Pompeii is a city buried alive. Pompeii: the history of the death of the city and interesting facts

In the year 79, the awakened volcano Vesuvius in the blink of an eye covered the city with a cloud of ash, under the weight of which the roofs of buildings collapsed. The city was destroyed in the blink of an eye, turning to stone for many centuries. After almost two millennia, the city was discovered and gradually began to be dug up, revealing the typical life of an ancient Roman city.

The name is given to two cities. The first one is quite alive small town, the second is the very famous Pompeii, destroyed in a matter of hours by the eruption of the formidable Vesuvius. The living city of Pompeii has existed for only 150 years. It grew up when the excavations of Pompeii began, becoming, in fact, a hotel city for millions of tourists who come to see the dead city.

Unlike the lesser known one, crowds of tourists await you in Pompeii, especially before lunch. So get ready to face long queues at the entrance. In addition, Pompeii is much larger than Herculaneum, so it will take a long time to walk here. In the heat of summer, don't forget comfortable shoes, sunscreen, a hat and water, as there is very little shade.

Weather in Pompeii:

Getting to Pompeii:

• Train timetable Naples - Pompeii(direction )
• Train timetable Pompeii - Naples(direction )
• Train timetable Naples - Pompeii(direction Poggiomarino)
• Train timetable Pompeii - Naples(direction Poggiomarino)

Buses to Pompeii:

Trains to Pompeii: approx. 50 minutes on the way

Practical information:

Ticket to Pompeii:

• Entrance to the archaeological area of ​​Pompeii: 11 €, preferential - 5.5 €
• Combined ticket(5 archaeological zones: Pompeii, (Ercolano), Oplontis, Stabia and Boscoreale) - 20 € , preferential 10 €.
• EU citizens under 18 - free.
• Entrance to Pompeii is covered

Entrance to the ruins: Porta Marina Superiore - Piazza Anfiteatro - Viale delle Ginestre (Piazza Esedra)

Working hours:

• November 1st to March 31st: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry at 3:30 p.m.)
• from April 1 to October 31: from 8:30 to 19:30 (last admission at 18:00)

History of Pompeii

Unlike most cities in southern Italy, Pompeii was not founded by the Greeks - the first inhabitants of these places were Italian tribes. It is believed that in the IX-VIII centuries BC. they built the city on hardened lava, not knowing either the origin of this “foundation”, or the reason for the exceptional fertility of the lands fertilized by volcanic ash in the Sarno valley - at that time Vesuvius was “slumbering”. In the era of Magna Graecia, the inhabitants of Pompeii had close relations with the neighboring Greek colonies and they adopted religion, culture and way of life from their neighbors.

Two centuries later, the Greeks were replaced by the Samnites, and in the last years of the 4th century BC. the era of Roman rule began. Pompeii entered the composition of the Roman state, retaining relative autonomy. Under the Roman protectorate, the city grew rapidly, its population increased seven times in two centuries. At the same time, the Pompeians did not differ in particular complaisance: if the Italian tribes, having united, raised an uprising, the inhabitants of Pompeii, as a rule, joined them. In 74 B.C. Spartacus took refuge with seventy rebels on the top of Vesuvius, and then, twisting ropes from vines, descended and defeated the Roman pursuers.

Trade, navigation, crafts (especially the production and dyeing of fabrics) successfully developed in the city. Roman aristocrats built luxurious villas in Pompeii, but more so in the next. Spacious dwellings were erected by wealthy local merchants and entrepreneurs. The inscriptions preserved on the walls of the houses testify that the townspeople led an active social and political life.

It would seem that nothing foreshadowed the tragedy, but in 63 "the first bell sounded" - there was a strong earthquake with an epicenter near Pompeii. Many public buildings collapsed, the water supply system was severely damaged, and the inhabitants of the city were buried under the collapsed houses.

Emperor Nero wanted to ban living in Pompeii, but the stubborn Pompeians defended the right not to leave their homes and began to rebuild the city. The ominous warning of an impending catastrophe was not heeded. And 17 years later, on August 24, 79, the second blow of the elements hit the inhabitants of Pompeii: a volcanic eruption destroyed Pompeii and small settlements around them in a matter of hours.

As a result of lengthy archaeological excavations, an open-air museum arose on the site of the lost city.

Sights of Pompeii

At the entrance (in the tourist office) be sure to take the map of the excavations. It is easy to get lost in Pompeii.

Gate of Porta Marina

Inspection starts from Porta Marina gate. city ​​street via Marina It is paved with stone slabs, in which wagons have driven deep ruts. For the proper organization of traffic, the inhabitants of the city installed special stones with guides for the wheels. On the same stones, during the rain, it was possible to cross from one sidewalk, lined with lava slabs and raised 20 cm above the roadway, to another without getting your feet wet.

Antiquarium

Right behind the gate on the right side via Marina located Antiquarium(lat. antiquarium - “repository of antiquities”), where some finds from excavations and plaster castings of the bodies of dead citizens are collected.

Forum

Via Marina leads to the complex of structures forum. Usually the forum was located in the center of the ancient city, but in Pompeii it is strongly displaced to the southwest, since it was not easy to find a large flat area on the frozen surface of the lava flow. The forum was surrounded on all sides by buildings with porticos, between the columns were statues of famous people of that time, from whom pedestals with inscriptions were preserved. adjoined the forum from the west Temple of Apollo(Tempio di Apollo, VI c. BC, rebuilt in the 1st century). Those who decorated the temple survived statues Apollo and Diana (the originals are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Naples).

Temple of Jupiter

To the north of the temple of Apollo was the main sanctuary of Pompeii - Temple of Jupiter(Tempio di Giove, II c. BC). It was destroyed by an earthquake in 63, and by the time of the next catastrophe it had not yet been restored. In addition, on the forum there were Larov Temple(Tempio dei Larry) And Temple of Vespasian(Tempio di Vepasiano), buildings of the city administration and the comitium where elections were held, a market, food warehouses, the Chamber of Weights and Measures and public toilets.

Stone triumphal arches in honor of the emperors Drusus and Tiberius were once lined with marble.

Forum Baths

To the northwest of the temple of Apollo are forum terms(Terme del Foro). After the earthquake of 63, they were the only ones that continued to function properly. In the terms built under the dictator Sulla, there were women's and men's departments, each of them consisted of an apoditerium (cloakroom) and halls: a frigidarium (with cold water), a tepidarium (with warm water) and caldaria (with hot water). Here you can see the water supply and heating systems and admire the fragments of decorative painting that adorned the vaults and walls.

