Notice
In accordance with the Prime Ministerial Decree of January 14, 2021 in order to contain the spread of the Coronavirus infection, all the sites of competence of Pompeii Archaeological Park will remain closed from Monday 22 February until until further notice.
Welcome to ancient Pompeii
Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and, like an open book, provides outstanding information on the art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past.
The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Vesuvius. It was the year 79 A.D. The scale of the tragedy was appalling: in what had been one of the most active and splendid Roman centres, life came to a permanent standstill.
The thick layer of volcanic material which submerged it, made up to a large extent of ash and lapilli - non-hard material, unlike that which covered Herculaneum and which solidified into extremely hard stone -has meant that the city has remained intact until the present day, not only as far as its buildings are concerned, but also as regards the contents inside the houses and shops, providing an absolutely fascinating picture of "daily" life.
The walls of the houses are covered with electoral propaganda messages or risque jokes aimed at particular citizens. The signs on the shop doorways indicate the activity carried out there or the name of the owner. Alongside the elegant villas belonging to the nobility and the luxurious residences of the middle class, stand modest houses where several families lived.
The peasant dwellings on the other hand are situated around vegetable gardens or small plots of land. On the edge of the city stood the brothels, squalid rooms intended as places of pleasure for sailors and travellers passing through, in the narrow lanes, the workshops and utility rooms provide further evidence of the daily routine performed by workmen and slaves as well as the women of the house. The houses still contain furniture, ornaments, gold and silverware, work tools, kitchenware, bronze and terracotta lamps, foodstuffs of all kinds, counters for serving drinks, grain mills and grindstones, workshops for manufacturing cloth, smithies and outlets selling groceries, fruit and vegetables.
There is a remarkable record of Roman painting, of which, without the finds made in Pompeii, virtually nothing would be known.
The architecture and development of the various types of houses is also amply documented. Thus the excavated city provides outstanding historical evidence of Roman civilization: these reminders of the past, which are so vivid and tangible in the remains brought to light, contribute to the fascination of the present.
- Details
- Written by Pompei Online
- Category: Pompeii
HE FOUR-WHEELED PROCESSIONAL CHARIOT. THE LATEST DISCOVERY OF POMPEII
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Torre Annunziata announce the discovery of an extraordinary find, which has emerged intact from the excavation of the suburban villa of Civita Giuliana, beyond the walls to the north of the ancient city of Pompeii, as part of the joint operations launched in 2017 and in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019, which sought to combat illegal activities which had been conducted in the area.
- Details
- Written by Comunicato stampa
- Category: News
Exhibition “Pompei 79 d.C. A Roman story”
Pompei 79 AD. A Roman story is the exciting new exhibition open to the public on the second tier of the Colosseum from 8 February to 9 May 2021.
A never before attempted history of the long-standing relationship between Rome and Pompeii, the exhibition aims to reconstruct the complex dialogue that linked the two most famous sites in Italian archaeology from the Second Samnite War to the eruption of 79 AD. The exhibition’s high scientific quality is based on the reconstruction of social and cultural relations traceable in particular through archaeological research.
- Details
- Written by Comunicato stampa
- Category: News
Completed excavations at Pompeii thermopolium in Regio V
The Thermopolium of Regio V, one of the snack bars at Pompeii, complete with an image of a Nereid riding a sea-horse, which had previously been partially excavated in 2019, re-emerges in its entirety, with other rich decorative still lifes, food residues, animal bones and victims of the eruption.
- Details
- Written by Comunicato stampa
- Category: News
THE NEW EXCAVATIONS OF POMPEII REVEALED IN AN EXCLUSIVE VIRTUAL TOUR
A drone flight over the ancient city and and the new excavations leads us to discover the newly uncovered domus, including: the House with the Garden with its splendid triclinium frescoes and painted portico; the House of Orion with its First Style paintings and the mosaic of Orion, which is the only one of its kind; and in addition the settings of everyday life. It is an extraordinary cross-section of the daily life of the city.
- Details
- Written by Comunicato stampa
- Category: News