Pompeii is a city buried under a layer of ash. Dive into history: where is Pompeii? The death of Pompeii - why people didn’t leave the city

Ancient city of Pompeii was formed back in the 6th century BC. If it were not for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which burned the entire city to the ground, covering it with a huge layer of volcanic ash, Pompeii would still exist not far from Naples. Now these are ruins that UNESCO has listed as a World Heritage Site.

The name Pompeii arose after the unification of five independent cities (pumpe - five). This is a more plausible version. There is a legend according to which Hercules defeated the giant Geryon in a tough battle, and after that he solemnly walked around the city, celebrating the victory. From the ancient Greek language pumpe is a solemn, triumphal procession.

In those days, people believed in God, and believed that the gods controlled earthly cataclysms. Despite the fact that on February 5, 62 AD. e. There was a strong earthquake, which could possibly have been the impetus for a volcanic eruption, people still continued to live in the city, worshiping the gods, and believing that no misfortune would happen to them. Still, the volcano erupted. It happened August 24, 79 AD Not only the city of Pompeii suffered, but also nearby cities - Herculaneum, Stabiae. The eruption was so strong that the ash even reached neighboring countries - Egypt and Syria. About 20 thousand people lived in the city. Some managed to escape even before the disaster began, but many died. The exact number of victims is unknown, but the remains of bodies were found far outside the city.

The city remained under a layer of ash for many centuries until in 1592 by Dominico Fontana(a famous architect of that time) did not stumble upon the city wall while laying a canal from the Sarno River. No one gave this wall much importance, and only about 100 years later in the ruins of Pompeii they found a tablet with the inscription “Pompeii” carved on it. Even after this incident, no one could have imagined that this was an ancient city that had disappeared from the face of the earth. They concluded that this was the old villa of Pompey the Great.

And so in 1748 the extraction of the ancient city began. Led the excavations Alcubierre, who was sure that this was the city of Stabiae. Directly in Pompeii itself, only three excavations were carried out in different places. Alcubierre was a barbarian, and he sent all finds that, in his opinion, were of interest to the Naples Museum, and simply destroyed others. Many scientists protested, and the excavations stopped.

In 1760, new excavations began, led by F. Vega. They continued until 1804. Vega and his subordinates spent 44 years retrieving works of art. All finds were restored anew and removed very carefully. At this time, tourists had already begun to come here, so many monuments were not immediately transferred to museums, but were left on display for visitors to the city of Pompeii, which had already become a museum.

In 1863, excavations continued. This time they were led Giuseppe Fiorelli. It was he who discovered a huge number of voids under layers of ash. These are nothing more than the bodies of the city's inhabitants. By filling these voids with plaster, scientists completely reproduced casts of human bodies, right down to facial expressions.

Throughout the history of its existence, humanity has experienced many disasters. But the most tragic of them is the death of Pompeii. Some information about this catastrophe that occurred in Italy in 79 has reached our time. Then, in the middle of the country, a huge mass of lava rushed towards the city from the mouth of the Vesuvius volcano. The townspeople, who had previously believed in the steadfastness of their power, fled in fear. Lava warmed the blooming Pompeii.

Features of Pompeii

It was a beautiful ancient city. Thanks to him, our contemporaries can more accurately determine the life of the Romans in ancient times. Curious artifacts are found during excavations at the site of the city. They claim how huge and rich the city was. Buildings, frescoes, amphorae, furniture, and household items covered with ash have survived to this day. Archaeologists are eager to visit the excavation site of an ancient city. You too can visit the ruins of the city with the Cheerful Tourist Travel Agency.

The city was formed in the 4th century BC. Then its first inhabitants settled near Naples. Subsequently, five small settlements merged together, forming one administrative center. The owners were the Etruscans, an ancient tribe whose culture was borrowed by the Romans.