The northern facade of the term goes to the main ancient axis of Pompeii ( decumanus) - via Terme- via della fortune- via di Nola. Buildings typical of a Roman city have been preserved in the nearby streets: from profitable “apartment” houses of the poor (insula) to luxurious private houses, sometimes occupying an entire block, with peristyles, fountains and rich decor of rooms.

House of the Tragic Poet

Opposite the term is up to m tragic poet(Casa Del Poeta Tragico) with the famous mosaic floor depicting a performance rehearsal. Laid out in front of the entrance mosaic image dogs with signature cave canim ("Be aware of dogs!").

House of the Faun

Slightly to the east via della fortune worth up to m faun(Casa del fauno), named after the small bronze figurine “Dancing Faun”, which adorned one of the peristyles of this aristocratic villa. The famous mosaic " Battle of Alexander the Great with Darius(Kept in the Archaeological Museum of Naples).

House of the Vettii

Having passed from via Terme to the north along the perpendicular to it via di Mercuriotwo quarters, you can see houseApollo(Casa del Apollo), a by folding c via Termeon a the first crossroads to the east on Vicolo di Mercurio - to m Vettiev(Casa dei Vettii). This is the most valuable monument of Pompeian painting (three different “Pompeian” painting styles stand out) and a “museum of everyday life” of wealthy citizens. At the end of the excavations, the building needed only minor restoration, after which it appeared in its original form. The murals on mythological themes are perfectly preserved (“ Ariadne and Dionysus», « Heracles Strangling the Serpent”) and a frieze with elegant miniatures “ Cupids busy with work».

A stunning impression on an unprepared person is made by the image of Priapus located at the entrance with scales in his hand, on one bowl - a bag of gold, and on the other - a huge phallus. The cheerful Pompeians treated this organ with reverence. It was believed that the image of the male reproductive organ was able to ward off evil spirits. Some researchers explain the purpose of small images of phalluses carved on Pompeian pavements with sacral purposes, but there is a version that these are just pointers to the nearest brothel (lupanarium), to which the Vettius leads to the west from the house vicolo Storto.

Lupanar

Lupanar(Lupanare) stands at the crossroads c via della fortune. A well-preserved brothel from the inside looks rather gloomy and looks more like a prison dungeon than an entertainment establishment - tiny dark rooms, narrow, short stone beds and small frescoes. It is believed that the paintings on the walls not only created the right mood for visitors, but also served as instructions - with their help, foreign sailors who did not speak Latin explained themselves to prostitutes. Despite the unpresentable appearance from the point of view of a modern person, ancient brothels were popular with representatives of different classes of the empire.

triangular forum

From the lupanaria, adhering to the general direction to the south, along vicolo Storto, via degli Augustali, via dei Teatri you can go to triangular forum(Foro Triangolare). Many shops and workshops, taverns and drinking establishments have been preserved (on the tables in taverns there were dishes and coins thrown in a hurry by the last visitors, often on the walls there are images of dishes offered in the institution), mills and bakeries. The standard of the latter can serve bakery Modesta(Forno di Modesta), one of the largest in the city. In it, archaeologists found millstones, a counter for sale and petrified bread. The triangular forum was built in the Samnite era.

On it towered temple of the Doric order(Tempio Dorico, VI c. BC), dedicated to Hercules. Along the northeast side of the square there were Samnite palestra(Palestra Samnitiana), big theater(Teatro Grande) And gladiator barracks(caserma dei Gladiators). Palestra served as a place for sports activities of aristocrats before a similar large structure was built on the outskirts. The Bolshoi Theater for 5000 spectators (II century BC, rebuilt under Augustus), made according to the Greek model, stood on a hillside. The majestic mountain range on the horizon served as a natural decoration. Nearby is a gladiator barracks with dining rooms, closets where the fighters lived, and a rectangular courtyard for training.

East of the Bolshoi was located Maly Theater, or Odeon(Teatro Piccolo o Odeon). Next to him stood a small Temple of Zeus Melichios, which, after the destruction of the large sanctuary on the Forum Square, served as the main place of worship for Zeus, and nearby - an elegant temple of Isis(Tempio di Iside), considered one of the best examples of ancient architecture. Shortly before the catastrophe, the temple was rebuilt and, thanks to this, it was perfectly preserved.

Amphitheater

Walking from the Maly Theater to the east, you can first look at m Cryptoportica(Casa dei cryptoportico), where plaster casts of people who died during the eruption are exhibited, and then get to Great palestra(Grande Palestra), erected in the 1st century. Next to her is a huge amphitheater(Anfiteatro), which accommodated at least 12,000 spectators. The building, in the arena of which performances were staged and gladiator fights were held, was built in 80 BC. and, perhaps, served as a model for later amphitheatres in Rome. The palaestra and the amphitheater are located on the eastern edge of the excavation area.

Villa of the Mysteries

TO Villa of the Mysteries(Villa dei Misteri) from the railway station you can walk along Viale della Villa dei Misteri, following it to the northwest. Magnificent wall paintings, made in the spirit of the cult of Dionysus, telling about marriage (possibly, the mistress of the house) have been preserved here. It is known that the cult, forbidden in Rome by decree of the Senate, was preserved in the provinces, and the paintings of the Villa of the Mysteries give the key to the mysteries of the Dionysian rites. The figures are painted in full length on a characteristic red “Pompeian” background.

Pompeii Map

What do we know about the ancient city of Pompeii? History tells us that once this prosperous city suddenly died with all the inhabitants under the lava of an awakened volcano. In fact, the history of Pompeii is very interesting and filled with big amount details.

Foundation of Pompeii

Pompeii is one of the oldest Roman cities located in the province of Naples in the Campagna region. On the one hand, the coast (which was previously called Kumansky), and on the other, the Sarn River (in ancient times).

How was Pompeii founded? The history of the city tells that it was founded by the ancient Oski tribe in the 7th century BC. These facts are confirmed by the fragments of the temple of Apollo and the Doric temple, whose architecture corresponds to the period when Pompeii was founded. The city stood just at the intersection of several paths - to Nola, Stabiae and Kuma.

