Pompei (Pompeii), Italy. An archeological and tourist hinterland.

by Ihor Cap, Ph.D.

Pompei is an impressive archeological and tourist locality situated on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius in the province of Naples, Italy. Its name probably comes from the Oscan word “pompe,” a local tribe who inhabited the Campania region, or from the Greek word “pempo” or “pompe.” There were signs of inhabitants and a town as early as the 6th century BC.  It was an important commercial and political hinterland for the Greeks who had overtaken the entire gulf of Naples by 8th century BC. Like many cities and towns in the Campania area, Pompei survived many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. However, the one that brought this ancient Roman city-town to total ruination was the volcanic eruption that buried it altogether on August 24, in 79 AD.  This is how one of the most vibrant and splendid centers of Roman civilization came to a complete halt.
As many as 20 thousand Pompeians died over the course of two days covered under six or seven meters of ashes and other volcanic material. Then, the city-town disappeared into historic oblivion for approximately 1520 years until architect Domenico Fontana who did some construction work on a canal, between 1594 and 1600, rediscovered its ruins accidently. Even then, no one was sure it was Pompei. 
King Charles of Bourbon made the first trial digs in 1748. Excavation work continued, but it was not until the Kingdom of Italy was declared and that in 1860 that the excavation methods became more scientific under the capable direction of archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli. Amedeo Maiuri did most of the excavation work between the years of 1924 and 1962. He uncovered as much as 60% of Pompei. It is this Pompei that millions of tourists have come to know.
The uniqueness of this excavation site and the surrounding archeological communities of Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata ensured a special place for them on the UNESCO World Heritage site list in 1997.  You will see, amongst other, the most interesting urban configurations, structures and artifacts left by the Etruscans, Samnite, Roman and original Italic peoples.  There is a lot to see in one day. From ancient times, there remain three kilometers and 220 meters long of the fortification walls that archeologists have divided into 9 regions and blocks. This assists visitors with city orientation and layout. Noteworthy in the far southern sector is the Triangular Forum and the theatres. The amphitheater and the palaestra are located in the far southeastern sector of the city ruins. The streets of Pompei crisscross each other at right angles and have very narrow sidewalks. Little wonder why tourists mostly walk the streets. The city centre consists of a cluster of houses organized in block formation. As you walk through the narrow stretch of Via dell’ Abbondanza, every now and then you will come across a fountain or several large blocks of stones that are arranged in a line. The pedestrians once used these stones to cross to the other side perhaps when water levels rose to high.  
Nearby is the Suburban Quarter and the Suburban Thermae (or public baths) that date back to Emperor Augustus.  You can see the external walls of these bathhouses on your left hand side in clear view as you enter the “dead city” and walk up the brick road into Pompei.  This particular bathhouse may in fact have been an ancient “health” center servicing both men and women and contains very intimate illustrations decorating the various rooms. Adjacent rooms have bathing pools, waterfalls and hot baths. There are many Houses to see, each with their own unique interior and assorted rooms. A passageway typically leads to the atrium (today’s living room). The atrium later evolved into an open courtyard that may have included a garden, a fountain and even a statue. A shop or tavern may be nearby depending on the activities and interests of the type of persons living in the sector. The wealthier patrician Houses and Villas enriched themselves with various objects d’art, wall paintings, frescoes or mosaics, and small sculptures. Also noteworthy is the Antiquarium that holds a multitude of interesting artifacts from the excavations not accessible but visible to the public. These artifacts include such things as tools, weapons, vases and plaster casts of humans and animals found after the catastrophic eruption. From here, the tourists’ trail is an easy scenic walk to other striking quarters of the city where a bakery, fishponds, laundry quarters, municipal offices, and even the gladiators’ barracks await you. 
If you are unable to visit Pompei just now, view the slideshow or video presentation below and they will give you an awe-inspiring and well-detailed glimpse of the lives of Pompeians just as it was back in 79 AD.  Thank you for visiting. 
Author: Ihor Cap

Transportation
Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi or as Old Pompei is officially known has a railway station but you can get to Old Pompei by walking to the heritage site from Modern Pompei which is only 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) away. You must stop at the Pompei Scavi train station if you are to see the ruins described and illustrated in this article. If you stop at the Pompei station you will end up in the Modern city of Pompei which is 2.6 kilometers away from the ruins you want to see. MSN Live Search has a wonderful search feature to calculate distances between cities for any country in the world. (See  http://www.live.com/) I used it to arrive at the distances between various known Italian cities and Pompei Scavi itself. See Table 1 below.  I had to go to another useful site to convert between miles and kilometers and that offers dozens of quick links for other conversions too. (See http://www.onlineconversion.com/length.htm)

Table 1. Distance from Pompei Scavi to nearby Italian cities and approximate distance in kilometers and miles

From	To	Approx. Distance
Pompei (Pompeii)	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	2.6 km (1.6 miles)
Amalfi	Circumvesuviana  - Pompei Scavi	48.2 km (30 miles)
Aversa	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	39.4 km (24 miles)
Herculaneum (Ercolano)	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	16 km (10 miles)
Naples (Napoli, Neapolis)	Circumvesuviana  - Pompei Scavi	25.4 km (16 miles)
Positano	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	32.9 km (20 miles)
Rome	Circumvesuviana  - Pompei Scavi	240.3 km (149 miles)
Sorrento	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	24.4 km (15 miles)
Stabiar	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	7 km (4 miles)
Torre Annunziata	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	3.1 km (2 miles)
Torre del Greco	Circumvesuviana - Pompei Scavi	13.2 km (8 miles)

Bibliography

Bonechi, Barbara (Publishing Editor). (2005). Pompeii.Naples. Florence, Italy: Bonechi-Edizioni " Il Turismo" S.r.l. Texts of Pompei edited by Ferrucio Canali, ISBN: 88-7204-557-6.
Author:
Ihor Cap, Ph.D.  This article was first published in http://articlesandblogs.ezreklama.com on Jan 9, 2009.   
Ihor Cap is an Education Research Specialist, a web author and Marketing and Promotions Manager for EzReklama.