Welcome (back) to Pompeii...
Flavia was a young woman in AD 79 when her hometown of Pompeii was struck by a natural disaster. It looks a bit different in 2024 but, thanks to archaeologists and academics from The Open University, you can take a multimedia trip with Flavia back in time, and let her paint a picture of what her hometown looked like in the days before Mount Vesuvius began to mysteriously rumble...
Start the Journey!
Skip to Full Map
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Click on the icon to disembark at the port...
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Click on the icon to disembark at the port...
Pass by the Temple of Apollo and make an offering
Browse the shops and temples at the Forum
Pass by the council meeting happening at the Basilica
Visit the statues of horsemen (were those always there?)
Do some shopping on “Abundance Street”
Freshen up after your journey at the Stabian baths
Have a quick cup of wine at The House of the Bear
Head for home... Hang on, who are all these people?
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Porta Marina (The Sea Gate)
The road connecting the city centre to the port passes through the city wall here.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Porta Marina (The Sea Gate)
The road connecting the city centre to the port passes through the city wall here.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on...
Temple of Apollo
This was the most important temple in the city and one of the oldest, dating back to the sixth century BC.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Temple of Apollo
This was the most important temple in the city and one of the oldest, dating back to the sixth century BC.
Skip Video
Play Audio
The Forum
(click here to stop/start)
The forum was dominated by the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, representing the power of the Roman gods and the state.
Move on
Play Audio
The Forum
(click here to stop/start)
The forum was dominated by the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, representing the power of the Roman gods and the state.
Move on
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on...
Basilica
The centre of politics, justice and business was in the southeast corner of the Forum.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Horseman
Wherever there is a plinth or a niche in the wall there used to be a statue of marble or bronze; some were gilded with bright gold to shine in the sun.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Horseman
Wherever there is a plinth or a niche in the wall there used to be a statue of marble or bronze; some were gilded with bright gold to shine in the sun.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
"Abundance Street"
This was the main shopping street of Pompeii - it was bustling with life and full of the produce of the Roman world.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
"Abundance Street"
This was the main shopping street of Pompeii - it was bustling with life and full of the produce of the Roman world.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Bath house on the Stabia Road
In Roman baths, men and women were segregated and used different rooms - this is the women’s changing room.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Bath house on the Stabia Road
In Roman baths, men and women were segregated and used different rooms - this is the women’s changing room.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
House of the Bear
The fountain is part of a small house that functioned as a bar.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
House of the Bear
The fountain is part of a small house that functioned as a bar.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Enjoyed this interactive?
Share it!
Continue your learning:
MA in Classical Studies
BA (Hons) Classical Studies
BA (Hons) Arts & Humanities
Current Excavation Site
Pompeii in Pictures
House on the Road to Nola, District 9, City Block 10, door number 1.
Latin Graffiti at Pompeii
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Current excavation at Pompeii aims to protect the excavated parts of the site by reducing and consolidating the baulks at the perimeter of the excavated area. These are the banks of volcanic ash that have been revealed as previous excavations went deeper and deeper. These are now being eroded by rain and other natural processes, endangering the surviving remains.
Other businesses were also set up alongside shops, like laundries (fullonicae), tanneries, potteries and bakeries providing services and supplies for the people of the city.
Graffiti were scratched everywhere on the walls of Pompeii. Often the words were just names, here were ‘Scamander’, ‘Successus’, ‘Saturnus’. A longer, more scurrilous scrawling reads, ‘Whoever is sitting here should read this first of all: anyone who wants sex should ask for Attice: price 16 asses’, that was the price of eight loaves of bread.
Other businesses were also set up alongside shops, like laundries (fullonicae), tanneries, potteries and bakeries providing services and supplies for the people of the city.
The gate was found in 1844 and first excavated by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1861. The left arch of the gate was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943 during the Second World War and was subsequently rebuilt.
Roman shops were usually on busy roads and were located in rooms that opened up onto the street and backed on to houses. Some shops had upper rooms where an owner or worker could sleep. Shops had big wooden folding doors that were closed at night to provide security.