Wars and submission

The first harbinger of impending disaster was an earthquake that occurred on February 5, 63 BC.

Seneca in one of his writings noted that since Campania was a seismically active zone, such an earthquake is not uncommon for it. And earthquakes happened before, but their strength was very small, the inhabitants simply got used to them. But this time, expectations exceeded all expectations.

Then in the three neighboring cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples - buildings suffered greatly. The destruction was such that over the next 16 years, the houses could not be fully restored. All 16 years there were active restoration works, reconstructions, cosmetic repairs. Also, the plans included the construction of several new buildings, for example, the Central Baths, which could not be completed until the day of the death of Pompeii.

The death of Pompeii. The first day

The inhabitants tried to restore Pompeii. The history of the death of the city indicates that the catastrophe began in 79 BC, in the afternoon, August 24, and lasted 2 days. The eruption of what was until then thought to be a dormant volcano destroyed everything. Then, under the lava, not only Pompeii perished, but also three more cities - Stabiae, Oplontia and Herculaneum.

During the day, a cloud of ash and steam appeared over the volcano, but no one paid much attention to it. A little later, a cloud covered the sky over the entire city, and ash flakes began to settle on the streets.

The tremors coming from underground continued. Gradually, they intensified to such an extent that wagons overturned, Decoration Materials. Along with the ashes, stones began to fall from the sky.

The streets and houses of the city were filled with suffocating sulphurous fumes, many people simply suffocated in their homes.

Many tried to leave the cities with valuables, while others who were unable to leave their property died in the ruins of their homes. The products of the volcanic eruption overtook people both in public places and outside the city. But still, most of the inhabitants were able to leave Pompeii. History confirms this fact.

The death of Pompeii. Second day

The next day, the air in the city became hot, the volcano itself erupted, destroying all living things, all buildings and property of people with lava. After the eruption, there was a lot of ash that covered the entire city, the thickness of the ash layer reached 3 meters.

After the catastrophe, a special commission arrived at the scene of events, which stated the "death" of the city and that it could not be restored. Then it was still possible on what was left of the streets former city, to meet people who were trying to find their property.

Along with Pompeii, more cities perished. But they were discovered only thanks to the discovery of Herculaneum. This second city, which was also at the foot of Vesuvius, did not die from lava and ash. After the eruption, the volcano, like the affected cities, was covered with a three-meter layer of stones and ash, which hung menacingly like an avalanche that could come down at any moment.

And soon after the eruption, torrential rain began, which carried away a thick layer of ash from the slopes of the volcano and a column of water with dust and stones fell directly on Herculaneum. The depth of the stream was 15 meters, so the city was buried alive under the stream from Vesuvius.

How Pompeii was found

Stories and stories about the terrible events of that year have long been passed down from generation to generation. But after a few centuries, people lost the idea of ​​where the dead city of Pompeii was located. The history of the death of this city gradually began to lose facts. People lived their lives. Even in those cases when the remains of ancient buildings were found by people, for example, by digging wells, no one could even think that these were parts of the ancient city of Pompeii. The history of excavations began only in the 18th century and is indirectly connected with the name of Maria Amalia Christina.

She was the daughter of King August III of Saxony, who left the Dresden court after her marriage to Charles of Bourbon. Charles was king of the Two Sicilies.

The current queen was in love with art and looked around the halls of the palace, parks and other possessions with great interest. And one day she drew attention to the sculptures that were previously found before the last eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Some of these statues were found by chance, while others - at the suggestion of General d'Elbeuf. Queen Mary was so struck by the beauty of the sculptures that she asked her husband to find new ones for her.

Vesuvius last erupted at that time in 1737. During this incident, part of its top flew into the air, the slope was left bare. Since the volcano had not been active for a year and a half, the king agreed to start searching for sculptures. And they started from the place where the general had once finished his search.

Search for statues

Excavations took place with great difficulty, since it was necessary to destroy a thick (15 meters) layer of hardened lava. For this, the king used special tools, gunpowder, the power of workers. In the end, the workers stumbled upon something metallic in the artificial shafts. So three large fragments of giant bronze horses were found.

After that, it was decided to seek help from a specialist. For this, the Marquis Marcello Venuti, who was the keeper of the royal library, was invited. Further, three more marble statues of Romans in togas, the body of a bronze horse, as well as painted columns were found.

Discovery of Herculaneum

At that moment, it became clear that there would be more to come. The royal couple, arriving at the excavation site on December 22, 1738, examined the discovered stairs and an inscription stating that a certain Rufus built the Theatrum Herculanense theater at his own expense. Experts continued excavations, because they knew that the theater means the presence of the city. There were a lot of statues that the water current brought to the back wall of the theatre. This is how Herculaneum was discovered. Thanks to this find, it was possible to organize a museum, which had no equal at that time.

But Pompeii was at a shallower depth than Herculaneum. And the king, after consulting with the head of his technical detachment, decided to postpone the excavations, taking into account the notes of scientists regarding the location of the city of Pompeii. History has marked all memorable events with the hands of scientists.

Pompeii excavations

So, the search for Pompeii began on April 1, 1748. After 5 days, the first fragment of the wall painting was found, and on April 19, the remains of a man, from whose hands several silver coins rolled out. It was the center of the city of Pompeii. Unfortunately, not realizing the importance of the find, the experts decided that they needed to look elsewhere, and filled up this place.

A little later, an amphitheater and a villa were found, which was later called the House of Cicero. The walls of this building were beautifully painted and decorated with frescoes. All art objects were seized, and the villa was immediately filled back.

After that, for 4 years, the excavations and the history of Pompeii were abandoned, attention shifted to Herculaneum, where a house with the Villa dei Papiri library was found.

In 1754, experts again returned to the excavations of the city of Pompeii, to its southern part, where an ancient wall and the remains of several graves were found. Since then, the excavations of the city of Pompeii have been actively undertaken.

Pompeii: an alternative history of the city

Today, there is still an opinion that the year of the death of Pompeii is a fiction based on a letter that allegedly describes the volcanic eruption to Tacitus. Here questions arise about why in these letters Pliny does not mention either the names of the cities of Pompeii or Herculaneum, or the fact that it was there that the uncle of Pliny the Elder lived, who died in Pompeii.

