Mysterious Pompeii, an ancient settlement that keeps the breath of Ancient Rome, is today an open-air museum. An extinct city, today it comes back to life thanks to the efforts of archaeologists, however, already as a museum exhibit.

History pages

Until the moment when the eruption of Vesuvius swept the city from the face of the earth, Pompeii was very highly developed and high-tech for its time settlement.

Pompeii (Pompeii) - not exactly a Roman city, as is commonly believed. It was founded in the 8th century BC. Osci tribe - one of the ancient peoples of Italy. The name "Pompeii" from the ancient Oscan language can be translated as "five", the reason for this name lies in the fact that Pompei were founded on the site of five ancient Oscan settlements.

True, there is another version, more related to mythology: supposedly in these parts Hercules defeated a powerful adversary and arranged a solemn procession in the city on this occasion (Pompe - this is how “Pompeii” is translated from the ancient Greek language).

In Italy it was at that time many Greek colonies, therefore, a little time later, Osci adopt Greek culture and architecture. The latter is especially clearly seen: the first buildings were chaotic, the order of buildings was not respected, and later, under the Hellenic influence, urban architecture acquires a clearer outline - strict rows of streets and rows of houses. Moreover, the Osks did not even suspect that they were building their houses right on the frozen lava ...

After many battles Romans took control of the city.

Pompeii has a very convenient location in economic terms: at the foot of Vesuvius, on the Sarno River. This location allowed the inhabitants of the city to use the river for navigation and trade. The inhabitants were engaged in the production of oils, wool and wines, which also contributed to the trade and prosperity of the city. And the Appian Way, which passed through the city, was important for the economy and trade.

Gradually, Pompei come under the rule of Rome and become a recreation center for noble Roman patricians. The city grew and developed...

Are you dreaming of visiting Florence, one of the most romantic cities in Italy? Then you should look at the main architectural structure of the city - Palazzo Vecchio. Detailed information .

The tragedy of the city

The first "wake-up call" rang in 62 AD, when a strongest earthquake. Many houses and temples were destroyed. But the inhabitants of the city managed to restore everything in a short time and again life flowed along the usual course.

The peak fell on August 24, 79. On this day, there was a strong eruption of the Vesuvius volcano, after which the city was buried for centuries under a multi-meter layer of ash.

The day before, ash flakes began to fall on the city, and there was so much of it that they had to constantly shake it off their clothes. The volcano was thought to be dormant for a long time., so at first none of the inhabitants paid attention to the cloud of smoke and fire escaping from the vent.

Stones began to fall from the sky, and the ashes settled on the houses in such a thick layer that the roofs began to collapse., burying people remaining in the premises.

The more astute citizens left Pompeii immediately after the first rains, and fled to the nearby villages. The eruption continued for about a day. The city was completely destroyed.

It was discovered by chance, in the 17th century, during the construction of a water supply system. The honor of discovery belongs to the Italian architect Domenico Fontana, who, while excavating, came across the remains of a wall and well-preserved frescoes by the river. And for a long time they could not imagine that these pitiful remains are the ruins of the mighty Pompeii.

And only when sign was found(border pillar), it became clear that here the once majestic ancient Roman city was buried under the layers of earth.

Full-fledged excavations began a century later, in the 17th century, and continue to this day, as well as scientific research.

For more on the tragedy of Pompeii and excavations, see the video:

Attractions and interesting places

Today, on the site of the legendary city, you can see only the remains of its former greatness. You can find the Pompei excavation site near Naples. open-air museum city attracts many tourists every year.

Pompeii is not only a mass of the most interesting sights of Italy, but also a unique witness to history. Due to the fact that the city was almost instantly covered with ashes, all the surviving buildings, frescoes, mosaics, sculptures and objects are very well preserved. So, what can be seen today at the place where Pompeii is located?

• Forum.

  This building can be called the heart of the ancient Roman city, its social and economic center. At first, there was only a trading square on the site of the Forum, then the market was significantly expanded, and residents began to gather at the market not only for shopping, but also for discussing city events.
  



• Lupanar.

  "A wicked place" in the city, where the townspeople came in search of carnal pleasures. The name itself is translated from Italian as "she-wolf" - it was with the help of a wolf-like howl that women of easy virtue attracted their customers. It was quite easy to recognize the priestesses of love of that time - hair gathered and raised at the back of the head, and a wide red belt on clothes.