History of Pompeii

At the end of the fifth century BC the Samnites took possession of the city. A hundred years later, Pompeii entered into an alliance with the Roman Republic, although this was only formal. Residents of Pompeii were drafted into the army, but they were not entitled to any material benefits. The protests of the inhabitants of Pompeii were pacified by the Romans in 89 BC by troops. The majestic city was declared a colony of Rome, although the life of the inhabitants did not change. They also continued to live carefree and freely on fertile soil, close to the sea and with a warm climate. Pompeii developed rapidly before the eruption of Vulcan.

Suburbs of Pompeii

Near Pompeii was the city of Herculaneum. Legionnaires who retired and former slaves who bought their freedom lived there. The city of Stabia was also nearby. The rich people of Rome lived there. They built villas in the city, furnished them luxuriously, and planted many plants nearby. Poor citizens lived nearby in smaller houses and served the wealthy nouveau riche.

During the volcanic eruption, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia were buried under ash. The only survivors were those who left their belongings and left the city at the beginning of the eruption.

City infrastructure

Construction was active in Pompeii and many buildings were built.

1. A large amphitheater was erected there, where 20 thousand spectators could fit.

2. They built the Bolshoi and Maly theaters, which accommodated five thousand and one and a half thousand spectators, respectively.

3. In the city, many temples dedicated to different gods were built for believers.

4. A huge square decorated the central part of the city. Around the square there were public buildings where people traded and politicians met.

5. In the baths, people not only washed themselves, but also talked about commerce and discussed news.

City streets intersected at right angles. An aqueduct was built in the city, supplying residents with water from mountain rivers. From the aqueduct, moisture flowed into a huge reservoir and flowed through pipes into the houses of wealthy residents. Poor residents took water from the fountain. The city baked bread and produced textiles.

The last day of Pompeii

Volcanic eruptions have occurred before. But before the disaster in 79, the volcano did not cause concern for 1,500 years. A day before the eruption, the city felt several tremors of the earth's crust, which caused the temperature in the Bay of Naples to rise, even to a boil. All reservoirs have dried up. From the depths of the earth came sounds like groans.

The history of the last day of the city can be found out from the records of Pliny the Younger. The eruption began at 2 o'clock on August 24. A white cloud with gray spots rose above the volcano. The cloud expanded quickly.

The shaking of the soil could even be heard as far as Miseno, which was 30 km away, where Pliny the Younger lived. Jets of gas and large amounts of pumice fragments began to burst out of the crater, rising to a height of about 20 km. This went on for 11 hours.

Death of people

According to statistics, about 20 thousand residents died in the city, that is, approximately every tenth resident was covered with ash. Experts found this out from Pliny’s sources. These are the citizens of not only Pompeii, but also Herculaneum and Stabia.

The townspeople acted like this.

1. People rushed to the harbor in panic. They wanted to leave the dangerous city by sea. This became known when archaeologists unearthed many human remains on the shore of the bay. But the ships could not save all the residents who ran to the shore.

2. Some residents hid in closed houses and cellars. Then they wanted to get out, but were too late.

3. There were time intervals between explosions in the volcano crater. Therefore, many citizens were able to escape to a safe distance, leaving slaves in the city to guard things.

4. Some residents who did not have slaves to guard their household did not leave the city.

At night, flames erupted from the crater. The next morning, hot lava poured out of the crater. It caused the death of the people remaining in the city. At 6 o'clock, ash and pumice balls fell from the sky. They covered Pompeii and Stabia with a thick layer. This nightmare continued for 3 hours.

5. The residents who remained in the city rushed around the city. Hoping to find salvation, they soon weakened and fell, covering their heads with their hands.

Water heated to 700 degrees flowed onto the city. It mixed with the ashes and enveloped everything that came in its way, including people who had fallen from powerlessness and were suffocating from the ashes. Excavations show how, before death, people clasped their hands and opened their mouths and eyes wide in horror.

