Day 2: Pompeii and Herculaneum

Today we started off intending to climb Mt. Vesuvius.  Unfortunately, the mountain was "socked in" and the summit was completely engulfed in heavy dark cloud.  After driving halfway up we encountered another bus like ours on the way down and the driver shared the news that it was closed.

Luckily, we had plenty to do today, so proceeded to our next stop: Pompeii.  Pompeii was buried under 18 feet of volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.  We entered the archaeological site near the amphitheater.  Here you can see the boys listening to our specialist guide, Bernadette, as she tells them more about the amphitheater.

We then proceeded into the town.  We peeked into several of the houses and saw frescoes like this.

One of the homes had an unusual dining room, with a water feature.  The water flowed down the marble steps in the rear and then around the raised area below.  A formal Roman dining room was called a triclinium, meaning "three couches".  Romans ate while reclining on their sides and arranged couches in a U shape, so in this dining room, their three couches would be surrounded by the water.

Further inside Pompeii we encountered this grand doorway,

and this intricate fresco.

This beautiful marble counter was part of a shop.

This marble counter was in a type of shop called a thermopolium.  Inset in the counter top are terra cotta containers that, like a modern thermos, keep hot food warm and cool things cool.

This is the biggest thermopolium in Pompeii

Just around the corner was a house with a unique and intricate mosaic floor.  A vicious dog is chained just inside the entrance,

while the mosaic continues deep into the house.  Notice the frescoes on the walls as well.

We visited the public baths as well.  Here is the marble floor at the entrance to the baths.

This is the ceiling of the changing area in the baths.

The baths were heated.  The Romans had central heat 2,000 years before it was reintroduced in the west.  The Roman heating system was hypocaustic, meaning that the floors were elevated and the walls contained air channels.  A furnace would provide heat and the heated air would circulate under the floor and through the walls, heating the room.

After the baths, the boys enjoyed a visit to the brothel in Pompeii.  As an active port, Pompeii provided all sorts of entertainment for the sailors vsiting.

The Romans believed that phallic symbols promoted good luck and fertility.  We found several in our walk through the city.  Here are some of the lads clowning around with one we found.

 We then went to the Forum on Pompeii.  Normally in this picture you would see Mt. Vesuvius looming behind this temple.  Today it was covered in cloud.

 Here our intrepid group stops in the Forum for an obligatory group shot, ftb (for the blog).

We then marched to the theater and tested the acoustic properties.  At the center of the stage area is a spot where even a whisper can be heard all the way in the top row.

Behind the theater is the gladiator barracks.  The barracks were our last stop in the ruins of Pompeii.  We then grabbed some lunch and then headed to Herculaneum.

Herculaneum was buried in the eruption of 79 AD, but where Pompeii was covered by volcanic ash, Herculaneum was covered by 60 feet of volcanic mud.  As a result, Herculaneum has been much more difficult to excavate than Pompeii.  Only about 10% has been uncovered and the modern town is built over the rest.  The difficulty of tunneling through the mud means that more of the beautiful artwork remains in place in Herculaneum, where much was looted from Pompeii over the last six centuries (though the locals prefer the term, "recycled" as opposed to "looted".)

 Herculaneum claimed to have been founded by the hero Hercules. It featured a large swimming pool and in the pool was a fountain in the shape of the Hydra, one of the beasts Hercules was assigned to kill as one of his 12 Labors.

 Herculaneum also had a number of thermopolia.

It also had a temple dedicated to the deified Augustus.  The Romans declared Augustus a god after he died.

In the area where the altar would be the floor is made of colored marble from all over the Roman Empire.

With Herculaneum covered by mud instead of ash, some of the original wood survived.  Even though the mud was 500° F, the mud prevented oxygen from reaching the wood so it did not burn.  Here you can see some of the original roof beams in the temple.

Just down the street is a house with a famous glass bead mosaic of Neptune.  The mosaic is in the triclinium, or dining room, and is visible from the street entrance.  Important Romans designed their homes to impress visitors.

This house also had running water.  Here you can see some of the original lead pipes that delivered the water to the home.  Rich people would pay a special fee to tap into the town reservoir, which was fed by an aqueduct.

Again, mosaic floors and frescoed walls were a common design theme.

We finished our visit to Herculaneum and returned to the hotel for a few hours.  Later we will head out to dinner.  It's pizza night in Sorrento!