  All rooms for love dates were painted with erotic frescoes. Today, some of these frescoes can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. By the way, this was not the only brothel in the city (there were about 30 of them in total), but Lupanar was the most famous.
  



• Amphitheater.

  A large-scale structure on two levels was intended for gladiator fights and various spectacles. Only the outer walls and seats survived, but the steps were completely destroyed - they were made of wood and simply did not survive after the eruption.
  



• Residential houses.

  All buildings and residential buildings are very well preserved, almost in their original form (if, of course, an amendment is made to the past tense). The interior decoration of the houses did not differ in aesthetics, but outwardly they were very richly decorated, painted with frescoes or decorated with mosaic ornaments.

  There were almost no windows in the houses (unlike the palaces and houses of rich nobles), they were replaced by narrow openings. There were no street signs either, each house was simply written with the name of its owner (some of these signs are kept in the Archaeological Museum). On the territory of each house there was a stone pool for collecting rainwater (such water was considered sacred).
  



• Frescoes found during excavations.

  They contain historical scenes and scenes of Roman amusements. Almost all of them have been transferred to the Naples Museum, and in the restored city one can observe only skillfully made copies.
  

• In addition, you can also see Temple of Jupiter, Maly Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre, Stabian Baths, triumphal arches and other preserved buildings of Pompeii.

During the excavations it was found a lot of gold jewelry, ceramic products. Pottery is generally well preserved, however, drawings and patterns on pots and jugs suffered from fire and time.

Found several bakeries - huge stoves, kitchen utensils and other equipment, as well as the so-called thermopolies - taverns. Rarely in any house in Pompeii there were kitchens with stoves, so food was delivered from such thermopolies.

Opening hours, ticket prices

• During high season(from the beginning of April to the end of October) you can get into Pompei from 8.30 in the morning, and the closing time is at 19.00 (the box office closes at 17.30, an hour and a half before closing).
• In the low season(this time is from November to March) You can see Pompeii from 8.30 (9.00) in the morning until 17.00 (the box office closes at 15.30).
• Ticket price - 13 euros. They can be purchased at the box office.

There, at the box office, you can take a guide card, otherwise it is not surprising to get lost in all the intricacies of the ancient streets.

• An excursion to Pompeii can be combined with a visit to other ancient cities - Herculaneum, Boscoreale, Villa Stadia and others. In this case, the ticket will cost at 22 euros (with a discount).
• Groups of schoolchildren and students can visit Pompeii by appointment. None there is no limit on the number of groups.

You can check ticket prices, find out about the schedule of excursions, as well as get other background information about Pompeii. on the official website of the attraction - www.pompeiisites.org

There are no Russian speaking guides here, and the guide map is offered in Italian or English. Therefore, you can print information about the most significant objects and sights of Pompeii in advance on the Internet, and navigate on the spot based on this data.

Ancient city of Pompeii was formed in the 6th century BC. If 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 near Naples. Now these are the 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 the 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 control earthly cataclysms. Despite the fact that February 5, 62 AD. e. there was a strong earthquake, which, perhaps, could become the impetus for a volcanic eruption, people still continued to live in the city, worshiping the gods, and believing that misfortune would not happen to them. However, the volcano erupted. It is 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 ashes flew even to neighboring states - Egypt and Syria. About 20 thousand people lived in the city. Some managed to escape even before the start of the disaster, but many died. The exact number of victims is unknown, but the remains of the 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 well-known architect of that time) did not stumble upon the city wall while laying a canal from the Sarno River. No one betrayed this wall of great importance, and only after about 100 years in the ruins of Pompeii was found a tablet with an inscription carved on it - "Pompeii". 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 is the old villa of Pompey the Great.

And in 1748, the extraction of the ancient city began. The excavations were led 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 all the finds that, in his opinion, were of interest, he sent to the Naples Museum, and simply destroyed others. Many scientists protested, and the excavations stopped.

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

Excavations continued in 1863. This time they were led Giuseppe Fiorelli. It was he who discovered a huge number of voids under the layers of ash. This is nothing but the bodies of the inhabitants of the city. Filling these voids with gypsum, scientists completely reproduced casts of human bodies, down to facial expressions.

Perhaps everyone knows about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, and the death 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 a 19-hour volcanic eruption. However, far from 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 disaster was an earthquake in 63. It turned the vicinity of Vesuvius into a desert and destroyed part of Pompeii. Over time, the passions subsided, the fear passed, the city was rebuilt again. No one could have imagined that an even more terrible fate awaited people.

