Ancient History Module 5: Pompeii & Herculaneum

Question 1

Campania

Answer 1

The region Pompeii and Herculaneum reside in.

Question 2

Pompeii and Herculaneum Geography + Mount Vesuvius

Answer 2

Pompeii is built on the volcanic foot, 25-40m above sea level.

Herculaneum is built like a plateau bound by ravines on either side.

Mount Vesuvius is 1277m high, the crater circumference is 11km, surrounded by woods - dormant.

Question 3

Agriculture - Grown, exported, found, famous.

Answer 3

Emphasis on wine, olive oil, wool and fishing due to volcanic soil.

Exported to Rome, South France, Spain and North Africa.

Wine/Olive oil presses, fermentation rooms found with wheat, barely, cabbage, chickpeas, dates and figs.

Olive oil presses common in Campania homes
Garum is a key ingredient in Roman recipes - fishing emphasis from found hooks and other gear.

Wool and textiles were important - regional centre for cloth making/dying.

Question 4

Important People

Answer 4

Pliny the Elder: Roman author and natural philosopher.
Pliny the Younger: Lawyer and magistrate, recorded 72AD eruption.
Strabo: Greek geographer/philosopher
Diodorus Siculuss: Greek Historian.
Statius: Greco-Roman poet.
Florus: Roman poet and rhetorican.

Question 5

Giuseppe Fiorelli

Answer 5

Born 8/6/1823
Died 28/1/1896

Italian archeologist introducing plaster casts and the grid system (splitting Pompeii into 9 regions).

Question 6

Emerging Technologys

Answer 6

X-Rays: Lady of Oplontis in 1994
3D imaging/CAD: Construct House of Caecillius Luncunder by Lund University Sweden.
Drones: To Document site.

Question 7

The Forum: Economy, day-to-day life and religion.

Answer 7

Core of daily life in Pompeii, for politics, business and religion.
For day-to-day shopping, public shows and debates.

• Temple of Lares Publici: built after 62AD earthquake (household deities).
• Marcellum is the main produce market, selling meat and fish.

Economy welcomed traders from mediterranean with wine, pottery, olive oil and other foods.

Question 8

The Economy - Occupations

Answer 8

Merchants
Bakeries
Pottery
Agriculture: Produces wine, olive oil, cereals, fruit, vegtables, meat, wool.
Fishing: Fish gear, nets, hooks found in Herculaneum.

Question 9

Hierarchy of Citizens

Answer 9

1. Senatorial Elite: Politic of Roman Empire for holiday.
2. Local Elite: Wealthy freeborn politic
3. Freedmen: Freed from slavery
4. Women: Grey area from freedmen and slaves - cannot run for office.
5. Slaves: Economic backbone, do countless jobs and serve a master.

Question 10

Mens Rights

Answer 10

Own property, business, agriculture, trade industry and slaves if wealthy.
Applicable to run for office.

Question 11

Womens Rights

Answer 11

Inherit property, business and other goods from family or husbands will - receive a smaller share to men.
Can’t run for office or vote, only sign legal agreements for set reasons.

Question 12

Freedmen Rights

Answer 12

Own property and business - some remain loyal to their master.
Hold a minor office position. Their children would gain full rights.
To be freed, a slave goes through manumission, needing a masters content to then apply for citizenship.

Question 13

Slaves Rights

Answer 13

Serves a master for varying jobs, considered property to be; bought, sold and inherited. Some are born while others acquired from conquest or to escape debt.
No legal rights, lived in cellars. They make 8,000 of the 20,000 population.

Question 14

Public Baths - Its use and components

Answer 14

Social/relaxing activity that is cheap, for meeting friends, business deals and political discussion.
Men and women sit separately.
Was open midday to night.
Slaves accompanied master, carrying and using strigil (curved blade) to clean then massage them.

Palaestra: Greek influence, exercise yard.
Apodyterium: Change room.
Frigidanium: Cold circular bath.
Tepidanium: Warm room or baths.
Caladium: Hot room with heated baths - charcoal burning in a furnace.

Question 15

Theatres - Popularity, components, use and sources.