Sadly, for such a beautiful place, the house is named after a mosaic of a bear wounded in a hunt that forms the doormat of the house, the word ‘Have’ in Latin meaning ‘Welcome’.
Mark Twain, the author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, visited Pompeii in 1867. In his satirical account he describes entering Pompeii:
“We passed through the gate which faces the Mediterranean, (called the “Marine Gate,”) and by the rusty, broken image of Minerva, still keeping tireless watch and ward over the possessions it was powerless to save”
Twain, M. (1869) The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims Progress. Hartford (CT): American Publishing Co, p.329.
This fountain can be glimpsed from the street on a back road near the Stabian baths. It is decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass, stone and seashells. It depicts the goddess Venus reclining in a shell and below is the sea god Neptune with his trident and all the fishes of the sea.
Local politics played out in the Basilica. Here there is a graffito of someone called Peregrinus looking very proud and wearing a laurel crown on his head, as if he were an emperor.
Beside the stairs, there is a sundial, paid for by the two most important officials of the city (duoviri) in the time of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). A sundial was a particularly appropriate offering to Apollo, the god of light.
Sadly, for such a beautiful place, the house is named after a mosaic of a bear wounded in a hunt that forms the doormat of the house, the word ‘Have’ in Latin meaning ‘Welcome’.
The forum was also a bustling market place with stalls set out in front of the columns and an office for officials checking weights and measures.
On the street front in busy places, there were bars with open fronts selling drinks and snacks to passers-by. Food and snacks would be served from jars set into a marble counter, often with an interior room with seating.
The Forum was the place for public displays of power. This arch was set up to honour a member of the imperial family.
An inscription found next to it provides clues that the niches either side of the arch contained statues of Nero and Drusus, the sons of Germanicus, who became the heirs of the Emperor Tiberius in AD 23. Tiberius may have featured on horseback in a statue on top of the arch.
Very few of the public statues that once stood in Pompeii have survived. Once, the forum would have been filled with statues. Now some works of contemporary art by sculptor Igor Mitoraj have been installed in the space once occupied by ancient statues. They inspire visitors to imagine what the forum was once like and at the same time remind visitors of how ancient art still influences contemporary artists.
In front of the stairs leading to the door of the temple was the altar. Here, sacrifices to Apollo were solemnly completed. The altar was set up by the four most important officials of the city in around 80 BC by order of the city council.
The gate was found in 1844 and first excavated by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1861. The left arch of the gate was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943 during the Second World War and was subsequently rebuilt.
Carefully excavating down to the floor level will reveal traces of the last activity in the house as the eruption began to bury the city beneath 4.5m of ashes. This house probably belonged to Aulus Rustius Verus who stood for election as aedile (to run Pompeii’s infrastructure and services) before the eruption.
Mark Twain, the author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, visited Pompeii in 1867. In his satirical account he describes entering Pompeii:
“We passed through the gate which faces the Mediterranean, (called the “Marine Gate,”) and by the rusty, broken image of Minerva, still keeping tireless watch and ward over the possessions it was powerless to save”
Twain, M. (1869) The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims Progress. Hartford (CT): American Publishing Co, p.329.
The columns were originally of the Ionic order and made of stone. After the earthquake of AD 62 they were refurbished. They were coated with plaster and the capitals at the top of the columns were in the process of being reshaped to the Corinthian order (to match the main temple building) and being painted red, yellow and blue although little trace of the colours survives.
The Forum was the place for public displays of power. This arch was set up to honour a member of the imperial family.
An inscription found next to it provides clues that the niches either side of the arch contained statues of Nero and Drusus, the sons of Germanicus, who became the heirs of the Emperor Tiberius in AD 23. Tiberius may have featured on horseback in a statue on top of the arch.
The largest temple in a Roman forum was almost always dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. This was a reference to the city of Rome where the god and goddesses were the most important deities worshipped on the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Forum in Rome. The temple in Pompeii was rebuilt in 80 BC after the Roman General Sulla conquered the city and made it into a colony of Rome.
