Pompeii, Italy Photos

Frescoes can still be seen on the exterior walls of the ancient city,

Porta Marina (below) was used to bring in people and animals from the port.

The House of the Faun, was a private home.  This large home is believed to have been owned by the emperor's nephew.

The House of the Faun had an open floor plan with a fountain located in the center to bring water into the home for the private use of the wealthy family.

Because of the mess caused by the flow of water and sewage through the streets of the city, there were several pedestrian "crosswalks" in the streets.  The raised stones allowed the people to cross the roads above the level of the draining water and waste.

In the Temple of Apollo, a bronze statue of Apollo still stands.  The temple was changed in the time of Nero to include other deities that were worshiped including the huntress, Diana.

The Triangular Forum connected the Forum with the Large Theater within the city.

The Forum (below) is where the orators would speak to the people.  The large bronze head in the center of the photo is not ancient.  It is part of an art installation that was spread throughout the Forum.

The view of Jupiter's Temple from the Forum was dedicated to Juno, Minerva, and Jupiter during the 2nd century BC.  The marble statues once located inside, have been moved to a museum for preservation.

The Arch of Caligula connected the Forum with main road of the city to the north walls, called the Fortuna.

Me in the Forum.

With the connection to an aqueduct, the city had access to a constant supply of fresh water.  The fountain below was the Fountain of Fortune.  The water would come from the mouth of the face and pool into the container below.  This was located in the middle of the street between the homes of the wealthy and the merchant shops.

The narrow streets of the less wealthy area of the city where peasants and laborers lived.

The aqueducts provided the water to the city, but the lead pipes distributed it to both public and private fountains.  The pipes below are among the original pipes.

The interior of the home of a wealthy family contains a well-preserved fresco that reached the ceiling.

Many know that that archaeologists that studied the ruins of Pompeii came across gaps of air in the 20 feet of ash.  Within those gaps, they found evidence that the gaps had been created once the bodies of people killed in the city had decomposed.  As they came across the gaps, archaeologists began filling the open spaces with plaster or resin before digging into the space.  What emerged are the haunting shapes of the victims of the Mount Vesuvius and the choking smoke and ash.  Most of the plaster castes have been moved to a museum, but some were on display in the city.  It was a sobering site that made me sad.  The castes are behind glass (which is reflected in the image), but I could not bring myself to take more than one photo of the gruesome shapes.

Among the areas of the laborers, small mills could be seen within the city.  The small mill, like the one below, were used to make flour from the grain.

Our tour guide is demonstrating how the mill would work.  Grain would be poured into the top and a wooden post would be inserted where he placed the group sign.  The post would be longer and continue where his hands are up and the post would be used to spin the top are of the mill.  Flour would then fall through the gap between the two stones and be collected at the base.

The small mill was located next door to the bakery.  The oven of the bakery (below) later inspired the creators of the pizza when they created the brick oven for pizzas.

Like most other Roman cities, there were bathes in Pompeii.  This is the outer room of the bath where people would place their belongings like a locker room.

The bath water was heated with large stoves and the double floor allowed for the spread of the heated water.

The Large Theater was built along the side of a mountain.  It contains twenty rows of seats with a natural acoustic effect that spread the sound from the orchestra area.  It hosted musicals, plays, and gladiator battles.

The Arcaded Court of the Gladiators was the area where the gladiators would train to fight.  Fights would take place in the theater which was located at the base of the arcade.

The view the theater from the arcade.