Some scholars refute the fact that the catastrophe occurred precisely in 79 BC, due to the fact that in various sources you can find information about 11 eruptions that occurred in the period from 202 to 1140 AD (after the incident that destroyed Pompeii). And the next eruption dates only to 1631, after which the volcano remained active until 1944. As you can see, the facts show that the volcano, which was actively active, fell asleep for 500 years.

Pompeii in the modern world

The history of the city of Herculaneum and the history of Pompeii remain very interesting today. Photos, videos and various scientific materials can be found in the library or the Internet. Many historians are still trying to unravel the mystery of the ancient city, to study its culture as much as possible.

Many artists, including K. Bryullov, in addition to their other works, depicted the last day of Pompeii. The story is that in 1828 K. Bryullov visited the excavation sites and even then made sketches. In the period from 1830 to 1833, his artistic masterpiece was created.

Today the city has been restored as much as possible, it is one of the most famous monuments of culture (along with the Colosseum or Venice). The city has not yet been fully excavated, but many buildings are available for inspection. You can walk along the streets of the city and admire the beauty, which is more than 2000 years old!

The city of Pompeii arose in the VI century. BC. for the most natural and rational reason: where the roads converged, connecting the northern and southern parts of the Apennine Peninsula. So, it was an ideal place for profitable trading. In addition, nature and climate created everything here for a serene pastime, which in antiquity was considered the best condition worthy in all respects of life. Then the settlements that became the forerunner of the city were located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples (then the bay receded from this place). Osci lived here - one of the ancient Italian tribes. Subsequently, the Osci assimilated with the Latin-Romans and disappeared from the ethnic landscape of history as a tribe. It is believed that the Osks were related to the Samnites, based on the fact that they had similar languages. The most convincing version of the origin of the city's name is connected with the Oscan word pumpe - "five": there were so many first settlements on the site of the city. And the main roads that converged here led to Nola, Kuma, Stabiae. Another version of the origin of the city's name is based on the Greek pompe - "triumphal procession", according to the myth about the foundation of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum by Hercules. The fact that the city was built according to the canons of Greek architecture speaks in favor of the second version. Which, however, is typical for all the buildings of ancient Rome, along with the Etruscan influence. And the Etruscans were the first to take possession of Pompeii, then the Greeks from Kum, and only then the Romans.

At first, the structure of Pompeii was arbitrary in a rustic way, but from the 4th century. BC e. it is being transformed: straight streets were laid, quarters of two- and three-story residential buildings were formed, in which apartments and rooms were rented out. The public buildings of this small, in fact, city, gave it almost metropolitan respectability. “The plan of the Pompeian house is striking in its desire to divide the space as small as possible and to connect all the divisions as closely as possible. We are surprised by the small size of Pompeian rooms, but is it not more surprising that in other houses the number of rooms reached sixty. Among these innumerable bedrooms and dining rooms, the difference between which only the eye of a homely owner could understand, stretched the courtyards - a half-open atrium and a completely open peristyle. With amazing accuracy, they are repeated in all Pompeian houses...” this is a quotation from a brief essay on Pompeii by the outstanding Russian art historian P. P. Muratov (1881-1950).

Many houses here did not have kitchens. Bread was bought in bakeries (there were 34 of them), and ready-made hot dishes - in 89 thermopolies, ancient Roman trattorias. The Sybarite way of life was affirmed by the Roman aristocracy, who built luxurious villas in Pompeii, Herculaneum and near them. This is how the Pompeians lived: artisans worked, merchants conducted their business in the markets and in the port near the mouth of the Sarno River, the patricians rested, and everyone visited the Forum, temples, theaters, an amphitheater - an arena for gladiator fights, baths and lupanaria - dating houses. And even military conflicts did not particularly violate this order and serene spirit. And the main events in the history of Pompeii were as follows: the conquest by the Samnites - the 20s. 5th century BC e., an alliance with Rome after the Second Samnite War - about 310 BC. e., Allied war - the uprising of the Italic tribes against Rome (91-88 BC) and the conquest by Emperor Sulla in 89 BC. e.

It was unknown to the inhabitants of Pompeii about the most important thing for them - what is happening in the depths of the stratovolcano, standing at the junction of the tectonic plates of Europe and Africa. From time to time, the Pompeians felt tremors, but since large-scale destruction did not occur, no one attached serious importance to them. The inhabitants of Pompeii did not even care that part of the slopes was noticeably warm. This continued until 62.

Ancient Pompeii, now an archaeological park, is located in the Italian region, in the southwestern part of the Apennine Peninsula, at some distance from the coast of the Naples - in ancient times the Cuman - Bay, about 24 km southeast of Naples. The city is divided into 9 districts (regions), which can be called more commonly - quarters.

The earthquake of February 5, 62, caused very significant damage to Pompeii. The emperor Nero, then ruling, even thought about evicting all the inhabitants from the city. But they did not believe that something like this could happen again.

Indeed, before that, Vesuvius seemed to them by nature a good-natured giant: herds grazed on its emerald green slopes, olive groves and vineyards abundantly fruited on fertile volcanic soils. During the earthquake, the walls of houses collapsed, the water supply system was damaged, statues fell and broke.

For some 10-15 years, everything was restored, and new buildings were built. The neighboring city on the other side of Vesuvius also suffered, suffered more, but it was also much smaller than Pompeii. The city of Stabiae was completely destroyed as early as 89 BC. e. Sulla during the Allied War, but quite a few villas were erected in its place, in 62 also badly damaged by an earthquake.

Harbingers of a new impending disaster began to appear from the first days of August 79: streams dried up, animals behaved restlessly, birds flew away. The observant and educated inhabitants of the city, on reflection, considered it best to leave it as soon as possible. Mostly slaves remained in Pompeii, guarding the property left by the owners, and small artisans with their families and single people. In total, at least 2 thousand people died. There is an assumption that it is much more - up to 16 thousand (including Herculaneum, Stabiae and small villages), but since the excavations have not been completed to this day, the official figure is 2000.

The fatal crushing eruption began in the afternoon of August 24 and lasted almost a day. First, there were explosive ejections of volcanic ash that covered all the surroundings of Vesuvius. Then, like a cork from a bottle, a thick layer of solidified lava flew out of the vent of the volcano, sealing the vent of the volcano for the time being. While still in the air, this layer shattered into large and small pieces, and already red-hot lava flowed. As well as pyroclastic flows. It was a mixture of molten deep rocks, hot stones and pumice, porous frozen volcanic glass, now melting again, driven by the pressure of volcanic gases and flying up into the air from time to time. According to modern calculations, the speed of this deadly stream could reach 700 km / h (in jerks), and the temperature - 800 ° C. Over the crater of Vesuvius, lapilli flew up in salvos - small fragments of magma solidified on the fly.