Vesuvius volcano eruption

It all started at one o'clock on the 24th of August. 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 the city. Then lava flows poured out of the volcano. The city of Herculaneum, closest to Vesuvius, was flooded with avalanches of mud formed from ash, water and lava. Rising, they filled the whole city with themselves, flowing through windows and doors. Almost no one managed to escape.

The neighboring city of Pompeii did not see mud. 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, perhaps, quite a lot of residents managed to leave the city. However, by the time most people realized what was in store for them, it was already too late. Sulfur fumes descended on the city, making it difficult to breathe. Citizens died either under the blows of falling lava, or simply suffocated.

After 48 hours, the sun shone again. However, the city of Pompeii had ceased to exist by that time. Within a radius of 80 km, everything was destroyed. Lava, solidifying, again turned into stone. The ashes were carried even to Africa, Syria, 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 petrified statues were recovered - victims of that eruption. Scientists managed to figure out why they survived. Nature seemed to take care of future archaeologists. Immediately after the eruption, a powerful hot downpour poured into the vicinity of Vesuvius, which turned the ashes into mud, which reliably covered the bodies. Subsequently, this mud turned into a kind of cement. The flesh flooded with it gradually decomposed, but the volume that it once occupied remained hollow inside the hardened substance.

1777 - at the Villa of Diomedes for the first time they found not just a skeleton, but also an imprint of the body under 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 found a cavity that remained from the decomposed body, archaeologists made a small hole and poured liquid gypsum into it. Filling the cavern, he created a cast, accurately conveying the dying posture 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, the woman holds the baby in her arms, and two girls cling to the edges of her clothes. A young man and woman lie side by side, as if they had just fallen on the run. And outside the northern walls of the city, some unfortunate loses his balance, in vain pulling the goat's leash.

Everywhere, death instantly overtook many people. In the house of a certain Quintus Poppeus, 10 slaves fell dead as they climbed the stairs to the upper chambers; 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 fruits with them in order 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. Beside him was the manager, who carried the master's money and other valuables.

In the house of Menander, the owners fled, leaving the gatekeeper to guard the property. The old man lay down in his closet at the door and died, clutching his master's purse to his chest. At the Nukeri gate, a beggar asked for alms - they gave him little things and gave him completely new sandals, but he could no longer go anywhere in them. In the House of Vesonius Primus, a tied dog was forgotten. The dog climbed up through the ash and pumice as long as the chain allowed.

50 gladiators remained forever in the barracks, two were chained to the wall. But among them was also someone from completely different social strata: it was a woman, apparently rich and noble. The bones left from her were adorned 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 wards? Or was she visiting her lover that fateful night? We will never know anything about this mysterious story.

There are a lot of touching facts about the Pompeians, forever frozen in 79. Some of the bodies are on display to tourists in Pompeii's "Garden of the Fugitives", but most are stored in the vaults of the museum there.

What killed the inhabitants of Pompeii

It was traditionally believed that the death of all Pompeians was long and painful: they inhaled the ashes, which turned into a kind of cement in their lungs that blocked their breathing. But relatively recently, a group of Naples volcanologists led by Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo questioned this theory. They came to the conclusion that the victims did not rush about, did not agonize in suffocation and did not catch air in their mouths - they were instantly killed by a pyroclastic flow.

According to the calculations of volcanologists, Vesuvius threw six such streams one after another. The first three stopped, a little before 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 catastrophe). But the death of Pompeii came from the fourth wave 18 m high, which rushed at the speed of a modern car (about 104 km / h) and covered the city with hot gas. It didn't last more than a minute, maybe even less. But this was enough for hundreds of people to die instantly.

Scientists examined the remains of 650 Pompeians and compared them with 37 skeletons found at Oplontis and 78 from Herculaneum. From 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 - from a flow that was colder: 250-300 ° C. In the first case, people instantly burned to the bone, but in the second - no. Therefore, in Herculaneum, there was no whole human flesh left, which, being covered with ashes, would then create a cavity, as happened with the Pompeians.

But what, then, explains why most of the Pompeians, as seen on their plaster casts, have their mouths wide open? After all, it was this that first made it possible to attribute their death to suffocation. Volcanologists answer, this is cataleptic rigor mortis. The unfortunate froze in those poses in which they were suddenly overtaken by a wave of hot gas. And in fact, a sharp muscle spasm stopped many of them in motion, for example, in a running position, and a person who does not have enough breath cannot run. According to Mastrolorenzo, the open mouth of the victim is the last cry of pain, not the desire to inhale; hands raised to the face - the result of a convulsive spasm, and not a protection from the ashes.

