According to historiography, it turns out that the next eruptions in ancient times were 1822, 1794 and 1631, and for all one and a half thousand years Vesuvius was either silent or did not cause any special troubles from the day of the death of Pompeii... it’s not logical... but okay, let’s deal with the last three! Because it is at this time that terrible confusion begins in the testimony of witnesses :::-)))
At that time there were no photographers but there were artists in abundance!
Everyone knows the painting The Last Day of Pompeii written by Karl Bryullov; he created it in 1830 - 1833.
This is what historians write...
“In 1830, Bryullov began work on a large painting with a historical plot - “The Last Day of Pompeii” (1830-1833), commissioned from him by Anatoly Nikolaevich Demidov. The idea of the painting was connected with the fashion for archeology that arose at that time and with the relevance: Vesuvius erupted in 1828. For a more accurate and complete transmission of the tragedy, Bryullov carefully studied numerous literary sources that spoke about the ancient catastrophe, and visited excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum and made a number of sketches of the landscape, ruins, and fossilized figures on the spot.”
That is, here the testimony of witnesses differs from the official dates of the eruption of Vesuvius - Bryullov observed the eruption in 1828 personally! The lava and ashes cooled down and, like any curious person, I went to see what happened there at the sites of the tragedy... participated in the excavations... well, in a completely human way, I helped dig up the town.

Although the painting is dated 1817, according to the official biography, not everything was so wrong...
“In 1819 Turner visited Italy for the first time. He visited Turin, Milan, Rome, Venice, Naples. He studied the works of Titian, Tintoretto, Raphael, and contemporary Italian artists. After traveling to Italy, his painting became more vibrant, the palette intense with a predominance of primary colors. The Venetian theme occupied a special place in the artist’s work. He visited this city three times (in 1819, 1833, 1840), and memories of it fueled his imagination for many years.” Well, these are little things...

Here is another witness...” “The eruption of Vesuvius” is a recurring theme in four paintings and at least one sketch by the English artist Joseph Wright, who traveled through Italy in 1773-1775. One of them, "Vesuvius from Portici", is in the Huntington Library in California; the second, “Eruption of Vesuvius, overlooking the islands in the Bay of Naples” - in the Tate Gallery, London; the third, Vesuvius from Posillippo, can be seen at the Yule Center for British Art; the fourth, known by the same name, is in a private collection.
In 1774, Wright made a gouache sketch during his travels, which is now kept in the Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

But the most interesting is Pierre-Jacques Volaire, nicknamed Chevalier Volaire (Pierre-Jacques Volaire; 1729 - 1799) - a French landscape painter.
Born in Toulon in the family of an official city artist (his grandfather was a decorative artist in the arsenal). He studied with Claude Joseph Vernet, with whom he worked for eight years from 1754 to 1762. Vernet's work had a decisive influence on the formation of Wohler's style.
In 1762, Wohler moved to Rome, where he became a member of the Academy of St. Luke and received the honorary title of knight. But competition in the art market forced the artist to move to Naples in 1767. He lived in Naples until his death.

Judging by his paintings and dating, Vesuvius erupted for several years...

There are a huge number of artists who depicted the eruption of Vesuvius, and basically all the paintings are from the 20s - 30s of the 19th century, the second mass of paintings is from the end of the 18th century, a time in which there were no memorable eruptions... however, judging by the pictures, these were grandiose events!

Here are a bunch of photos of Naples and Pompeii and other surroundings of Vesuvius https://humus.livejournal.com/3997368.html

So I think that Card Bryullov really helped to dig up the freshly buried Pompeii!
What’s most interesting is that Pompeii fell asleep only once, and then not completely…. the roofs of many buildings were sticking out. One of the photos shows a view of Naples from Pompeii, that is, the town is in real direct visibility from Naples! In most paintings depicting the eruption of Vesuvius at the beginning of the 19th century, the view is from Naples and all the lava and stones are flying towards Pompeii... one problem is the dating! But this, as they say, is a question for historians!