Pompeii (Italy) is a unique city. It is of interest as a historical heritage not only for Italy, but also for the whole world. The city is under the protection of UNESCO and, in fact, is an open-air museum complex. Probably every educated person knows that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius completely destroyed Pompeii. The city was buried under a layer of volcanic ash and stones. Several films were made about this terrible incident, and it became the subject of novels and paintings. In Russia, the most famous work of painting on this topic is “The Last Day of Pompeii” by Karl Bryullov.

History of the city of Pompeii

The city of Pompeii is believed to have first been a settlement founded in the 6th century BC. Little is known about the history of that time, but, like many cities in modern Italy, Pompeii was not spared from military action. The city passed from hand to hand of various ancient tribes; at one time it was also owned by the ancient Greeks, who built temples in Pompeii in honor of their gods.

Finally, in the 1st century BC. the city came under the rule of the Roman Empire. From that time on, Pompeii developed rapidly. A forum and an amphitheater were built here, where gladiator fights and other spectacular events took place. Industrial buildings (bakeries, spinning mills), thermal baths (public baths), temples, and rich villas for the nobility were erected. Although the heyday lasted only about 150 years, which is not long for an ancient city, during this time Pompeii was able to leave its descendants with enough architectural monuments.

Eruption of Vesuvius

Where is Vesuvius? Look at the geographical map of Italy and you will see that the famous volcano is located almost in the middle between Naples and Pompeii. The wind played a fatal role in the death of Pompeii, sending a huge cloud of volcanic ash towards the city. Thus, Naples was not damaged, but Pompeii perished, as well as the cities closest to them - Herculaneus and Stabiae.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. For a long time it was believed that it was on August 24, but recent excavations have shown that, most likely, this was a mistake, and the eruption occurred on October 24. The disaster occurred quickly, but still not instantly, so most residents managed to flee the city and escape. It is believed that out of 20 thousand inhabitants, 2 thousand died. But these data are compiled on the basis of human remains found in Pompeii, which are well preserved. Many scientists believe that there were more victims because the townspeople could have died outside the city walls, but their remains could no longer be found.

A volcanic eruption is dangerous due to the release of lava. Streams of fire destroy all life in their path, and buildings and landscapes are modified beyond recognition. But this was not the case with Vesuvius in Pompeii. In 79, the main damage was caused not by lava, but by a cloud of volcanic ash and stones. However, having cut short the life of Pompeii, the ashes well preserved city streets, buildings and even household items in houses. Also, during excavations in the 19th century, another feature was discovered: in place of human bodies, compressed ash formed voids that preserved pre-mortem images. The voids began to be filled with plaster and images of people were obtained. Now such plaster figures in different poses are exhibited in Pompeii so that tourists can appreciate the scale of the tragedy.

Pompeii: what to see?

Excavations in Pompeii are still ongoing. Perhaps soon archaeologists will delight us with some more finds. But even now the city-museum is a rather large complex. Even a quick inspection takes several hours.

Sights of Pompeii that are of interest to tourists:

City gate. It is believed that there were seven gates in total. They did not serve as reliable fortifications; rather, they were simply entrances and exits from the city. Road slabs with cart tracks have also been preserved. The residents of Pompeii also installed flat stones on the road that rose above the tiles. This served as a kind of pedestrian crossing so that the townspeople would not get their feet dirty on rainy days.

Bolshoi Theater (Amphitheater) and Maly Theater (Odeon). The amphitheater accommodated 20 thousand, and the Odeon - 1.5 thousand spectators. They even included columns for installing sun shades. The Amphitheater hosted sports competitions, gladiator fights, and performances were held at the Maly Theater. The Odeon still has good acoustics: sounds from the stage can be clearly heard in the distant audience.

Lupanarium. This is an ancient Roman brothel. In the Pompeii Lupanarium, visiting rooms have been preserved, as well as frescoes with erotic themes in these rooms.

Forum. The main city square, surrounded by columns, was the center of commercial, political and religious life. At first the Forum was located in the center, but as development progressed, Pompeii found itself on the outskirts of the city. There are several other attractions here that are worth visiting: the basilica, the city hall, the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of Apollo, the Arch of Caligula and others.