Why did everyone always explain the postures of the unfortunate precisely by suffocation? Exclusively due to the persuasiveness of the story of the Roman historian Pliny the Younger, who reported in letters to Tacitus about the death of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, during an 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, at the head of the squadron went to the dying cities.

Soon he reached the nearest - Stabiae. However, as soon as the admiral and the 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 he was out of breath from the thick fumes. When daylight returned, his body was found completely intact, dressed as he was; he looked more like a sleeping man than a dead man. Rescuers died of suffocation, and 2,000 refugees died with them. But the fact is that archaeologists rarely find bodies in Pompeii in the pose of Pliny, while most of those who remained in the city were actively engaged in something at the time of death.

Life and life in the city of Pompeii before the disaster

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

“Gai Kuspius Pansu is offered to the aediles by all master jewelers”, “I ask you to make Trebius an aedile, he is nominated by confectioners”, “Mark Golconia Prisca and Gaia Gavia Rufa offer Phoebus to the duumvirs with their regular customers.” The sign that unites the authors of the inscription could be the strangest: “Vatia is offered to the aediles, united, all lovers of sleep” or: “Gaius Julius Polybius - to the duumvirs. A lover of scientific studies, and with him a baker.

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

In the III century BC. e. they applied plaster on sandstone, which they then painted to create a colored background for the wall, and only after that they applied a drawing. If in 85-80 BC. e. portrayed 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 is interesting: after the volcanic eruption, such frescoes were not repeated anywhere else.

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

There were quite a lot of mosaics in the houses and baths of the inhabitants of the city. 1831 - archaeologists find a mosaic panel made of one and a half million cubes! It is a question of a mosaic, which depicts a leading duel with the Persian king Darius. Alex Barbe believes that this panel was in the villa of a very wealthy 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.

In particular, salons for receiving guests were skillfully painted. There could have been several. The refectories were organized in the Greek manner: there are three beds with pillows placed in a semi-oval. They were treated to reclining meals. In such a dining room, as a rule, there were three doors, two of which were intended exclusively for servants.

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

The first excavations of the city

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

Serious excavations in the disaster area began only in the second half of the 18th century. But archaeologists did not have enough experience to properly carry out work of this magnitude. The excavated buildings, after all the most interesting things were taken out of them - usually jewelry and ancient statues - were again covered up. As a result, many priceless artifacts and household items of the townspeople perished. However, already at the end of the 18th century, archaeologists grabbed their heads and put things in order at 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 location of things, their environment, simple tools and household utensils. Until our time, the buried cities have been excavated by three-quarters. But there is still a lot of work ahead, promising scientists new amazing discoveries.

A city where there are no residents, but there are crowds of tourists, where there is no city government, but there is a big name and a good annual budget. It was once quite a large and prosperous city of the Roman Empire. Almost 30,000 people lived here (for comparison: this is three times more than the current population of Suzdal!). The city had an important strategic and economic position: a port city located on the Appian Way, which connected the south of the country with Rome.

Today we will go for a walk around the dead city of Pompeii

Depending on the significance, they were wide or narrow. Paved with stone. In some places, strongly protruding cobblestones are visible - a pedestrian crossing for people during the rain, when the streets were flooded (for example, they are visible in the distance in the photo below). Sometimes on the sides you can see places for "parking" of horses.

In Pompeii All houses have their own addresses. On the map of Pompeii that you will be given at the entrance, it will be clear how to get to which house. And on the streets there will be already modern signs (as in the photo below).

Many houses are well preserved and you can even go inside and see how it was. For example, there are a couple of such houses on this street.

On the street below on the left side there are a number of all sorts of shops.

There were once all sorts of ornaments on the walls, which are now being restored.

There was a problem with drinking water in the city. As in many Roman cities, an aqueduct was built here. But water from the aqueduct was supplied only to the homes of the wealthiest citizens. The rest of the people went to the fountains and wells with all sorts of containers. Well, in general, they had average country conditions there. Here is a street with a well.

But in the city already then a network of fast foods was developed. Here you are: a prototype of McDonald's and others like it. Although the service, to be honest, is more like a shawarma at the Kiev railway station, which was removed from there a couple of years ago. :) Here, inside these holes, there were constantly heated pots with all sorts of food. By the way, such fast food was quite popular, because. many poor houses simply did not have a kitchen.