Wall paintings are very fragile and require conservation as soon as they are found. Cracks in this one were filled in before the excavation was even completed. It depicts a platter of food including a pizza-like flatbread. Images like this one symbolise xenia, the Greek word for being friendly to guests, and are commonly found in houses.
Originally, equestrian statues stood on either side of the temple steps. They feature in a relief sculpture found in the house of the wealthy Pompeian banker Caecilius Iucundus that shows the earthquake that struck Pompeii in AD 62.
Roman shops were usually on busy roads and were located in rooms that opened up onto the street and backed on to houses. Some shops had upper rooms where an owner or worker could sleep. Shops had big wooden folding doors that were closed at night to provide security.
The columns were originally of the Ionic order and made of stone. After the earthquake of AD 62 they were refurbished. They were coated with plaster and the capitals at the top of the columns were in the process of being reshaped to the Corinthian order (to match the main temple building) and being painted red, yellow and blue although little trace of the colours survives.
A graffito on the wall by the door that goes into the bar reads, “Hedone says, You can get a drink here for only one coin. You can drink better wine for two coins. You can drink Falernian for four coins”. Falernian was the best Roman wine.
Pompeii was a centre of wine production, and its vintages were transported in distinctive vessels called amphorae. Different places had different shapes of wine jars and labels were painted on the exterior identifying their contents, the wine maker, the wine merchant and sometimes the date of the vintage.
A terracotta statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, justice and the arts, was found in this shrine when the gate was excavated in 1861. She, dressed in a robe, with helmet and spear, along with her sacred owl watched over everyone entering and leaving the city gate by the port.
Paradoxically, the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 both destroyed and preserved the city. Excavation removes the volcanic deposits exposing the surviving structures to the atmosphere and sunlight that begin to degrade the surviving walls. Consequently, protecting and preserving the excavated remains is a major part of the heritage management at Pompeii, where there are over 1500 structures in the 44 hectares that have been excavated.
Inside the temple, there was originally a statue of Apollo. It was his house and only the priests ever entered the temple. All the ceremonies and sacrifices took place on the steps or at the altar in front of the temple. The temple was excavated in 1817 and first thought to be the Temple of Bacchus, and then Venus, before being correctly identified.
On the street front in busy places, there were bars with open fronts selling drinks and snacks to passers-by. Food and snacks would be served from jars set into a marble counter, often with an interior room with seating.
Graffiti were scratched everywhere on the walls of Pompeii. Often the words were just names, here were ‘Scamander’, ‘Successus’, ‘Saturnus’. A longer, more scurrilous scrawling reads, ‘Whoever is sitting here should read this first of all: anyone who wants sex should ask for Attice: price 16 asses’, that was the price of eight loaves of bread.
The building interior definitely dates before 78 BC , because a graffito found there reads ‘Caius Pumidius Dipilus was here’ and gives the date 3rd October 78 BC using the Roman calendar, identifying the year by naming the Consuls in power in Rome for that year (C. Pumidius Dipilus heic fuit. A. d. V Nonas Octobreis M Lepid Q Catul Cos).
Pompeii was a centre of wine production, and its vintages were transported in distinctive vessels called amphorae. Different places had different shapes of wine jars and labels were painted on the exterior identifying their contents, the wine maker, the wine merchant and sometimes the date of the vintage.
Very few of the public statues that once stood in Pompeii have survived. Once, the forum would have been filled with statues. Now some works of contemporary art by sculptor Igor Mitoraj have been installed in the space once occupied by ancient statues. They inspire visitors to imagine what the forum was once like and at the same time remind visitors of how ancient art still influences contemporary artists.
Goldfinches perch in the garlands above an entirely painted garden.
The gate has two vaulted passages, one for pedestrians and one for carts and pack animals, such as donkeys and mules. It is covered by a barrel vault made of concrete, that is a mixture of mortar and stones. The gate was probably rebuilt soon after 80 BC when Pompeii became a Roman colony.