Thermae (public baths). There are several bath complexes in Pompeii. The Stabius Baths are the best preserved. Here you can see a locker room, a frigidarium (a hall with a cold water pool), a tipidarium (warm water pools), and gymnastics rooms. There are also several plaster images of people who died in the eruption of Vesuvius on display.

Villas and houses. Vesuvius (Italy) was unable to destroy many buildings, some were perfectly preserved, although most still survived to this day only in the form of ruins. But the most valuable thing is that in many villas, under a layer of ash, unique frescoes and paintings survived. By the way, during excavations, buildings were named after images on frescoes or objects found; these names are still used today. For example, the House of the Tragic Poet is named after a fresco of an actor holding a tragic mask in his hands. The House of Mysteries is decorated with images of mythological scenes. A statue of a dancing faun was installed in the House of the Faun, and surgical instruments were found in the House of the Surgeon. The House of the Moralist is named after the inscriptions on the walls with calls to respect women, refrain from fighting and keep feet and beds clean.

Aqueduct. This ancient aqueduct was used not only to deliver drinking water, but also to supply fountains, which are also partially preserved in Pompeii. Also, a lot of water was needed for the functioning of public thermal baths.

Industrial and commercial premises. The thermopolium, the ancestor of the modern cafe, where food was prepared and sold, is well preserved. Also in Pompeii you can see mills and bakeries, spinning and weaving workshops. In such rooms, objects found during excavations are also displayed, for example, ancient amphoras, millstones and others.

Another attraction will help you feel the history of Pompeii - the Street of Plenty. It is named so because of the statue of a girl carrying a cornucopia installed on the fountain. Here you can stroll along the ancient pavement and buy quite modern souvenirs. On Abundance Street there are cafes for tourists and souvenir shops.

How to get there?

Where is Pompeii? Very close to Naples. Therefore, in Naples they offer excursions to Pompeii, but mostly in English, so it’s worth making arrangements with a Russian-speaking guide in advance. If you want to organize your trip yourself, it is best to use the train service. From Naples the train departs from Garibaldi Station and goes to Pompei Station. Travel time is about half an hour.

From Rome it is also easy to get to Pompeii by train, you just need to change trains in Naples (and also move from Central Station to Garibaldi Station) or to Salerno (you don’t need to move from station to station, but the journey is longer). The trip will take about 2 hours.

Naples – Vesuvius – Pompeii is one of the popular options for an organized day excursion. To be honest, this is a very busy tour, but some travelers are in a hurry to fit as much as possible into one day. In general, you need to allow at least 4 hours to explore Pompeii. And then during this time you will have time to run through all the sights at a gallop. It is better to go to Pompeii for the whole day. But in the evening you can sit in a Neapolitan cafe with a glass of wine and think about eternity. Believe me, a trip to Pompeii encourages such thoughts.

Excursion to Vesuvius

Combine trips to the volcano and Pompeii only if you have very limited time for the excursion program. And if you are a hardy hiker! The fact is that you need to walk around Pompeii a lot; the attractions are scattered over a fairly large perimeter. And then hike up the volcano along one of the tourist routes.

Vesuvius on the map of Italy is located 15 km from Pompeii. A direct bus will get you there in 15 minutes. And then you can walk (there are no cable cars) to the top along nine different routes. The height of Vesuvius is almost 1300 meters. At the very top you can see a crater with smoke. There are benches to rest along the route. Bring comfortable shoes and sun hats. The territory of the volcano is considered a national reserve. Entrance there is paid, a ticket costs 10 euros. In winter (from November 1 to March 31) the park is open only until 15:00, in summer - until 17:00.

Visit Naples, Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. These attractions can be seen in one day. Such tours are offered from Rome and other Italian cities. But it’s better, of course, to leave a whole day for each attraction. Then you will be able to better capture your emotions in memory and take many, many spectacular photos.