Pompeii (Italy) is a unique city. It is of interest as a historical heritage not only for Italy, but also for the whole world. The city is under the protection of UNESCO and, in fact, is an open-air museum complex. Probably every educated person knows that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius completely destroyed Pompeii. The city was buried under a layer of volcanic ash and stones. Several films were made about this terrible incident, and it became the subject of novels and paintings. In Russia, the most famous work of painting on this topic is “The Last Day of Pompeii” by Karl Bryullov.

History of the city of Pompeii

It is believed that the city of Pompeii was first a settlement founded in the 6th century BC. Little is known about the history of that time, but, like many cities in modern Italy, Pompeii was not spared from military action. The city passed from hand to hand of various ancient tribes; at one time it was also owned by the ancient Greeks, who built temples in Pompeii in honor of their gods.

Finally, in the 1st century BC. the city came under the rule of the Roman Empire. From that time on, Pompeii developed rapidly. A forum and an amphitheater were built here, where gladiator fights and other spectacular events took place. Industrial buildings (bakeries, spinning mills), thermal baths (public baths), temples, and rich villas for the nobility were erected. Although the heyday lasted only about 150 years, which is not long for an ancient city, during this time Pompeii was able to leave its descendants with enough architectural monuments.

Eruption of Vesuvius

Where is Vesuvius? Look at the geographical map of Italy and you will see that the famous volcano is located almost in the middle between Naples and Pompeii. The wind played a fatal role in the death of Pompeii, sending a huge cloud of volcanic ash towards the city. Thus, Naples was not damaged, but Pompeii perished, as well as the cities closest to them - Herculaneus and Stabiae.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. For a long time it was believed that it was on August 24, but recent excavations have shown that, most likely, this was a mistake, and the eruption occurred on October 24. The disaster occurred quickly, but still not instantly, so most residents managed to flee the city and escape. It is believed that out of 20 thousand inhabitants, 2 thousand died. But these data are compiled on the basis of human remains found in Pompeii, which are well preserved. Many scientists believe that there were more victims because the townspeople could have died outside the city walls, but their remains could no longer be found.

A volcanic eruption is dangerous due to the release of lava. Streams of fire destroy all life in their path, and buildings and landscapes are modified beyond recognition. But this was not the case with Vesuvius in Pompeii. In 79, the main damage was caused not by lava, but by a cloud of volcanic ash and stones. However, having cut short the life of Pompeii, the ashes well preserved city streets, buildings and even household items in houses. Also, during excavations in the 19th century, another feature was discovered: in place of human bodies, compressed ash formed voids that preserved pre-mortem images. The voids began to be filled with plaster and images of people were obtained. Now such plaster figures in different poses are exhibited in Pompeii so that tourists can appreciate the scale of the tragedy.

Pompeii: what to see?

Excavations in Pompeii are still ongoing. Perhaps soon archaeologists will delight us with some more finds. But even now the city-museum is a rather large complex. Even a quick inspection takes several hours.

Sights of Pompeii that are of interest to tourists:

City gate. It is believed that there were seven gates in total. They did not serve as reliable fortifications; rather, they were simply entrances and exits from the city. Road slabs with cart tracks have also been preserved. The residents of Pompeii also installed flat stones on the road that rose above the tiles. This served as a kind of pedestrian crossing so that the townspeople would not get their feet dirty on rainy days.

Bolshoi Theater (Amphitheater) and Maly Theater (Odeon). The amphitheater accommodated 20 thousand, and the Odeon - 1.5 thousand spectators. They even included columns for installing sun shades. The Amphitheater hosted sports competitions, gladiator fights, and performances were held at the Maly Theater. The Odeon still has good acoustics: sounds from the stage can be clearly heard in the distant audience.