Answer 15

Popularity evident fron theatrical motifs/frescos in homes and graffiti by fans.

Used stone seating, wealthy sit near the front while lower class/women sit at the back. A large awning/shelter blocks heat. Music was also played using; drums, flutes and cymbals. Plays were performed there.

Sources: Large Theatre, Odon Theatre and Mosaic.

Question 16

Palastra - Use, popularity and sources.

Answer 16

For wrestling or gymnasium.
Popular leisure activity from greek athletic tradition. Used for running, training and swimming.

Source: The Great Palaestra at Pompeii near the amphitheatre; large space with swimming pool and latrine/toilet adjacent.

Question 17

Ampitheatre - Popularity, use, gladiator sorting and political involvement.

Answer 17

Most prominent leisure activity.
Gladiators who fought are sorted by groups/famila: Curved swords & small shields, Retarius (fight with trident and dagger then trap in net) and myrmillo (fight with helmet, glades and large shield).

Duumvir and Aediles spent money on public entertainment (political stunt too) - gladiatorial contests in honour of gods part of emperors birthday or other events - association to Saturn, likes sacrifice.

Question 18

Local Political life - Politics, who they are elected by, their roles and how to climb the hierarchy + Ordo decurionum, decuriones.

Answer 18

Magistrates - Lowest
Administration and maintenance of public infrastructure.

Aedile - Lower
Maintain daily life in Pompeii by organising town market, roads, maintain public and religious buildings, baths and organised public events. Elected by populous each year, Brought to power by potestas (over look politics and senate).

Duumvir - Middle (latin for 2 men)
Administration of justice; maintaining order and law. Elected by populous to serve 1 year.

Quinquennials - Highest Tier
Completes a census on population. Elected inplace of Duumvir every 5yrs, responsible for revising ordo decurionum laws. Highest position in Pompeii government.
- To become one, you must have served as Duumvir and Aedile prior.

Ordo Decurionum creates laws to be done by magistrates - members called decurions (100 people) admitted every 5yrs.
- Decurions are honoured, wealthy freeborn males that debate & vote on administrative matters.

Question 19

What must members of office must be?

Answer 19

Freeborn males over 25yrs old with decent wealth and an unblemished reputation/character.

Question 20

Campania Diet and flavour enjoyment

Answer 20

Dates, figs, olives, eggs, loaves of bread, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Sheep, pig and cattle bones create assumption of meat consumption.

Enjoy spicy, strong tasting flavours; favourite is garam, made of fermented mixture of small fish like anchovies and mackerels.

Question 21

Latrines - Kitchen and Toilets

Answer 21

Toilet use: To excrete waste, sponge on stick was used to wipe bottom.

Kitchen use: To dispose food scraps.

Question 22

Clothing

Answer 22

Upper class wore off white, one length tunics and belts with sandals - archaic tunic TOTK.
Officials wear purple.
Women wore stole and jewellery; a common accessory.

Question 23

Water supply and sanitisation

Answer 23

Sanitisation is poor, citizens got sick or died from things such as malaria or typhoids. Due to poor filtration and plumbing, creating toxic contamination for the public and bathrooms.
The streets often flooded due to poor drainage, where stepping stones were put in to counter this.

Source: Augustus Aqueduct - stored rain water to bring to pipes for private and public use.

Question 24

Religion - The lares, remaining temples and the imperial cult

Answer 24

Lares are household gods associated to entry/crossing. Families praised them at the forum temple and at personal lararium (shrine) at entry, kitchen and garden.

Remaining temples:
Temple of Jupiter: Dedicated to Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), deities worshipped in Ancient Rome.

Temple of Vespasian: Dedicated to Emperor Vespasian who reverted to Augustan form renewing imperial cult of Julius caesar.
- Imperial cult is the worship of emperors and families as divine, established after death of Julius caesar (44BC), while some of the empire (Pompeii) worshipped living emperors, Rome did not.

Question 25

Foreign Cults and Religions

Answer 25

Cult of Isis from Egypt brought to P/H by Italian merchants via the Aegean island of Deles. Role model being goddess of good fortune, sea, travel and promoting fertility.
- Temple of Isis in Pompeii.