Then the frequency of the volleys decreased, and a huge smoky cloud of ash and volcanic gases formed, which was carried by the wind towards Pompeii and Stabiae. The height of the cloud reached 33 km. And the process inside Vesuvius continued, the western part of the volcano exploded and collapsed into an expanded crater, new lava flows erupted from there. The people in Pompeii were doomed. Someone tried to hide in their own house, someone, on the contrary, in open places, in order to see where to run. But all this turned out to be useless. Many, before the stones fell on them, died, suffocated by poisonous sulphurous fumes. Presumably, the writer Pliny the Elder, the author of Natural History, the largest encyclopedic work of antiquity, also died in Stabiae. He then commanded the galley fleet in Mizena on the coast of the Gulf of Naples and, as soon as the eruption began, rushed to Pompeii, but stones were already falling on the galleys, and Pliny turned to Stabiae to help someone and generally understand what was happening.

When the eruption ended, Pompeii and Stabia were covered with ash, stones, lahars - mud streams. The thickness of the layer reached 8 m. A cover about 20 m thick formed over Herculaneum.

Excavations

Scientific archaeological excavations at the site of the tragedy of 79 in Pompeii began only in the 18th century.

The architect D. Fontana, who led the construction of an underground canal from the Sarno River to a villa on Civita Hill, was the first to stumble upon the traces of the dead city. These traces were fragments of buildings and, apparently, the city wall, but of great importance the finds were not given. Meanwhile, Pompeii was located under this hill, although the symbolic name of the Civita hill - “City” (in translation) - directly indicated this. In 1607, the Neapolitan theologian and historian J. Capaccio, thinking about what the Latin inscription from this hill could mean - decurio pompeis, interpreted it as the “chief of the decuria” (a group of slaves) or the city councilor Pompey (and the consul Pompey the Great in of the history of Rome was) and concluded that there was a villa of a nobleman, perhaps that same Pompey the Great. The idea of ​​the ancient city still did not occur to anyone, and the ordinary town of that time Civita on the hill did not suggest such guesses. In 1631, another powerful eruption of Vesuvius occurred, which already covered Civita with a layer of ash, and the inhabitants of the city also left it.

Excavations on the hill began in 1748. The head of the expedition of archaeologists, R. J. Alcubierre, however, was sure that the city found was Stabiae, and uncovered only three insignificant sections that were not connected to each other. He was much more interested in the excavations of Herculaneum, over which the new city of Rezina was located. Here, by chance, when digging a well, objects of a large material value, and the real fever of hunting for them began. Alcubierre also aimed only at the most valuable, but, of course, unlike amateur diggers, valuable from the point of view of high art. All other finds from what he found in the Stabiae and Herculaneum, he, being a snob by nature, fearlessly destroyed. Until his scientific colleagues were outraged by this barbarism.

In 1760-1804. under the direction of F. le Vega, the excavations finally acquired a different, systematic character. The raised soil was taken out, and primary restoration began immediately on the open monuments. Both valuable artifacts and ordinary household items were carefully classified: century (approximately), style, origin.

In 1763, an inscription was discovered on the pedestal of one of the statues indicating the date and place of its creation, and it became clear that the city being excavated was not Stabiae, but Pompeii. The most significant contribution to the return of Pompeii to world culture was made by the archaeologist J. Fiorelli, who led the excavations in 1863-1875. In 1870, looking at the skeletons of dead people, covered with a layer of ash and looking like statues, he came up with the idea of ​​filling the voids formed in the place of the unpreserved bodies of people and animals with plaster. So their poses were reconstructed, telling about the most dramatic episodes of the death of Pompeii. Since 1980, after another earthquake in the region of Vesuvius in Pompeii, only restoration work has been carried out: forcing excavations can lead to the collapse of buildings, which has already happened. Today, about a quarter of the city's territory has not been discovered.

Pompeii occupies a special place among the ancient cities, no matter how you look at it. For example, from the point of view of urban culture, the city had everything a person needed for a prosperous life at that time. The streets are straight, wide, in general, all communications are extremely well thought out. Domestic comfort was of a high level - the water supply in Pompeii is technically not much inferior to medieval water supply systems. The monumental buildings of Pompeii: temples, buildings for public meetings, entertainment, sports, villas were so perfect in their proportions and general appearance in the spirit of Greek traditions that they could be placed, if not on a par with the masterpieces of ancient architecture, then immediately behind them, and separate - and flush.

Frescoes, sculptures, furniture, decorative items from metals, marble and other materials - all this is a special, unique artistic world. All technical devices used by artisans, as well as medical instruments, were also of a high level. Pompeii even sold their bread to other cities - it was so good, thanks to the fine technology of baking used here.

general information

An ancient Roman city in Italy, destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the 1st century BC. And as a result, it has been preserved as an archaeological site.
Location : west coast of the Apennine Peninsula, southern Italy.
Administrative affiliation : Campania region, province of Naples.
official status : museum under open sky, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997
Founding time: VII-VI centuries. BC e.
Start of archaeological excavations : 1748
Official date of death : August 24-25, 79
Monetary unit of Italy : euro.
Nearest airport : Capodichino in Naples (international).

Numbers

The population of the city on the eve of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 : about 20 thousand. people (according to modern speculative estimates).
Area of ​​the Pompeii Archaeological Reserve : 0.66 km 2 (inside the city walls), villas on the outskirts and buffer zone - another 0.44 km 2.
Distance from the crater of Vesuvius - 9.5 km, from the foot of the volcano - 4.5 km, from Naples - about 24 km.
Capacity of the most grandiose structures of Pompeii : amphitheater - 20 thousand, the Bolshoi Theater - 5 thousand, the Maly Theater - 1.5 thousand people.

Number of tourists per year : 2.5 million people
Modern height of Vesuvius : 1281 m.
The area of ​​the modern (new) city of Pompeii : 12.42 km2.
The population of the modern city of Pompeii : 25 358 people (2016).