Lupanarium. This is an ancient Roman brothel. In the Pompeii Lupanarium, visiting rooms have been preserved, as well as frescoes with erotic themes in these rooms.

Forum. The main city square, surrounded by columns, was the center of commercial, political and religious life. At first the Forum was located in the center, but as development progressed, Pompeii found itself on the outskirts of the city. There are several other attractions here that are worth visiting: the basilica, the city hall, the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of Apollo, the Arch of Caligula and others.

Thermae (public baths). There are several bath complexes in Pompeii. The Stabius Baths are the best preserved. Here you can see a locker room, a frigidarium (a hall with a cold water pool), a tipidarium (warm water pools), and gymnastics rooms. There are also several plaster images of people who died in the eruption of Vesuvius on display.

Villas and houses. Vesuvius (Italy) was unable to destroy many buildings, some were perfectly preserved, although most still survived to this day only in the form of ruins. But the most valuable thing is that in many villas, under a layer of ash, unique frescoes and paintings survived. By the way, during excavations, buildings were named after images on frescoes or objects found; these names are still used today. For example, the House of the Tragic Poet is named after a fresco of an actor holding a tragic mask in his hands. The House of Mysteries is decorated with images of mythological scenes. A statue of a dancing faun was installed in the House of the Faun, and surgical instruments were found in the House of the Surgeon. The House of the Moralist is named after the inscriptions on the walls with calls to respect women, refrain from fighting and keep feet and beds clean.

Aqueduct. This ancient aqueduct was used not only to deliver drinking water, but also to supply fountains, which are also partially preserved in Pompeii. Also, a lot of water was needed for the functioning of public thermal baths.

Industrial and commercial premises. The thermopolium, the ancestor of the modern cafe, where food was prepared and sold, is well preserved. Also in Pompeii you can see mills and bakeries, spinning and weaving workshops. In such rooms, objects found during excavations are also displayed, for example, ancient amphoras, millstones and others.

Another attraction will help you feel the history of Pompeii - the Street of Plenty. It is named so because of the statue of a girl carrying a cornucopia installed on the fountain. Here you can stroll along the ancient pavement and buy quite modern souvenirs. On Abundance Street there are cafes for tourists and souvenir shops.

How to get there?

Where is Pompeii? Very close to Naples. Therefore, in Naples they offer excursions to Pompeii, but mostly in English, so it’s worth making arrangements with a Russian-speaking guide in advance. If you want to organize your trip yourself, it is best to use the train service. From Naples the train departs from Garibaldi Station and goes to Pompei Station. Travel time is about half an hour.

From Rome it is also easy to get to Pompeii by train, you just need to change trains in Naples (and also move from Central Station to Garibaldi Station) or to Salerno (you don’t need to move from station to station, but the journey is longer). The trip will take approximately 2 hours.

Naples – Vesuvius – Pompeii is one of the popular options for an organized day excursion. To be honest, this is a very busy tour, but some travelers are in a hurry to fit as much as possible into one day. In general, you need to allow at least 4 hours to explore Pompeii. And during this time you will have time to gallop through all the sights. It is better to go to Pompeii for the whole day. But in the evening you can sit in a Neapolitan cafe with a glass of wine and think about eternity. Believe me, a trip to Pompeii encourages such thoughts.

Excursion to Vesuvius

Combine trips to the volcano and Pompeii only if you have very limited time for the excursion program. And if you are a hardy hiker! The fact is that you need to walk a lot around Pompeii; the attractions are scattered over a fairly large perimeter. And then hike up the volcano along one of the tourist routes.

Vesuvius on the map of Italy is located 15 km from Pompeii. A direct bus will get you there in 15 minutes. And then you can walk (there are no cable cars) to the top along nine different routes. The height of Vesuvius is almost 1300 meters. At the very top you can see a crater with smoke. There are benches to rest along the route. Bring comfortable shoes and sun hats. The territory of the volcano is considered a national reserve. Entrance there is paid, the ticket costs 10 euros. In winter (from November 1 to March 31) the park is open only until 15:00, in summer - until 17:00.