A graffito on the wall by the door that goes into the bar reads, “Hedone says, You can get a drink here for only one coin. You can drink better wine for two coins. You can drink Falernian for four coins”. Falernian was the best Roman wine.
Beside the stairs, there is a sundial, paid for by the two most important officials of the city (duoviri) in the time of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). A sundial was a particularly appropriate offering to Apollo, the god of light.
In the changing room (apodyterium), clothes were stored in lockers on the walls before bathers moved into the warm room (tepidarium). There, olive oil soap and unguents were used to cleanse the skin. Then, it was on to the hot space with a steam room and a hot water tank to soak in before cooling off again in the warm room.
Inside the temple, there was originally a statue of Apollo. It was his house and only the priests ever entered the temple. All the ceremonies and sacrifices took place on the steps or at the altar in front of the temple. The temple was excavated in 1817 and first thought to be the Temple of Bacchus, and then Venus, before being correctly identified.
The largest temple in a Roman forum was almost always dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. This was a reference to the city of Rome where the god and goddesses were the most important deities worshipped on the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Forum in Rome. The temple in Pompeii was rebuilt in 80 BC after the Roman General Sulla conquered the city and made it into a colony of Rome.
In the changing room, there was a cold bath for cooling off after the heat of the steam room.
The temple complex was entered from the street (B on the map) running from the forum to the Porta Marina. A colonnade of 9x17 columns (C on the map) enclosed a courtyard, at the far end of which stood the temple building. The altar (a) was built (in about 80 BC) in front of the steps (b) that ran up to the podium (f and g), upon which was the temple building, with 6x9 columns running around its sides. Inside these was the cella (d), the house of the god where his statue stood and where precious offerings were kept.
Click on the image to make it full screen. Click again to close.
In the changing room (apodyterium), clothes were stored in lockers on the walls before bathers moved into the warm room (tepidarium). There, olive oil soap and unguents were used to cleanse the skin. Then, it was on to the hot space with a steam room and a hot water tank to soak in before cooling off again in the warm room.
In the changing room, there was a cold bath for cooling off after the heat of the steam room.
The columns in the Basilica were the first ever made with bricks that were then plastered over to give a smooth finish
The gate has two vaulted passages, one for pedestrians and one for carts and pack animals, such as donkeys and mules. It is covered by a barrel vault made of concrete, that is a mixture of mortar and stones. The gate was probably rebuilt soon after 80 BC when Pompeii became a Roman colony.
In front of the stairs leading to the door of the temple was the altar. Here, sacrifices to Apollo were solemnly completed. The altar was set up by the four most important officials of the city in around 80 BC by order of the city council.
This fountain can be glimpsed from the street on a back road near the Stabian baths. It is decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass, stone and seashells. It depicts the goddess Venus reclining in a shell and below is the sea god Neptune with his trident and all the fishes of the sea.
Originally, equestrian statues stood on either side of the temple steps. They feature in a relief sculpture found in the house of the wealthy Pompeian banker Caecilius Iucundus that shows the earthquake that struck Pompeii in AD 62.
Goldfinches perch in the garlands above an entirely painted garden.
The forum was also a bustling market place with stalls set out in front of the columns and an office for officials checking weights and measures.
A terracotta statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, justice and the arts, was found in this shrine when the gate was excavated in 1861. She, dressed in a robe, with helmet and spear, along with her sacred owl watched over everyone entering and leaving the city gate by the port.
The temple complex was entered from the street (B on the map) running from the forum to the Porta Marina. A colonnade of 9x17 columns (C on the map) enclosed a courtyard, at the far end of which stood the temple building. The altar (a) was built (in about 80 BC) in front of the steps (b) that ran up to the podium (f and g), upon which was the temple building, with 6x9 columns running around its sides. Inside these was the cella (d), the house of the god where his statue stood and where precious offerings were kept.
Click on the image to make it full screen. Click again to close.