Economy

Tourism, trade.

Climate and weather

Subtropical Mediterranean, dry hot summers, rainy autumns, mild winters.
January average temperature : +8.8°С.
July average temperature : +25.3°С.
Average annual rainfall : 980 mm.
Average annual relative humidity : 73%.

Attractions

Forum and on it: the temple of Jupiter (150 BC), the temples of Laralia (the sanctuary of the Pompeian Lares - deities - patrons of the city, hastily built after the earthquake of 62), Vespasian (2nd half of the 1st century AD) , basilica, public building (130-120 BC), Comitia (voting site, 1st century BC), Eumachia - a building built in the 1st century. BC. priestess Eumachia, presumably for the college of dyers, weavers and fullons (male laundresses), Macellum (covered market, 1st century BC).

Villas: House of the Faun (180-170 BC), Villa of the Mysteries (II-I centuries BC), Villa Oplontis (I century BC), House of the Great Fountain, House of the Small fountain, etc.

The most famous houses : Tragic Poet, Surgeon, Moralist, Menadre, Gilded Cupids, Julia Felix.

nearby: Archaeological Park of Herculaneum, Cathedral of the Madonna del Rosario in Pompeii (1876-1901), national park Vesuvius, Naples.

National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Curious facts

The eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79 began the day after Vulcanalia, a festival held in Rome in honor of the fire god Vulcan in ancient Roman mythology.

In 1944, when the last significant eruption of Vesuvius occurred, an aviation unit of the US Army was stationed at the airfield near the modern city of Pompeii. During this natural cataclysm, the layer of volcanic ash reached a meter. 88 aircraft and various equipment received heavy blows from pieces of pumice that fell from the sky, and the Americans left the airfield, abandoning all the damaged equipment.

The amphitheater for gladiatorial fights in Pompeii is the best (though not ideal) preserved of such Roman structures in the world. Its dimensions are 104x135 m. Gladiator fights took place there on the very eve of the eruption of 79 AD.

At the bottom of the Gulf of Naples, 20 km from Pompeii, lie the ruins of another luxurious ancient city - Bailly, also a victim of a volcano.

The most famous work on the theme of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 was the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" by the Russian artist Karl Bryullov, written in 1830-1833. The first to see this epic tight were the Romans, who left rave reviews about it. Bryullov's masterpiece was also exhibited at the Louvre. The painting is stored in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

During the excavations of the XVI century. the architect Fontana discovered the erotic frescoes and took it upon himself to close them again. During the following excavations, it turned out that there are an unusually large number of such images in the city.

The streets in Pompeii were paved with stone slabs, while they were raised in relation to the pavement by 20-25 cm.

Every year on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October, tens of thousands of Catholics rush to the town of Santuario, which means Sanctuary, near the modern city of Pompeii, for a feast in honor of the Madonna del Rosario in Pompeii. Above the image of the Madonna and Child, which is revered as miraculous, starry halos shine, adorned with precious stones, among which there are unique emeralds. All of these are gifts from wealthy parishioners. The cathedral was built in 1876-1901, and immediately after the completion of construction it was elevated to the rank of a papal basilica. It contains a part of the crown of thorns from the head of Christ and a fragment of the Holy Cross. From the 80-meter bell tower of the cathedral, which can be reached by elevator, offers the most breathtaking view of Pompeii and other surroundings of Naples.

Pompeii is one of the oldest cities in Italy, located at the foot of Vesuvius in Campania, a fertile region of the Apennine Peninsula with loose volcanic soil and a mild climate.

Antique Campaign (from Mau's book)

It is not known exactly when Pompeii was founded, but we know that the fragments of the Temple of Apollo, one of the oldest buildings in the city, are dated by archaeologists to the end of the 7th century. BC. Another ancient building of Pompeii - the Doric temple - dates back to the beginning of the 6th century. BC. and probably served as the cultural center of the Greek emporium. But the Oscans can be considered the true founders of the city (the oldest inscriptions of Pompeii were made in the Oscan language). The venerable age of Pompeii is also confirmed by the results of the excavations by Amedeo Mayuri and Stefano de Caro: archaeologists date the early city walls and the remains of the gates found in the 6th district to the middle of the 6th century BC. - basic building material this time was tuff.

In the VI century. BC e. Pompeii was one of the cities of the union of Etruscan cities formed in Campania, headed by Capua. However, the sources that tell about this period do not say anything specific about the town - Pompeii does not stand out from the rest of the Campanian cities. The Etruscan period ends in the middle of the 5th century. BC. - championship in the region goes to the Samnites. Strabo cites the history of the change of peoples in Campania in his "Geography" (V.4.8.): "Naples is directly adjacent to the Heracles fortress, lying on a promontory protruding into the sea, and so open to the breath of the southwest wind that it makes the settlement surprisingly healthy This city, and Pompeii following it, by which the river Sarn flows, was once ruled by the Oscans, then by the Tyrrhenians and Pelasgians, and then by the Samnites. However, the latter were driven out of this area.

As a result of the Samnite Wars of the late IV-early III centuries. BC e. prosperous Campanian cities turn into Roman allies and are deprived of the right to an independent foreign policy, which, however, has little effect on their economy. The first written mention of the city dates back to this time - Titus Livy in his "History of Rome from the founding of the city" (IX, 38, 2) under 311 BC. talks about the "landing" of Roman sailors: "At the same time, Publius Cornelius, to whom the senate entrusted the coastal regions, led the Roman fleet to Campania, and the sailors, having landed at Pompeii, went to ruin the Nucerian possessions." Romanization of Pompeii begins, but more than two centuries must pass before its final completion. The chronicles of these centuries did not retain any mention of the city, and the next time Pompeii appears in Roman history in the 1st century BC. BC.

In 89 BC, during the Allied War, Lucius Cornelius Sulla led the siege of Pompeii, but was forced to retreat - the city managed to hold out. During this turbulent time, the city wall was additionally fortified with 12 towers. True, this did not save Pompeii, later Sulla managed to break the resistance of the inhabitants, and then place in the city about 2 thousand veterans of his army who had served as colonists. Pompeii received the status of a Roman colony with the new name Coloniae Corneliae Veneriae Pompeianorum.