The ancient city of Pompeii (Italy): attractions, Vesuvius, map

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What do we know about the ancient city of Pompeii? History tells us that once this prosperous city instantly died with all its inhabitants under the lava of an awakened volcano. In fact, the history of Pompeii is very interesting and filled with a lot of details.

Founding of Pompeii

Pompeii is one of the oldest Roman cities, which is located in the province of Naples in the Campania region. On one side is the coast (which was previously called Kumansky), and on the other is the Sarn River (in ancient times).

How was Pompeii founded? The history of the city says that it was founded by the ancient Oska tribe back in the 7th century BC. These facts are confirmed by fragments of the Temple of Apollo and the Doric Temple, the architecture of which corresponds to the period when Pompeii was founded. The city stood right at the intersection of several routes - to Nola, Stabia and Cumae.

Wars and Subjugation

The first harbinger of the impending disaster was the earthquake that occurred on February 5, 63 BC.

Seneca noted in one of his works that since Campania was a seismically active zone, such an earthquake was not uncommon for it. And earthquakes had occurred before, but their strength was very small, the residents simply got used to them. But this time expectations exceeded all expectations.

Then in three neighboring cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples - buildings were greatly damaged. The destruction was such that over the next 16 years the houses could not be completely restored. During all 16 years, active restoration work, reconstruction, and cosmetic repairs were carried out. There were also plans to erect several new buildings, for example, the Central Baths, which could not be completed before the death of Pompeii.

Death of Pompeii. The first day

Residents tried to restore Pompeii. The history of the death of the city indicates that the disaster began in 79 BC, on the afternoon of August 24 and lasted 2 days. The eruption of what was until then thought to be a dormant volcano destroyed everything. Then not only Pompeii, but also three more cities - Stabiae, Oplontia and Herculaneum - perished under the lava.

During the day, a cloud consisting of ash and steam appeared above the volcano, but no one paid much attention to it. A little later, a cloud covered the sky over the entire city, and flakes of ash began to settle on the streets.

The tremors coming from underground continued. Gradually they intensified to such an extent that carts overturned and finishing materials fell off houses. Along with the ashes, stones then began to fall from the sky.

The streets and houses of the city were filled with suffocating sulfur fumes; many people were simply suffocating in their homes.

Many tried to leave the cities with valuables, while others who were unable to leave their property died in the ruins of their homes. The products of the volcanic eruption overtook people both in public places and outside the city. But still, most of the inhabitants were able to leave Pompeii. History confirms this fact.

Death of Pompeii. Second day

The next day, the air in the city became hot, and the volcano itself erupted, destroying with lava all living things, all buildings and property of people. After the eruption there was a lot of ash that covered the entire city, the thickness of the ash layer reached 3 meters.

After the disaster, a special commission arrived at the scene of events, which stated the “death” of the city and that it could not be restored. Then it was still possible to meet people on what was left of the streets of the former city who were trying to find their property.

Along with Pompeii, other cities perished. But they were discovered only thanks to the discovery of Herculaneum. This second city, also located at the foot of Vesuvius, did not die from lava and ash. After the eruption, the volcano, like the affected cities, was covered with a three-meter layer of stones and ash, which hung menacingly like an avalanche that could fall at any moment.

And soon after the eruption, heavy rain began, which carried away a thick layer of ash from the slopes of the volcano and a thick layer of water with dust and stones fell directly on Herculaneum. The depth of the stream was 15 meters, so the city was buried alive under the flow from Vesuvius.

How Pompeii was found

Stories and stories about the terrible events of that year have long been passed on from generation to generation. But several centuries later, people lost the idea of where the lost city of Pompeii was located. The history of the death of this city gradually began to lose facts. People lived their own lives. Even in those cases when people found the remains of ancient buildings, for example, while digging wells, no one could even think that these were parts of the ancient city of Pompeii. The history of excavations began only in the 18th century and is indirectly connected with the name of Maria Amalia Christina.