Visit Naples, Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. These attractions can be seen in one day. Such tours are offered from Rome and other Italian cities. But it’s better, of course, to leave a whole day for each attraction. Then you will be able to better capture your emotions in memory and take many, many spectacular photos.

The ancient city of Pompeii (Italy): attractions, Vesuvius, map

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Perhaps everyone knows about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 and the destruction of the city of Pompeii. The layers of ash and magma that covered Pompeii preserved entire houses, not to mention trees, people, and animals. Now it is possible not only to see what the same city of Pompeii looked like 2000 years ago, but also to reconstruct the course of the 19-hour volcanic eruption. However, not everything is still known about what happened on that distant August day during the reign. Thanks to modern science, scientists are putting forward more and more new versions about the true causes of the terrible tragedy.

The first harbinger of the disaster was the earthquake in 63. It turned the area around Vesuvius into a desert and destroyed part of Pompeii. Over time, passions subsided, fear passed, and the city was rebuilt again. No one could have imagined that an even more terrible fate awaited people.

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius

It all started at one o'clock in the afternoon on August 24th. With a terrible roar, the top of the volcano opened up, a column of smoke rose above it and clouds of ash flew, which could even reach the regions of Rome. A real downpour of stones and ash fell from the sky with noise and roar, eclipsing the sun. Frightened people fled from the city. Then streams of lava poured out of the volcano. The city of Herculaneum, closest to Vesuvius, was flooded by avalanches of mud formed from ash, water and lava. Rising, they filled the entire city, flowing into windows and doors. Almost no one managed to escape.

The neighboring city of Pompeii did not see any dirt. At first, clouds of ash fell on him, which seemed to be easy to shake off, but then pieces of porous lava and pumice, several kilograms each, began to fall. In the first hours, quite a lot of residents may have managed to leave the city. However, when most people realized what they were in danger of, it was already too late. Sulfur fumes descended on the city, making it difficult to breathe. The townspeople died either under the blows of falling lava, or simply suffocated.

48 hours later the sun shone again. However, the city of Pompeii had ceased to exist by that time. Everything within a radius of 80 km was destroyed. The lava solidified and turned into stone again. The ashes even carried to Africa, Syria, and Egypt. And above Vesuvius there was only a thin column of smoke.

Excavation results, description of the tragedy

Centuries later, when excavations were carried out at the site of Pompeii, many fossilized statues were recovered - victims of that eruption. Scientists managed to find out why they survived. It’s as if nature took care of future archaeologists. Immediately after the eruption, a powerful, hot downpour rained down on the vicinity of Vesuvius, turning the ashes into mud that reliably covered the bodies. Subsequently, this dirt turned into a kind of cement. The flesh that was drenched in it gradually decomposed, but the volume that it once occupied remained hollow inside the hardened substance.

1777 - for the first time, not just a skeleton was found at the Villa Diomede, but also an imprint of the body underneath it, but only in 1864 did the head of the excavations, Giuseppe Fiorolli, figure out how to restore the appearance of the deceased. Having tapped the surface and discovered the cavity that remained from the decomposed body, archaeologists made a small hole and poured liquid plaster into it. Filling the cavern, he created a cast that accurately conveyed the dying pose of the Pompeian.

This method made it possible to restore hundreds of human bodies: in some cases, the hairstyles of the victims, the folds of their clothes and even facial expressions are clearly visible, thanks to which we can imagine in great detail the last minutes of the life of the unfortunate city. The casts captured all the horror and despair of that distant catastrophe, forever stopping the moment: to this day, a woman holds a baby in her arms, and two girls cling to the hems of her clothes. A young man and woman lie side by side, as if they had just fallen while running. And outside the northern walls of the city, some unfortunate person loses his balance, in vain tugging at the goat's leash.