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Transcript
Welcome (back) to Pompeii...
Flavia was a young woman in AD 79 when her hometown of Pompeii was struck by a natural disaster. It looks a bit different in 2024 but, thanks to archaeologists and academics from The Open University, you can take a multimedia trip with Flavia back in time, and let her paint a picture of what her hometown looked like in the days before Mount Vesuvius began to mysteriously rumble...
Start the Journey!
Skip to Full Map
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Click on the icon to disembark at the port...
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Click on the icon to disembark at the port...
Pass by the Temple of Apollo and make an offering
Browse the shops and temples at the Forum
Pass by the council meeting happening at the Basilica
Visit the statues of horsemen (were those always there?)
Do some shopping on “Abundance Street”
Freshen up after your journey at the Stabian baths
Have a quick cup of wine at The House of the Bear
Head for home... Hang on, who are all these people?
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Porta Marina (The Sea Gate)
The road connecting the city centre to the port passes through the city wall here.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Porta Marina (The Sea Gate)
The road connecting the city centre to the port passes through the city wall here.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on...
Temple of Apollo
This was the most important temple in the city and one of the oldest, dating back to the sixth century BC.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Temple of Apollo
This was the most important temple in the city and one of the oldest, dating back to the sixth century BC.
Skip Video
Play Audio
The Forum
(click here to stop/start)
The forum was dominated by the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, representing the power of the Roman gods and the state.
Move on
Play Audio
The Forum
(click here to stop/start)
The forum was dominated by the Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, representing the power of the Roman gods and the state.
Move on
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on...
Basilica
The centre of politics, justice and business was in the southeast corner of the Forum.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Horseman
Wherever there is a plinth or a niche in the wall there used to be a statue of marble or bronze; some were gilded with bright gold to shine in the sun.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Horseman
Wherever there is a plinth or a niche in the wall there used to be a statue of marble or bronze; some were gilded with bright gold to shine in the sun.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
"Abundance Street"
This was the main shopping street of Pompeii - it was bustling with life and full of the produce of the Roman world.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
"Abundance Street"
This was the main shopping street of Pompeii - it was bustling with life and full of the produce of the Roman world.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Bath house on the Stabia Road
In Roman baths, men and women were segregated and used different rooms - this is the women’s changing room.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
Bath house on the Stabia Road
In Roman baths, men and women were segregated and used different rooms - this is the women’s changing room.
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
House of the Bear
The fountain is part of a small house that functioned as a bar.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Move on
House of the Bear
The fountain is part of a small house that functioned as a bar.
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Enjoyed this interactive?
Share it!
Continue your learning:
MA in Classical Studies
BA (Hons) Classical Studies
BA (Hons) Arts & Humanities
Current Excavation Site
Pompeii in Pictures
House on the Road to Nola, District 9, City Block 10, door number 1.
Latin Graffiti at Pompeii
Skip Video
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Play Audio
(click here to stop/start)
Current excavation at Pompeii aims to protect the excavated parts of the site by reducing and consolidating the baulks at the perimeter of the excavated area. These are the banks of volcanic ash that have been revealed as previous excavations went deeper and deeper. These are now being eroded by rain and other natural processes, endangering the surviving remains.
Other businesses were also set up alongside shops, like laundries (fullonicae), tanneries, potteries and bakeries providing services and supplies for the people of the city.
Graffiti were scratched everywhere on the walls of Pompeii. Often the words were just names, here were ‘Scamander’, ‘Successus’, ‘Saturnus’. A longer, more scurrilous scrawling reads, ‘Whoever is sitting here should read this first of all: anyone who wants sex should ask for Attice: price 16 asses’, that was the price of eight loaves of bread.
Other businesses were also set up alongside shops, like laundries (fullonicae), tanneries, potteries and bakeries providing services and supplies for the people of the city.
The gate was found in 1844 and first excavated by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1861. The left arch of the gate was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943 during the Second World War and was subsequently rebuilt.
