- There had been earthquakes over the years, but it had been a long time since an eruption. The citizens did not know it was a volcano. The word “volcano” was not coined until the 17th The word was in honor of the god Vulcan.
- The date was August 24, 79 A.D. because Pliny the Younger mentioned it in his letters about the eruption. Modern experts feel the eruption must have been in September or October. This is based on the foods in the markets and the warmer clothing the bodies were wearing.
- Pliny the Younger was an eyewitness. His letters to the historian Tacitus are the best source on what happened. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, was commander of the Roman fleet in that region. When the eruption began, he joined his fleet and sailed to the site. He was overcome by the toxic gases and died. He was the most famous victim of the eruption. The ash caused Pliny the Younger and his mother to flee their villa.
- There had been tremors leading up to the day, but no one was concerned. At 1 P.M., the volcano exploded with a force 500 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Ash and pumice rained down on the city. Normally the wind blew away from the city, but on this day, the wind was blowing toward the city.
- Many people fled the city, but the rest took refuge in buildings. Some of the deaths occurred when the buildup of ash and pumice caused roofs to collapse. Others were killed by the toxic gases that swept through the city. The lava came later. It is estimated that Pompeii had a population of 20,000. About 10% were killed.
- The site was looted robbers soon after. It was easy to find because some buildings stuck out. But soon the site was forgotten. Eruptions in 471-473 and 512 further covered the site. In 1592, an architect named Dominico Fontana uncovered part of the city while digging an underground channel. He kept the find a secret. In 1738, Herculaneum was rediscovered and ten years later Pompeii was found. King Charles VII of Spain, Netherlands, and Sicily sponsored the excavation to accumulate art. In 1763, an inscription identified the site as Pompeii. The excavations were haphazard until 1863 when the archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli began a scientific approach to the excavating. Fiorelli came up with the idea of pumping plaster in the cavities left by the dead bodies to create the famous molds of the victims.
- The Pompeiians had great teeth. Probably because of their high fiber and low sugar diets.
- Today the site is 150 acres with about 2/3 excavated. Pompeii was like a little Rome so its buildings gave a good idea of what Rome would have been like when it ruled an empire. Archeologists have uncovered a forum, public baths, an amphitheater, temples, and shops. Some of the shops were thermopolia which were snack bars where people bought lunch. There were 33 bakeries. Fullonica were laundries. They had pots outside for passersby to pee in. The urine was used in the cleaning process. Public bathrooms were uncovered. People sat on stone benches with holes in them. There were no stalls and it was unisex. You wiped yourself with a sponge on a stick.
- There were 25 brothels in Pompeii. The biggest was called the Lupanare. A lupa was a wolf and prostitutes were called lupa. A lot of phallus sculptures were found in the city. The brothels had illustrated menus on their walls so the clientele could order whatever they wanted.
- A lot of grafitti was found on walls. Usually it was private messages, public announcements, or election notices. Some of the inscriptions were taunts or shout-outs. Here are some examples of the less lewd ones.
- Floronius, privileged soldier of the 7th legion, was here. The women did not know of his presence. Only six women came to know, too few for such a stallion.
- Cruel Lalagus, why do you not love me?
- Would that you pay for all your tricks, innkeeper. You sell us water and keep the good wine for yourself
- If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my girlfriend
- Atimetus got me pregnant
- Vibius Restitutus slept here alone and missed his darling Urbana
- I could caress Venus’s ribs with a stick, and whip her buttocks with a switch: she pierced my heart, and I would gladly break her head with a cudgel!
- Chie, I hope your haemorrhoids rub together so much that they hurt worse than when they ever have before!
- Take hold of your servant girl whenever you want to; it’s your right
- Apelles Mus and his brother Dexter each pleasurably had sex with two girls twice
- O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed you have not already collapsed in ruin
- https://darkrome.com/blog/Pompeii-and-Amalfi/10-pompeii-fact
- https://www.contexttravel.com/blog/articles/pompeii-fact
- https://www.pompeiitours.it/blog/5-unusual-facts-you-might-not-know-about-pompeii/
- https://viaseeamalficoast.com/10-fun-facts-of-pompeii
- https://facts.net/pompeii-facts/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_of_Mount_Vesuvius_in_79_AD
- https://kashgar.com.au/blogs/history/the-bawdy-graffiti-of-pompeii-and-herculaneu
![pompeii-victims[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.historyanecdotesforteachers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/pompeii-victims1.jpg?resize=750%2C398&ssl=1)
0 Comments