Everywhere, death instantly overtook many people. In the house of a certain Quintus Poppaeus, 10 slaves fell dead while climbing the stairs to the upper chambers; the one going first held a bronze lamp. In the house of Publius Pacuvius Proculus, seven children were crushed when the second floor collapsed, unable to withstand the weight of the lava. In the building where the wine trade was carried out, 34 people took refuge under the vaulted ceiling, taking bread and fruit with them to wait out the eruption, but they could not get out. In one country estate, 18 adults and 2 children died in the cellar, and the owner of the estate, clutching a silver key in his hand, died outside the house at the garden gate overlooking the fields. Next to him was a manager who carried the owner’s money and other valuables.

In Menander's house, the owners fled, leaving the gatekeeper to guard the property. The old man lay down in his closet by the door and died, clutching his master's purse to his chest. At the Nukeria Gate a beggar begged for alms - they gave him small change and gave him brand new sandals, but he could no longer go anywhere in them. A tied dog was forgotten in the House of Vesonia Prima. The dog climbed up through the ash and pumice as long as the length of the chain allowed.

50 gladiators remained in the barracks forever, two were chained to the wall. But among them there was also someone from completely different social strata: she was a woman, apparently rich and noble. The bones that remained from her were decorated with pearls, rings and other jewelry. Was it a generous benefactor who took care of several fighters at once and was caught dead during a routine visit to her charges? Or was she visiting her lover that fateful night? We will never know anything about this mysterious story.

There are many touching facts about the Pompeians, frozen forever in 79, that can be told. Some of the bodies are on display for tourists in Pompeii’s “Garden of the Fugitives,” but most are kept in the storerooms of the museum there.

Why did the inhabitants of Pompeii die?

It was traditionally believed that the death of all Pompeians was long and painful: they inhaled ash, which turned into a kind of cement in their lungs, blocking their breathing. But relatively recently, a group of Naples volcanologists led by Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo questioned this theory. They concluded that the victims did not thrash about, did not suffocate or gasp for air - they were instantly killed by the pyroclastic flow.

According to volcanologists' calculations, Vesuvius ejected six such streams one after another. The first three stopped short of reaching the city, located 4.5 km from the base of the volcano. It was they who destroyed all life in neighboring Herculaneum, Stabiae and the seaside town of Oplontis, which had the misfortune of being located a little closer to Vesuvius (and which, alas, are rarely remembered as victims of that disaster). But the death of Pompeii came from a fourth wave 18 m high, rushing at the speed of a modern car (about 104 km/h) and covering the city with hot gas. Everything lasted no more than a minute, perhaps even less. But this was enough for hundreds of people to die instantly.

Scientists examined the remains of 650 Pompeii and compared them with 37 skeletons discovered at Oplontis and 78 from Herculaneum. Based on the color and structure of the bones, they calculated that the inhabitants of Herculaneum and Oplontis died from a pyroclastic flow with a temperature of 500–600 °C, and the Pompeians died from a flow that was colder: 250–300 °C. In the first case, people were instantly burned to the bones, but in the second, they were not. Therefore, in Herculaneum there was no intact human flesh left, which, being covered with ash, would then create a cavity, as happened with the Pompeians.

But what then explains the fact that most of the inhabitants of Pompeii, as can be seen in their plaster casts, have their mouths gaping wide? After all, this is what made it possible to attribute their death to suffocation in the first place. Volcanologists answer that this is cataleptic rigor. The unfortunate people froze in those positions in which they were unexpectedly overtaken by a wave of hot gas. And in fact, a sharp muscle spasm stopped many of them from moving, for example, in a running position, but a person who is short of breath cannot run. According to Mastrolorenzo, the victim's open mouth is a final cry of pain, not a desire to breathe; hands raised to the face are the result of a convulsive spasm, and not protection from the ash.