Question 26

Tombs - Pompeii afterlife belief, decree, evidence and source.

Answer 26

Roman belief is a person’s spirit may enter the underworld, if a happy soul, it would guarantee entry. Not a real concern for life at Pompeii.
Most tombs lay leading from the Herculaneum gate, as by decree they cannot be within the town (none at Herculaneum).

Source: Tombs have inscriptions of stats on persons life.
Tomb of Unbricius Scaurus has scenes of gladiator games and stats on battle.

Question 27

Greek Influence - Art, Architecture, Herculaneum

Answer 27

Art: Mosaics - Alexander the Great in the House of Faun. Other murals have scenes/characters from greek myth.

Architecture: Palaestra in Pompeii.
Use of Corinthian columns, peristyle house (House of Faun) and Temple of Isis.

Herculaneum is named after Heracles (Greek god)/ Hercules (Rome equivalent.

Question 28

Egyptian Influence - Art, Architecture, Religion.

Answer 28

Art: Scenes on the Temple of Isis.

Architecture: Mosaics in House of Faun have crocodiles, hippos and ibis - scenes of the nile.

The Temple of Isis uses Egyptian-style landscaping and wall paintings/motifs of Egypt mythology.
The Cult of Isis (and other Egypt gods) are represented by statues, paintings mainly in household shrines.

Question 29

What change in interpretation towards preserving P/H have been made.

Answer 29

An emphasis on restoration over conservation has come in the last 30yrs.

Question 30

Estelle Laser Research and Discoveries.

Answer 30

Studied skulls, hips, pelvis, legs and arms to find makeup of population. Forensic medicine, physical anthropology to determine sex, age of death, disease. Found cause of disease; asphyxiation or thermal shock.

Question 31

What is Conservation

Answer 31

Requires documentation, analysis, cleaning and stabilising objects from further deterioration.
Current principals state no harm to be done and use materials no stronger than original that can also be reversible.

Question 32

What is Reconstruction

Answer 32

Recreate something that no longer exists. Done with original/new materials as physical or digital recreation.

Question 33

Issues in Conservation and Reconstruction

Answer 33

Weathering a Bird poo
Tourism as a whole
Poor Restoration work: Poor management, resource use especially from past archeologists (e.g. replacing wood and concrete makes area more mouldy).

Question 34

Italian and International responsibilities

Answer 34

Responsibilites lie with control of tourism and organisation to the preservation efforts.

Question 35

Italian and International efforts/projects

Answer 35

1997 UNESCO World Heritage listing
Great Pompeii Project: Made from 2011 report on conservation, funded by European Regional Development fund and Italian government to preserve, restore, keep surveillance and minimise damage.

Question 36

For and Against arguments on Human Remain treatment

Answer 36

For: Educational benefit, Plaster casts negate ethics, Bones/remain do not equate to an indivdual and are most often of unknown origin.

Against: Human dignity treatment, religious, spiritual and cultural reasons - censorship of remains, significance and morality of burial. Experimentation on deceased non-consentially.

Question 37

Excavation, Conservation, Display and Study ethical issues.

Answer 37

Treatment of remains
Quality of Conservation method
Sensitivity to displaying remains (Jews and muslims), offensive.

Still an evolving topic, each country has own regulations. E.g. Egypt will not let historical figures leave the country [Ramesses II].

Question 38

Value of tourists

Answer 38

Money contributes to continued excavation, preservation, restoration and study of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Question 39

Impact and Problems of Tourists

Answer 39

Erosion: Accidental damage, vandalism, littering, tampering; sitting standing touching.
- E.g. 2016 Temple of Apollo steps erode from overcrowding and same pathway.

Methods of addressing these concerns vary by tour companies, archeologists and the government, creating lack of organisation.

Question 40

Impact and Solutions of Tourists

Answer 40

UNESCO World Heritage listing generating attention.
Rotate accessible parts of the site
Restrict number of tourists in a building/location at a time.
Provision with built walkways and signage.
Employ capable staff
Surveillance and law enforcement
Spread awareness through media.