History of Pompeii
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Pompeii was a resort town to the south of Naples were rich Romans had "Country Homes". The town is one of the best places in the world to learn about the Romans and their ancient empire, because in 79 AD Pompeii was buried under layers of volcanic ash and rock instantly killing the whole town and in a way destroying the city, but at the same time keeping it perfectly preserved. Buildings, possessions, pottery, houses and furniture were preserved perfectly, freezing life exactly as it was 2000 years ago-well, until now.
Pompeii was a lively and thriving town that was close to the bay of Naples. The town's wealth came from exporting wine, olive oil and wool, and some of the people in the town were wealthy enough to own luxurious villas. The streets of Pompeii were filled with busy shops, inn's and people going about their daily lives. Life in Ancient Pompeii was good for the majority of those who lived there, after a busy day, people liked to relax by spending time in the bath houses. They could also watch plays or visit the amphitheater to watch the gladiators fight.
All of this came to a sudden and shocking end, on a clear summer morning in the year 79 AD, the town was hit by a huge explosive blast with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The ash spewing from the mouth of the once peaceful volcano quickly turned the day into a dark confusing night. People were initially intrigued and came out into the streets to investigate, not knowing what was going on, or the fact that their entire life was coming to an end that day. As the ash coming from the mouth of the volcano started to solidify and rain down onto the town as pumice stone, people became terrified and panic spread quickly. People retreated to shelter, during this time many people were killed or seriously injured by the falling rocks. This continued throughout the rest of the day and the night, an into the next day. During this time the pumice stone collected infront of doorways, windows and on roofs, causing many to collapse. People trapped inside their homes were either crushed by falling roofs, were suffocated by ash or were melted through to the bone instantly by the gasses in the pyroclastic flows.
The town continued to be buried under layers of falling ash, which covered the devastation, preserving it perfectly. It remained this way for the next 2000 years, only to be properly discovered when the nearby town of Herculaneum was unearthed. This triggered the discovery and excavation of Pompeii. As archaeologists began to excavate the town, they were amazed by what they found. They began to unearth a perfectly preserved example of life in ancient roman times. Experts were puzzled for a while because they kept encountering pockets of air as they dug. The pockets of air turned out to be the final resting places for people, or animals, which had decomposed leaving perfect shell of their bodies. By injecting plaster casts into these holes, archaeologists were able to reconstruct their exact images in death.
The excavation of Pompeii has been extremely valuable in teaching us about what life was like in Roman times. People can visit today and wonder through the streets going back in time 2000 years.
Pompeii was a lively and thriving town that was close to the bay of Naples. The town's wealth came from exporting wine, olive oil and wool, and some of the people in the town were wealthy enough to own luxurious villas. The streets of Pompeii were filled with busy shops, inn's and people going about their daily lives. Life in Ancient Pompeii was good for the majority of those who lived there, after a busy day, people liked to relax by spending time in the bath houses. They could also watch plays or visit the amphitheater to watch the gladiators fight.
All of this came to a sudden and shocking end, on a clear summer morning in the year 79 AD, the town was hit by a huge explosive blast with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The ash spewing from the mouth of the once peaceful volcano quickly turned the day into a dark confusing night. People were initially intrigued and came out into the streets to investigate, not knowing what was going on, or the fact that their entire life was coming to an end that day. As the ash coming from the mouth of the volcano started to solidify and rain down onto the town as pumice stone, people became terrified and panic spread quickly. People retreated to shelter, during this time many people were killed or seriously injured by the falling rocks. This continued throughout the rest of the day and the night, an into the next day. During this time the pumice stone collected infront of doorways, windows and on roofs, causing many to collapse. People trapped inside their homes were either crushed by falling roofs, were suffocated by ash or were melted through to the bone instantly by the gasses in the pyroclastic flows.
The town continued to be buried under layers of falling ash, which covered the devastation, preserving it perfectly. It remained this way for the next 2000 years, only to be properly discovered when the nearby town of Herculaneum was unearthed. This triggered the discovery and excavation of Pompeii. As archaeologists began to excavate the town, they were amazed by what they found. They began to unearth a perfectly preserved example of life in ancient roman times. Experts were puzzled for a while because they kept encountering pockets of air as they dug. The pockets of air turned out to be the final resting places for people, or animals, which had decomposed leaving perfect shell of their bodies. By injecting plaster casts into these holes, archaeologists were able to reconstruct their exact images in death.
The excavation of Pompeii has been extremely valuable in teaching us about what life was like in Roman times. People can visit today and wonder through the streets going back in time 2000 years.