Why did everyone always explain the poses of the unfortunate people as suffocation? Exclusively thanks to the convincing story of the Roman historian Pliny the Younger, who reported in letters to Tacitus about the death of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, during the eruption. At the time of the eruption, he and his family were in the port of the Gulf of Naples near Pompeii. Pliny the Elder, admiral of the Roman fleet, headed the squadron to the dying cities.

Soon he reached the nearest one - Stabius. However, as soon as the admiral and his team went ashore, a poisonous sulfur cloud enveloped the coast. Pliny the Younger wrote: “The uncle stood up, leaning on two slaves, and immediately fell... I think because the thick fumes took his breath away. When daylight returned, his body was found completely intact, dressed as he was; he looked more like someone sleeping than someone dead.” The rescuers died of suffocation, and 2,000 refugees died with them. But the fact is that in Pompeii, archaeologists rarely find bodies in Pliny’s pose; most of those remaining in the city were actively engaged in something at the time of death.

Life and everyday life in the city of Pompeii before the disaster

It is noteworthy that in Pompeii, a month before the volcanic eruption, elections of local magistrates were held, and a variety of electoral appeals were preserved on the walls of houses. Among them, few express the wishes of individuals, but the vast majority look like this:

“Gaius Cuspius Pansa is proposed as an aedile by all the master jewelers,” “Please, make Trebius an aedile, he is nominated by confectioners,” “Marcus Golconius Prisca and Gaius Gaius Rufus are proposed by Phoebus as a duumvir with their regular customers.” The sign uniting the authors of the inscription could be the strangest: “Vatia is offered to the aedile, united, all lovers of sleep” or: “Gaia Julia Polybius - to the duumvirs. A lover of academic pursuits, and with him a baker.”

The artists were artisans who, interestingly, worked in a “team method”: some made the mortar and paints, others created the base for the fresco, and still others painted it. Experts today learned that the Pompeians mixed paints with water to create different shades on the wall, which was still damp from fresh plaster. After this, the painting was polished with stone rollers. Due to the fact that the frescoes have survived to this day, scientists have come to the conclusion that the Pompeians had 4 different styles of wall painting in their arsenal.

In the 3rd century BC. e. They applied plaster to the sandstone, which they then painted to create a colored background for the wall, and only after that they applied the design. If in 85-80 BC. e. depicted real people, then in the 30s, images of literary heroes already appeared on the walls. A little later they switched to decor reminiscent of impressionist paintings. What’s interesting: after the volcanic eruption, similar frescoes were never repeated anywhere else.

The mosaics of the Pompeii are especially fascinating. It was made of glass or ceramics. Moreover, mosaics played not only an aesthetic, but also a functional role in homes. For example, “messages” were laid out on mosaic floors. If a figure of a dog was placed at the entrance, this could indicate the wealth of the owner of the house, and the “dog” was called upon to guard this wealth.

There were quite a lot of mosaics in the houses and baths of the city residents. 1831 - archaeologists found a mosaic panel made of one and a half million cubes! We are talking about a mosaic that depicts him leading a duel with the Persian king Darius. Alex Barbe believes that this panel was located in the villa of a very rich resident of Pompeii, since his bathhouse, also completely decorated with mosaics, was nearby. Fountains were also decorated in the same way - both in the city and in the gardens of the rich.

The salons for receiving guests were especially skillfully decorated. There could be several of them. The refectory was organized in the Greek style: there are three beds with pillows arranged in a semi-oval. They accepted treats while reclining. In such a dining room there were usually three doors, two of which were intended exclusively for servants.

The inhabitants of Pompeii were known in the ancient world as great food lovers. The mild Mediterranean climate made it possible to grow various vegetables and fruits, fish splashed nearby, and there was plenty of meat. Skilled slave cooks prepared delicacies that were famous far beyond the city. The various recipes for the dishes served were strictly kept. Sometimes the owners set such slaves free in gratitude for their culinary skills, however, stipulating the conditions: their successor students must be the same masters in preparing dishes as they were.