Roman shops were usually on busy roads and were located in rooms that opened up onto the street and backed on to houses. Some shops had upper rooms where an owner or worker could sleep. Shops had big wooden folding doors that were closed at night to provide security.
Sadly, for such a beautiful place, the house is named after a mosaic of a bear wounded in a hunt that forms the doormat of the house, the word ‘Have’ in Latin meaning ‘Welcome’.
Mark Twain, the author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, visited Pompeii in 1867. In his satirical account he describes entering Pompeii: “We passed through the gate which faces the Mediterranean, (called the “Marine Gate,”) and by the rusty, broken image of Minerva, still keeping tireless watch and ward over the possessions it was powerless to save”
Twain, M. (1869) The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims Progress. Hartford (CT): American Publishing Co, p.329.
This fountain can be glimpsed from the street on a back road near the Stabian baths. It is decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass, stone and seashells. It depicts the goddess Venus reclining in a shell and below is the sea god Neptune with his trident and all the fishes of the sea.
Local politics played out in the Basilica. Here there is a graffito of someone called Peregrinus looking very proud and wearing a laurel crown on his head, as if he were an emperor.
Beside the stairs, there is a sundial, paid for by the two most important officials of the city (duoviri) in the time of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). A sundial was a particularly appropriate offering to Apollo, the god of light.
Sadly, for such a beautiful place, the house is named after a mosaic of a bear wounded in a hunt that forms the doormat of the house, the word ‘Have’ in Latin meaning ‘Welcome’.
The forum was also a bustling market place with stalls set out in front of the columns and an office for officials checking weights and measures.
On the street front in busy places, there were bars with open fronts selling drinks and snacks to passers-by. Food and snacks would be served from jars set into a marble counter, often with an interior room with seating.
The Forum was the place for public displays of power. This arch was set up to honour a member of the imperial family.
An inscription found next to it provides clues that the niches either side of the arch contained statues of Nero and Drusus, the sons of Germanicus, who became the heirs of the Emperor Tiberius in AD 23. Tiberius may have featured on horseback in a statue on top of the arch.
Very few of the public statues that once stood in Pompeii have survived. Once, the forum would have been filled with statues. Now some works of contemporary art by sculptor Igor Mitoraj have been installed in the space once occupied by ancient statues. They inspire visitors to imagine what the forum was once like and at the same time remind visitors of how ancient art still influences contemporary artists.
In front of the stairs leading to the door of the temple was the altar. Here, sacrifices to Apollo were solemnly completed. The altar was set up by the four most important officials of the city in around 80 BC by order of the city council.
The gate was found in 1844 and first excavated by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1861. The left arch of the gate was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943 during the Second World War and was subsequently rebuilt.
Carefully excavating down to the floor level will reveal traces of the last activity in the house as the eruption began to bury the city beneath 4.5m of ashes. This house probably belonged to Aulus Rustius Verus who stood for election as aedile (to run Pompeii’s infrastructure and services) before the eruption.
Mark Twain, the author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, visited Pompeii in 1867. In his satirical account he describes entering Pompeii: “We passed through the gate which faces the Mediterranean, (called the “Marine Gate,”) and by the rusty, broken image of Minerva, still keeping tireless watch and ward over the possessions it was powerless to save”
Twain, M. (1869) The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims Progress. Hartford (CT): American Publishing Co, p.329.
The columns were originally of the Ionic order and made of stone. After the earthquake of AD 62 they were refurbished. They were coated with plaster and the capitals at the top of the columns were in the process of being reshaped to the Corinthian order (to match the main temple building) and being painted red, yellow and blue although little trace of the colours survives.
The Forum was the place for public displays of power. This arch was set up to honour a member of the imperial family.
An inscription found next to it provides clues that the niches either side of the arch contained statues of Nero and Drusus, the sons of Germanicus, who became the heirs of the Emperor Tiberius in AD 23. Tiberius may have featured on horseback in a statue on top of the arch.