The inhabitants of Pompeii loved to have fun, therefore they built two theaters for themselves there. One of them is below.

No less than you and me, the inhabitants of Pompeii loved sex (yeah, and who doesn't love it! :)). In the city, they built up as many as 200 pieces of so-called lupanaria (brothels), which had certain opening hours and a certain set of services. The second floor was reserved for especially wealthy clients with VIP service. This institution was very popular both in those days and in our days. In those days - among customers, these days - among tourists. Today it is the most visited building in Pompeii. :)

Rooms where customers were served, with an area of ​​at most two square meters. What can be called a bed with a stretch is a bed of some incredibly small size. No doors, no ventilation. In general, I would not be drawn to sex there. Honestly. I was drawn to the fresh air there. But in general, men know better, of course. :)

By the way, comrades, if you remember, then, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf. So, according to one of the versions, it was not a she-wolf at all, but the same "magnifying glass" - a lady of easy virtue, which is translated from Latin as a she-wolf. Did the psyche of children who grew up in a brothel suffer there if they first joyfully killed their uncle, then Romulus killed Remus, and then his descendants conquered half of Europe? ..

Well, sex is an eternal and beautiful topic. Let's get back to the city. There were a couple of fairly large squares in Pompeii. The largest of them is the Pompeii Forum. There was a market, a court, a municipal building, a voting building, all kinds of temples, shops, etc.

Another square. From here it was already visible. But on that day, apparently, there was still a heavy fog, because the photo of Vesuvius turned out somehow badly: everything is completely foggy ...

Then there will be what is left of the people. Particularly impressionable at this point can finish viewing the report. And with people it was like this ... Pompeii was not at all flooded with lava, as depicted in the picture by Bryullov: Pompeii was covered with many meters thick ash and stones.

In the very BBC movie that I mentioned at the beginning, it was just shown that the first signs of the end were visible even a few days before the very end. The wind brought ashes, which fell on the heads of citizens so that it was almost impossible to go out into the street without covering their heads with something. Many hurriedly began to leave, but some remained in the city and took refuge in houses.

Pompeii is studied in school textbooks, and ancient finds in excavation sites have not ceased to amaze scientists and ordinary modern people for more than one century. The history of this city is really worthy of close attention.

Vesuvius volcano

Vesuvius is an active volcano in the vicinity of Naples, with a height of 1281 meters. This is one of the most dangerous continental volcanoes in Europe, and one of the most famous, largely due to the fact that almost 2000 years ago it buried several ancient cities and nearby villages. Among them are such cities as Stabiae, Herculaneum, and the most famous of them - Pompeii, which was located closest to Vesuvius of all other settlements.

Pompeii city

Pompeii was a typical ancient Roman city, until the tragic events of 79 AD, when during the day the whole city was littered with ash and covered with red-hot lava of the volcano. Excavations of the city began at the end of the 16th century, when, during the creation of the Sarno River and the construction of a well, fragments of the city wall were discovered, as well as several buildings underground.

However, no excavations were carried out there until the middle of the 18th century. Initially, scientists involved in the excavations assumed that this was the city of Stabia, and not Pompeii. And only the excavation of an ancient statue with an inscription, preserved in excellent condition, proved that it was Pompeii. The main emphasis in the excavations fell on the neighboring Herculaneum, and only three sites were excavated in Pompeii itself.
During the cataclysm, most of the inhabitants left their homes, but more than 2,000 people were buried alive under many meters of volcanic ash.

It is worth noting that thanks to this fact, everything in the city has been preserved as it was before the eruption. It is difficult to answer the question, people did not leave, seeing a large-scale catastrophe. Perhaps the residents thought that this was another earthquake that had happened many times before, or they simply did not realize the full scale of the disaster. Either way, no one will know for sure. The city was “mothballed” to some extent, so now tourists have the opportunity to see with their own eyes the life of ancient people. There you can even observe the plaster bodies of people in their last moments of life.

Many of the city's structures have been excavated and have been preserved in stunning condition. In particular, the basilica, the city hall, the temple of Lares, the temple of Vespasian, the Macellum market, the comitia, the temple of Apollo, the temple of Jupiter, the Great and Small theaters, many statues and sculptures, as well as other structures.

Excavations are ongoing today, about 20% of the territory remains unexcavated, and the city itself is an open-air museum and