Traces of Sulla's battering rams on a section of the city wall of Pompeii

The dominant position of Rome in the Mediterranean promotes the development of maritime trade and the emergence of new markets in the East. The invention of cheap, locally produced concrete and the widespread use of slave labor lead to a boom in construction. Special attention in the empire, civil architecture is given: water pipes and bridges, baths and amphitheaters, villas and multi-storey residential buildings are being built. The creation of excellent roads throughout Italy contributes to the development of overland trade and inter-regional communications. Cities are intensively built up with shops, markets and other premises for exchange and trade.

In the 1st century BC e. Pompeii is turning into a well-maintained cultural center. An amphitheater for 20 thousand spectators, an Odeon, numerous private buildings are being built, streets are being paved. The city is actively decorated with sculptures, mosaics, frescoes created at a high artistic level.

February 5, 62 AD the first call of the impending catastrophe sounded - a powerful earthquake occurred in Campania with an epicenter in the vicinity of Pompeii. The city was destroyed, Nuceria, Herculaneum and other nearby towns were also badly damaged. Naturally, for such a seismically active zone as Campania, earthquakes are not uncommon, which Seneca notes in the treatise "Naturales Quaestiones" (VI, I, 2): "... true, Campania has never been free from the threat of such disasters, but they happened so many times without causing any harm that the fear of them passed ... "However, this time the power of the elements surpassed the scale known to the generation - the Pompeians captured its consequences even in art: the lararium in the house of the Pompeian banker Lucius Caecilius Jucundus depicts a number of buildings of the city during an earthquake.

Bas-relief from the house of Yukunda

The next 15 years of Pompeii were filled with hectic construction activity - the inhabitants of the city restore what was destroyed by the earthquake and even lay new buildings. One of the largest buildings in Pompeii after the earthquake - the Central Baths - did not have time to be completed by 79 AD. In many houses, archaeologists have found traces of reconstructions, cosmetic repairs, renovation of paintings and mosaics. Everything indicated that the inhabitants of Pompeii, despite the cruel blow of nature, did not take Vesuvius into account in their future plans for life.

Minor tremors of the 70s. AD the townspeople took it very businesslike - the cracks in the walls served as an excuse for the next renovation of the interiors of houses and other restoration work in the city. Many indications of another construction boom have been found: valuables in wealthy houses are stacked in locked utility rooms, tools, amphoras with lime, pots of paints are laid out in rooms ready for decoration. Everything indicates that the earthquake preceding the eruption did not cause panic among the Pompeians, and they prepared for the usual restoration of the damaged by the elements.

But on August 24, the history of the city is suddenly interrupted - Vesuvius, dormant until now, wakes up and brings down all kinds of products of volcanic activity on the surrounding area. Tremors, ash flakes, stones falling from the sky - all this took the inhabitants of Pompeii by surprise. People tried to hide in houses, but died from suffocation or under the ruins. Someone overtook death in public places - in theaters, markets, forums, temples, someone - on the streets of the city, someone - already beyond its borders. However, the vast majority of residents still managed to leave the city.

Bryullov K.P. The last day of Pompeii. 1833

The eruption of Vesuvius lasted all day. Pompeii was covered with a multi-meter layer of ash and lapilli. The same fate befell the nearby towns of Stabia and Octavianum. Herculaneum, which was on the other side of the volcano, died a little later - on the next day it was destroyed by a powerful pyroclastic wave, and the rain that began after the eruption washed away the ashes from the slopes of Vesuvius, and the ruined city was flooded with mud flows - mudflows and lahars.

Dust and ashes hung in the sky in a black veil for three days. The commission of inquiry that arrived at Vesuvius found that the towns had irretrievably died. For some time, the surviving people wandered through the ruins, trying to find their property, but soon they left the dead city.

They forgot about Pompeii until the 16th century, until in 1592-1600, when digging underground tunnels to divert water from the Sarno River to the villa of Count Tuttavilla, under the leadership of the Italian architect Domenico Fontana, several inscriptions were found, as well as fragments of colored wall paintings, which, however, no one it did not occur to me to connect with Pompeii, although one of the inscriptions contained two perfectly preserved words "decurio pompeis" (which was interpreted as the name of the owner of the "found villa" - Pompeii, in fact it was a mention of one of the city posts).

Tunnel Fountains to divert water from the Sarno River

The assumption about the identity of Civita and ancient Pompeii was first heard from the German antiquarian Holsteinius, who visited the town in 1637, but was perceived negatively by the public. Found in 1689, another inscription with the name of the city caused discussions in the scientific world. The architect Pichetti again suggested that the site was somehow connected with Pompeii, while the historian Biancini stated that the inscription directly points to the location of the ancient city of Pompeii.

One of the Pompeian inscriptions in the Oscan language

In 1748, the head of the excavations in Herculaneum, Joaquín de Alcubierre, as a military engineer who controlled the work and maintenance of all royal military facilities, received a message about the discovery of some ancient objects in the town of La Civita near the city of Torre Annunziata, where the royal gunpowder factories were located. Assuming that there were also Stabiae bombarded by Vesuvius, Alcubierre transferred several workers from Herculaneum to Civita. In technical terms, it turned out to be easier to work here - the layer of volcanic material is less than three times and not as hard as in Herculaneum.

However, three months of work in Pompeii did not satisfy Alcubierre with the number of things found, and the excavations were curtailed for a while, and the workers returned to Herculaneum. From the "Stabii" in the documents of those years, prepared by Alcubierre himself, the plan of the amphitheater section has been preserved.

They returned to Pompeii in 1750. The newly appointed assistant to Alcubierre, Carl Weber, undertook to explore the city villa of Julia Felix, already known since 1748. Over the next 7 years (in 1757, Julia's possession was buried after the removal of things suitable for the king), Weber managed to draw up a detailed plan of the entire complex, indicating the exact locations of all the finds, linking this plan with inventory lists. Even later - probably in 1759 or 1760 - he also prepared axonometric documentation on the villa of Julia Felix. All this time, Pompeii was conditionally considered Stabiae (despite the work in real Stabiae and Gragnano).

Only 15 years after the start of regular excavations - on August 18, 1763 - the boundary pillar of Pompeii was discovered (for more details, see the chapter on the excavations of 1748-1798), which made it possible to establish exactly the object of interest of archaeologists.

Due to the sudden and rapid death of Pompeii is the best preserved ancient city. Since the entire furnishings of the houses remained untouched under a layer of solidified lava, Pompeii became an important and valuable source of information about the life, life, urban structure, culture and art of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. n. e.