The largest temple in a Roman forum was almost always dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. This was a reference to the city of Rome where the god and goddesses were the most important deities worshipped on the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Forum in Rome. The temple in Pompeii was rebuilt in 80 BC after the Roman General Sulla conquered the city and made it into a colony of Rome.
Wall paintings are very fragile and require conservation as soon as they are found. Cracks in this one were filled in before the excavation was even completed. It depicts a platter of food including a pizza-like flatbread. Images like this one symbolise xenia, the Greek word for being friendly to guests, and are commonly found in houses.
Originally, equestrian statues stood on either side of the temple steps. They feature in a relief sculpture found in the house of the wealthy Pompeian banker Caecilius Iucundus that shows the earthquake that struck Pompeii in AD 62.
Roman shops were usually on busy roads and were located in rooms that opened up onto the street and backed on to houses. Some shops had upper rooms where an owner or worker could sleep. Shops had big wooden folding doors that were closed at night to provide security.
The columns were originally of the Ionic order and made of stone. After the earthquake of AD 62 they were refurbished. They were coated with plaster and the capitals at the top of the columns were in the process of being reshaped to the Corinthian order (to match the main temple building) and being painted red, yellow and blue although little trace of the colours survives.
A graffito on the wall by the door that goes into the bar reads, “Hedone says, You can get a drink here for only one coin. You can drink better wine for two coins. You can drink Falernian for four coins”. Falernian was the best Roman wine.
Pompeii was a centre of wine production, and its vintages were transported in distinctive vessels called amphorae. Different places had different shapes of wine jars and labels were painted on the exterior identifying their contents, the wine maker, the wine merchant and sometimes the date of the vintage.
A terracotta statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, justice and the arts, was found in this shrine when the gate was excavated in 1861. She, dressed in a robe, with helmet and spear, along with her sacred owl watched over everyone entering and leaving the city gate by the port.
Paradoxically, the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 both destroyed and preserved the city. Excavation removes the volcanic deposits exposing the surviving structures to the atmosphere and sunlight that begin to degrade the surviving walls. Consequently, protecting and preserving the excavated remains is a major part of the heritage management at Pompeii, where there are over 1500 structures in the 44 hectares that have been excavated.
Inside the temple, there was originally a statue of Apollo. It was his house and only the priests ever entered the temple. All the ceremonies and sacrifices took place on the steps or at the altar in front of the temple. The temple was excavated in 1817 and first thought to be the Temple of Bacchus, and then Venus, before being correctly identified.
On the street front in busy places, there were bars with open fronts selling drinks and snacks to passers-by. Food and snacks would be served from jars set into a marble counter, often with an interior room with seating.
Graffiti were scratched everywhere on the walls of Pompeii. Often the words were just names, here were ‘Scamander’, ‘Successus’, ‘Saturnus’. A longer, more scurrilous scrawling reads, ‘Whoever is sitting here should read this first of all: anyone who wants sex should ask for Attice: price 16 asses’, that was the price of eight loaves of bread.
The building interior definitely dates before 78 BC , because a graffito found there reads ‘Caius Pumidius Dipilus was here’ and gives the date 3rd October 78 BC using the Roman calendar, identifying the year by naming the Consuls in power in Rome for that year (C. Pumidius Dipilus heic fuit. A. d. V Nonas Octobreis M Lepid Q Catul Cos).
Pompeii was a centre of wine production, and its vintages were transported in distinctive vessels called amphorae. Different places had different shapes of wine jars and labels were painted on the exterior identifying their contents, the wine maker, the wine merchant and sometimes the date of the vintage.
Very few of the public statues that once stood in Pompeii have survived. Once, the forum would have been filled with statues. Now some works of contemporary art by sculptor Igor Mitoraj have been installed in the space once occupied by ancient statues. They inspire visitors to imagine what the forum was once like and at the same time remind visitors of how ancient art still influences contemporary artists.
Goldfinches perch in the garlands above an entirely painted garden.