First excavations of the city

However, several centuries passed, and the Italians forgot exactly where the lost cities were located. Legends conveyed echoes of ancient events to residents. But who died? Where and when? Peasants who dug wells on their estates often found traces of ancient buildings in the ground. Only at the end of the 16th century, while building an underground tunnel near the city of Torre Annunziata, builders stumbled upon the remains of an ancient wall. Another 100 years later, while constructing a well, workers discovered part of a building with the inscription: “Pompeii.”

Serious excavations in the area of the disaster began only in the second half of the 18th century. But archaeologists did not have enough experience to properly carry out work of this scale. Excavated buildings, after all the most interesting things were removed from them - usually jewelry and ancient statues - were filled up again. As a result, many priceless artifacts and everyday items of the townspeople were lost. However, already at the end of the 18th century, archaeologists grabbed their heads and brought order to the excavations.

And during the reign of Joachim Murat, a former Napoleonic marshal who eventually became the ruler of Naples, excavations began to be carried out in a completely civilized manner, according to all the rules of science. Now scientists paid attention to the arrangement of things, their environment, simple tools and household utensils. Three quarters of the buried cities have been excavated to this day. But there is still a lot of work ahead, promising new amazing discoveries for scientists.

Ancient city of Pompeii was formed back in the 6th century BC. If it were not for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which burned the entire city to the ground, covering it with a huge layer of volcanic ash, Pompeii would still exist not far from Naples. Now these are ruins that UNESCO has listed as a World Heritage Site.

The name Pompeii arose after the unification of five independent cities (pumpe - five). This is a more plausible version. There is a legend according to which Hercules defeated the giant Geryon in a tough battle, and after that he solemnly walked around the city, celebrating the victory. From the ancient Greek language pumpe is a solemn, triumphal procession.

In those days, people believed in God, and believed that the gods controlled earthly cataclysms. Despite the fact that on February 5, 62 AD. e. A strong earthquake occurred, which could possibly have been the impetus for a volcanic eruption, people still continued to live in the city, worshiping the gods, and believing that no misfortune would happen to them. Still, the volcano erupted. It happened August 24, 79 AD Not only the city of Pompeii suffered, but also nearby cities - Herculaneum, Stabiae. The eruption was so strong that the ash even reached neighboring countries - Egypt and Syria. About 20 thousand people lived in the city. Some managed to escape even before the disaster began, but many died. The exact number of victims is unknown, but the remains of bodies were found far outside the city.

The city remained under a layer of ash for many centuries until in 1592 by Dominico Fontana(a famous architect of that time) did not stumble upon the city wall while laying a canal from the Sarno River. No one gave this wall much importance, and only about 100 years later in the ruins of Pompeii they found a tablet with the inscription “Pompeii” carved on it. Even after this incident, no one could have imagined that this was an ancient city that had disappeared from the face of the earth. They concluded that this was the old villa of Pompey the Great.

And so in 1748 the extraction of the ancient city began. Led the excavations Alcubierre, who was sure that this was the city of Stabiae. Directly in Pompeii itself, only three excavations were carried out in different places. Alcubierre was a barbarian, and he sent all finds that, in his opinion, were of interest to the Naples Museum, and simply destroyed others. Many scientists protested, and the excavations stopped.

In 1760, new excavations began, led by F. Vega. They continued until 1804. Vega and his subordinates spent 44 years retrieving works of art. All finds were restored again and removed very carefully. At this time, tourists had already begun to come here, so many monuments were not immediately transferred to museums, but were left on display for visitors to the city of Pompeii, which had already become a museum.

In 1863, excavations continued. This time they were led Giuseppe Fiorelli. It was he who discovered a huge number of voids under layers of ash. These are nothing more than the bodies of the city's inhabitants. By filling these voids with plaster, scientists completely reproduced casts of human bodies, right down to facial expressions.