To date, 3/5 of the city has been opened (the rest was decided to be left to future generations): defensive walls, gates, necropolises, quarters of residential buildings with mosaics, frescoes and sculptures of excellent preservation, two forums, an amphitheater and two theaters, temples and much more. Pompeii lighting project is being implemented.

A fragment of a three-dimensional map of the ruins of Pompeii. National Archaeological Museum of Naples

(c) Yully Uletova

Reasonable attempts are now being made to move the date of the eruption forward by 2 months - to October 79 AD.

The date itself in Pliny's letters, given as nonum kal. Septembres, was translated as August 24, but now the translation tradition can be revised in favor of non (as) Novembr (es) or nonum kal (endas) Decembres, which moves the date of the eruption to the end of October, the beginning of November, or even to the end of December.

In favor of the "autumn version", archaeologists cite such arguments as:
- Ripe fruits, including grapes, found during excavations;
- warm clothes on some of the victims and braziers in the premises;
- jugs full of wine in a rural villa in Boscoreal;
- a silver coin from the House of the Golden Bracelet (where the title of Titus is minted with the indication "imperator XV", which could not have happened before the beginning of September).

The address: Italy, near Naples
Date of death of the city: 79 year
Coordinates: 40°44"59.8"N 14°29"10.5"E

On August 24, 79, in the Roman city of Pompeii, houses shuddered from an earthquake. The earth shook and cracked, the sea stirred. An ominous roar was heard.

Pompeii from a bird's eye view

So deep abysses formed in the depths of the earth that a herd of sheep of 600 heads fell into one of them. This is how Vesuvius, one of the most formidable volcanoes on the planet, began to wake up. The sky was covered with a black cloud that covered the sun, and the day turned into night. The top of the volcano split into two parts, columns of black smoke and huge fiery tongues rose from the mouth.

As if from a giant weapon, ash and pieces of pumice fell from the sky. Torrents of rain falling from the cloud turned the ashes into liquid mud. And the next day, lava flowed down the slopes of Vesuvius, flooding the surroundings, and a tsunami raged. The eruption of unprecedented strength lasted about 18 hours. Ashes even reached Egypt and Syria. The city of Pompeii and 20 thousand of its inhabitants were buried under a three-meter layer of volcanic rocks..

On the streets of the city

Among the dead was Pliny the Elder, the famous erudite writer. Driven by scientific interest, he approached Vesuvius by boat and ended up near one of the centers of the disaster. Pliny tried to calm the people, advising them to tie pillows on their heads with towels and flee from Pompeii. After 1750 years, the death of the once prosperous Roman city was immortalized on the canvas by Karl Bryullov. In the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”, the Russian painter managed to convey the tragedy of the doomed people.

Pompeii - a victim of the fire element

Before painting the picture, K. Bryullov collected a lot of historical material. He visited the ruins of Pompeii, examined the houses in detail and made a number of sketches - the landscape, the ruins, the petrified bodies of people. Thus, the image of a woman with a floundering child reproduces the poses of excavated casts, as Bryullov saw them in the Neapolitan museum.

big theater

Scientists have managed to reconstruct the death poses of the victims of the eruption. In place of the decomposed body, voids formed, and by filling these voids with plaster, one can accurately recreate the last movement of the dying. Pompeii is a vivid example of how a raging element can stop a measuredly flowing life and, like a camera, capture the horror of the last moment. The rich of Pompeii died with sacks of gold over their shoulders, and the beggars froze in the pose of petitioners.

It was traditionally believed that the death of the Pompeians was long and painful: inhaling vapors of poisonous gases, people died of suffocation. But recently a group of Naples volcanologists put forward a new version - the inhabitants of Pompeii were instantly destroyed by a pyroclastic flow with a temperature of 100 - 500 ° C. Gas and ash moving at a speed of 100 km / h turned wooden objects into coal.

Temple of Apollo

The bread in Modest's bakery was charred and was found by archaeologists nearly 2,000 years later. The method of pouring gypsum helped to restore not only hundreds of human bodies and animals, but even vegetables and fruits.

Pompeii - a city that has risen from time immemorial

The ashes of Vesuvius reliably sealed Pompeii, keeping them almost intact for two thousand years. Excavations began in 1748 and continue to this day. Before the gaze of the astonished explorers, the ancient city appeared in all its splendor. All the main structures typical of the ancient Roman culture were found here. In the center of Pompeii is the Roman Forum, where administrative and religious buildings are concentrated, an indoor market, a basilica and a temple of Jupiter with two triumphal arches.

Temple of Jupiter

There were two theaters in the city: musical performances and comedies were staged in the covered odeon, and wild animals and gladiators. On the territory of the ancient Roman complex, ancient baths, reservoirs for fountains, a large number of residential, public buildings and shops, named after individual events, gods or personalities, have been preserved.

So, in the garden near the Perfumer's House, plants were grown for the manufacture of perfumes and fragrant oils. In the house of Pinarius Ceriale, which belonged to a jeweler, hundreds of precious stones, and in the House of the Surgeon - numerous surgical instruments. Wealthy citizens decorated their homes with luxurious frescoes and mosaics.

Arch of Caligula

For example, in the House of the Tragic Poet, scenes from Greek mythology are immortalized on frescoes, and wall paintings in the Villa of the Mysteries illustrate the rite of initiation into the Dionysian mysteries. No less beautiful is the House of the Gilded Cupids with a covered colonnade decorated with paintings based on Greek myths. In the aristocratic house of the Faun, the floor is covered with a mosaic depicting the battle of Alexander the Great and Darius III at Issus. Even pools in suburban baths are decorated with frescoes on the theme of "water" - waterfalls, mountain caves, etc. Like in any Roman city, a lupanar functioned in Pompeii. The erotic drawings decorating the walls of the lupanar served as a kind of advertisement for the services of "priestesses of love". Their services cost about 8 times more than one serving of wine.

Temple of Vespasian

On this occasion, the Russian TV presenter Boris Oskarovich Burda aptly joked: “If the gods punished Pompeii for licentiousness, then soon there will be nothing left of us at all.” And scientists say that "punishment" is not far off: powerful eruptions of Vesuvius, comparable in strength to the catastrophe of 79, happen once every 2000 years.

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