I just did an essay over this last semester, you can use it :))
The city of Pompeii, in Italy, which was home to more than 20,000 people
over 2000 years ago, is one of the most fascinating archaeological
sites to be investigated in modern times. As a result of a volcanic
disaster, (the massive eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius), the city was
covered by a blanket of ash. It suffocated all life, and remained lost
to the known world from the time the eruption in 79 A.D until an
archaeological discovery in 1748 A.D.
On 5th February, 62 A.D, some seventeen years prior to the 79 A.D
volcanic eruption that finally suffocated Pompeii, an enormous
earthquake occurred. In hindsight, this was an ominous sign, foretelling
the seismic activity to come nearly two decades later. For seventeen
years Pompeii concentrated on restoring the damages that the earthquake
had caused. Suddenly, without warning on 20th August, 79 A.D the earth
began to crack and thunder as all the living things became restless and
anxious for the awaiting disaster. At last, on the morning of 24th
August, 79 A.D, the volcano Mt. Vesuvius exploded with its thick, heavy
volcanic ash and sulphuric gas as it descended in enormous amounts by
the side of hot embers and rocks heading towards the cities of Pompeii
and nearby Herculaneum. The citizens of Pompeii tried to escape the
horrifying disaster but the volcanic ashes chocked and suffocated every
living thing covering the cities with molten ash which was approximately
twenty feet deep.
Much incite into the real events of the fateful day in August 79 A.D,
have come from the now famous, Pliny the Younger, a resident of Pompeii,
who recorded the events in two letters to a well known historian of the
era. These letters were written in Latin, the language of ancient Rome,
and described what appears to be an accurate account of his personal
observations. The letters were given serious credibility during the 16th
century. The letters were written to the historian Cornelius Tacitus:
On 24th August, in the early afternoon, Pliny the Younger’s mother drew
his attention to a large dark cloud of unusual size and appearance
hanging over the mountain, Mt. Vesuvius, which covered the whole town,
nearby cities and the surrounding sea. Pliny wrote in his letters that
quite a few earth tremors were felt at the time of the eruption. He also
distinguished that the volcanic ash descended in very thick layers and
the village he was living in, had to be evacuated. He wrote that the sun
was blocked out by the eruption and the daylight hours were left in
shadows of darkness.
Pompeii and Herculaneum were not touched for nearly seventeen hundred
years when the first scientific excavation started on 23rd March, 1748.
However, it wasn’t until Giuseppe Fiorelli directed the Pompeii
excavations from 1863 to 1875 introducing a better way of preserving the
entombed artefacts, that the full archaeological find was uncovered.
Methodical excavation was undertaken. Fiorelli developed the technique
of making plaster casts of the victims of the eruption to recreate the
forms of plants, human bodies and anything that had been covered by the
volcanic ash.
What remained after so many years, was a hole, shaped in the form of the
plant, person or thing that was trapped in the ash for seventeen
hundred years. Many things in Pompeii were preserved, including
paintings and buildings, which left hints for archaeologists to discover
and help solve the mystery of this marvellous city, and give an incite
into the lives of human civilization at the time of the volcanic
disaster.
Rome, a city always famous for its water and wastewater systems was not
destroyed like Pompeii, as it was safely many kilometres away. However,
similar water systems had been highly developed in Pompeii prior to 79
A.D, by Roman architects and engineers. The Pompeiians received their
water via an aquaduct built by the Romans. From there, water ran into
three main lead pipes branching off to smaller pipes taking the water
under the footpaths of the city to the various water towers. This water
was provided for a variety of uses such as fountains, public baths and
entertainment. The water from the aquaducts reached only the lower part
of the buildings. The citizens of Pompeii, who were on the upper floors
had to go and get water from the nearest fountain themselves. Since fire
was a constant concern, Pompeiians were encouraged to keep water stored
in their rooms.
In first century A.D much off the Pompeiians amusement and leisure time
was spent in the amphitheatre, watching gladiatorial battles. This was
built in approximately 70 B.C by Q. Valgus and M. Porcius. These two
people were the city’s administrators and highest judges. The
amphitheatre is one of the oldest and best preserved, of its kind,
unlike all the other Roman arenas in Italy. Christians and slaves were
often put to death, here, in the amphitheatre.