The gate has two vaulted passages, one for pedestrians and one for carts and pack animals, such as donkeys and mules. It is covered by a barrel vault made of concrete, that is a mixture of mortar and stones. The gate was probably rebuilt soon after 80 BC when Pompeii became a Roman colony.
A graffito on the wall by the door that goes into the bar reads, “Hedone says, You can get a drink here for only one coin. You can drink better wine for two coins. You can drink Falernian for four coins”. Falernian was the best Roman wine.
Beside the stairs, there is a sundial, paid for by the two most important officials of the city (duoviri) in the time of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). A sundial was a particularly appropriate offering to Apollo, the god of light.
In the changing room (apodyterium), clothes were stored in lockers on the walls before bathers moved into the warm room (tepidarium). There, olive oil soap and unguents were used to cleanse the skin. Then, it was on to the hot space with a steam room and a hot water tank to soak in before cooling off again in the warm room.
Inside the temple, there was originally a statue of Apollo. It was his house and only the priests ever entered the temple. All the ceremonies and sacrifices took place on the steps or at the altar in front of the temple. The temple was excavated in 1817 and first thought to be the Temple of Bacchus, and then Venus, before being correctly identified.
The largest temple in a Roman forum was almost always dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. This was a reference to the city of Rome where the god and goddesses were the most important deities worshipped on the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Forum in Rome. The temple in Pompeii was rebuilt in 80 BC after the Roman General Sulla conquered the city and made it into a colony of Rome.
In the changing room, there was a cold bath for cooling off after the heat of the steam room.
The temple complex was entered from the street (B on the map) running from the forum to the Porta Marina. A colonnade of 9x17 columns (C on the map) enclosed a courtyard, at the far end of which stood the temple building. The altar (a) was built (in about 80 BC) in front of the steps (b) that ran up to the podium (f and g), upon which was the temple building, with 6x9 columns running around its sides. Inside these was the cella (d), the house of the god where his statue stood and where precious offerings were kept.
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In the changing room (apodyterium), clothes were stored in lockers on the walls before bathers moved into the warm room (tepidarium). There, olive oil soap and unguents were used to cleanse the skin. Then, it was on to the hot space with a steam room and a hot water tank to soak in before cooling off again in the warm room.
In the changing room, there was a cold bath for cooling off after the heat of the steam room.
The columns in the Basilica were the first ever made with bricks that were then plastered over to give a smooth finish
The gate has two vaulted passages, one for pedestrians and one for carts and pack animals, such as donkeys and mules. It is covered by a barrel vault made of concrete, that is a mixture of mortar and stones. The gate was probably rebuilt soon after 80 BC when Pompeii became a Roman colony.
In front of the stairs leading to the door of the temple was the altar. Here, sacrifices to Apollo were solemnly completed. The altar was set up by the four most important officials of the city in around 80 BC by order of the city council.
This fountain can be glimpsed from the street on a back road near the Stabian baths. It is decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass, stone and seashells. It depicts the goddess Venus reclining in a shell and below is the sea god Neptune with his trident and all the fishes of the sea.
Originally, equestrian statues stood on either side of the temple steps. They feature in a relief sculpture found in the house of the wealthy Pompeian banker Caecilius Iucundus that shows the earthquake that struck Pompeii in AD 62.
Goldfinches perch in the garlands above an entirely painted garden.
The forum was also a bustling market place with stalls set out in front of the columns and an office for officials checking weights and measures.
A terracotta statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, justice and the arts, was found in this shrine when the gate was excavated in 1861. She, dressed in a robe, with helmet and spear, along with her sacred owl watched over everyone entering and leaving the city gate by the port.
The temple complex was entered from the street (B on the map) running from the forum to the Porta Marina. A colonnade of 9x17 columns (C on the map) enclosed a courtyard, at the far end of which stood the temple building. The altar (a) was built (in about 80 BC) in front of the steps (b) that ran up to the podium (f and g), upon which was the temple building, with 6x9 columns running around its sides. Inside these was the cella (d), the house of the god where his statue stood and where precious offerings were kept.
Click on the image to make it full screen. Click again to close.