She was the daughter of King Augustus of Saxony the Third, who left the Dresden court after her marriage to Charles of Bourbon. Charles was king of the Two Sicilies.

The current queen was in love with art and examined the halls of the palace, parks and her other possessions with great interest. And one day she drew attention to the sculptures that were previously found before the last eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Some of these statues were found by chance, while others were found at the instigation of General d'Elbeuf. Queen Mary was so amazed by the beauty of the sculptures that she asked her husband to find new ones for her.

The last time Vesuvius erupted was in 1737. During this incident, part of its top flew into the air, leaving the slope exposed. Since the volcano had not been active for a year and a half, the king agreed to begin searching for sculptures. And they started from the place where the general had once finished his search.

Search for statues

Excavations took place with great difficulties, since it was necessary to destroy a thick (15 meters) layer of hardened lava. For this, the king used special tools, gunpowder, and the strength of workers. Eventually the workers came across something metallic in the artificial shafts. Thus, three large fragments of gigantic bronze horses were found.

After this, it was decided to seek help from a specialist. For this, Marquis Marcello Venuti, who was the keeper of the royal library, was invited. Further, three more marble statues of Romans in togas, the body of a bronze horse, and painted columns were found.

Discovery of Herculaneum

At that moment it became clear that there would be even more to come. The royal couple, arriving at the excavation site on December 22, 1738, examined the discovered staircase and the inscription stating that a certain Rufus built the Theatrum Herculanense theater at his own expense. Experts continued excavations because they knew that the theater signified the presence of a city. There were many statues that were carried by the water current to the back wall of the theater. This is how Herculaneum was discovered. Thanks to this find, it was possible to organize a museum that had no equal at that time.

But Pompeii was located at a shallower depth than Herculaneum. And the king, after consulting with the head of his technical team, decided to move the excavations, taking into account the scientists’ notes regarding the location of the city of Pompeii. History celebrated all memorable events with the hands of scientists.

Excavations of Pompeii

So, the search for Pompeii began on April 1, 1748. After 5 days, the first fragment of a wall painting was found, and on April 19, the remains of a man were found, from whose hands several silver coins rolled out. This was the city center of Pompeii. Unfortunately, not realizing the importance of the find, experts decided that they needed to look elsewhere and filled up this place.

A little later, an amphitheater and a villa were found, which was later called the House of Cicero. The walls of this building were beautifully painted and decorated with frescoes. All art objects were confiscated, and the villa was immediately filled back up.

After this, the excavations and the history of Pompeii were abandoned for 4 years, attention turned to Herculaneum, where a house with a library “Villa dei Papiri” was found.

In 1754, experts again returned to the excavations of the city of Pompeii, to its southern part, where an ancient wall and the remains of several graves were found. Since then, excavations of the city of Pompeii have been actively undertaken.

Pompeii: an alternative history of the city

Today there is still an opinion that the year of the death of Pompeii is a fiction, based on a letter that supposedly describes the volcanic eruption to Tacitus. Here questions arise about why in these letters Pliny does not mention either the names of the cities of Pompeii or Herculaneum, or the fact that it was there that the uncle of Pliny the Elder lived, who died in Pompeii.

Some scientists refute the fact that the disaster occurred precisely in 79 BC, due to the fact that in various sources one can find information about 11 eruptions that occurred between 202 and 1140 AD (after the incident that destroyed Pompeii). And the next eruption dates back only to 1631, after which the volcano remained active until 1944. As we see, the facts indicate that the volcano, which was active, fell asleep for 500 years.

Pompeii in the modern world

The history of the city of Herculaneum and the history of Pompeii remain very interesting today. Photos, videos and various scientific materials can be found in the library or on the Internet. Many historians are still trying to solve the mystery of the ancient city and study its culture as much as possible.

Many artists, including K. Bryullov, in addition to their other works, depicted the last day of Pompeii. The story is that in 1828 K. Bryullov visited the excavation sites and even then made sketches. In the period from 1830 to 1833, his artistic masterpiece was created.

Today the city has been restored as much as possible, it is one of the most famous cultural monuments (on par with the Colosseum or Venice). The city has not yet been completely excavated, but many buildings are available for inspection. You can walk along the streets of the city and admire the beauty that is more than 2000 years old!

A city where there are no residents, but there are crowds of tourists, where there is no city government, but there is a big name and a good annual budget. It was once a fairly large and prosperous city of the Roman Empire. Almost 30,000 people lived here (for comparison: this is three times more than the current population of Suzdal!). The city had an important strategic and economic position: a port city located on the Appian Way, which connected the south of the country with Rome.

Today we will go for a walk through the dead city of Pompeii

Depending on the significance they were wide or narrow. Paved with stone. In some places, strongly protruding cobblestones are visible - a pedestrian crossing for people during the rain, when the streets were flooded (for example, visible in the distance in the photo below). Sometimes you can see horse “parking” spots on the sides.

In Pompeii all houses have their own addresses. On the map of Pompeii that you will be given at the entrance, it will be clear how to get to which house. And there will be modern signs on the streets (as in the photo below).

Many houses are well preserved and you can even go inside and see what it was like. For example, on this street there are a couple of such houses.

On the street below on the left side there is a row of all kinds of shopping shops.

There were once all sorts of ornaments on the walls, which they are now trying to restore.

There was a problem with drinking water in the city. Like many Roman cities, an aqueduct was built here. But water from the aqueduct was supplied only to the houses of the richest citizens. The rest of the people went to fountains and wells with all sorts of containers. Well, in general, they had average dacha conditions there. Here is a street with a well.

But the city already had a developed fast food chain. Here you go: the prototype of McDonald's and others like it. Although the service, to be honest, is more reminiscent of the shawarma at the Kievsky station, which was removed from there a couple of years ago. :) Here, inside these holes there were constantly heated pots with all kinds of food. By the way, this fast food was quite popular, because... many poor houses simply did not have a kitchen.

The inhabitants of Pompeii loved to have fun, so they built two theaters there. One of them is below.

The inhabitants of Pompeii loved sex no less than you and I (yeah, who doesn’t love it! :)). They built as many as 200 so-called lupanaria (brothels) in the city, which had certain opening hours and a certain range of services. The second floor was reserved for especially wealthy clients with VIP service. This establishment was very popular both then and now. In those days - among clients, in our days - among tourists. Nowadays it is the most visited building in Pompeii. :)

The rooms where clients were served were no more than two square meters in area. What can hardly be called a bed is a bed of incredibly small dimensions. No doors, no ventilation. In general, I wouldn’t be attracted to sex there. Honestly. I was drawn to the fresh air there. But in general, men know better, of course. :)

By the way, comrades, if you remember, then, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf. So, according to one version, it was not a she-wolf at all, but that same “magnifying glass” - a lady of easy virtue, which is translated from Latin as a she-wolf. Didn't the psyche of children who grew up in a brothel suffer if they first joyfully killed their uncle, then Romulus killed Remus, and then his descendants conquered half of Europe?..

Well, okay, sex is an eternal and wonderful topic. Let's return to the city. Pompeii had a couple of fairly large squares. The largest of them is the Pompeii Forum. There was a market, a court, a municipal building, a voting building, all sorts of temples, shops, etc.

One more area. Vesuvius was already visible from here. But that day, apparently, there was still a strong fog, because the photo of Vesuvius turned out somehow bad: everything was completely foggy...

Next will be what is left of people. Those who are especially impressionable may end up viewing the report at this point. And with people it was like this... Pompeii was not at all flooded with lava, as depicted in Bryullov’s painting: Pompeii was covered with many meters of ash and stones.

In that same BBC film that I mentioned at the beginning, it was shown that the first signs of the end were visible a few days before the very end. The wind brought ashes that fell on the heads of citizens so that it was almost impossible to go outside without covering their heads with something. Many hastily began to leave, but some remained in the city and took refuge in their houses.