Cities of Vesuvius Flashcards
1
Q
The geographical setting and natural features of Campania
A
- Vesuvius dominates the plain of Campania
- Phlegraean fields lie behind Puteoli, 15 km wide, consist of aries of creators, pools with boiling mud and vents (fumaroles), sulphur + steam escape
- Fertile land from MtV.
- Crescent shaped volcanic plain known as Campania
- Pompeii is on a volcanic spur formed by an old lava flow, sea breeze from the bay
2
Q
The eruption of AD 79 and its impact on Pompeii and Herculaneum
A
- Killed everyone in Pompeii and
- Herculaneum
- Asphyxiation
- Suffocation
- Crushed
- Vaporisation
- Destroyed buildings
3
Q
Early discoveries and the changing nature of excavations in the 19th and 20th centuries
A
4
Q
Representations of Pompeii and Herculaneum over time
A
5
Q
Role of the forum
A
- Public building associated with administration, religion and commerce
- Surrounded by double-colonnaded portico in white limestone, featuring standing and equestrian statues honouring the emperor and imperial family
- 41 standing and 16 equestrian statues are all that remain
6
Q
Trade
A
- Imports of: Tableware from northern Italy, Wine from Turkey, Olive oil from Libya and Spain, Garum from Spain
- Exports of: Garum, Wine, Bronze and metal work
7
Q
Commerce
A
- Bustling commercial centre
- 600 shops workshops, bars and inns
8
Q
Industries
A
- Large wine, oil and Garum (primary source of income) production
- Large fishing industry
9
Q
Occupations
A
- Bakers
- Clothing makers (Fullonica)
10
Q
The social structure
A
- The elite
- Plebs media - wealthy but outside the elite
- Plebs humilis - The humblest of the freed
11
Q
Men (freeborn)
A
- Could hold political office
- Wealthy landowners and businessmen
- Controlled public finances, spaces and religion
- Privileged seats in the amphitheatre and theatre
- Received honorary statues and tombs
12
Q
Women (freeborn)
A
- Under legal control of their fathers or husbands
- Could own property
- Conducted businesses
- Constructed buildings and tombs
- Supported electoral candidates
- Received honorary statues and tombs
13
Q
Liberti (freedmen)
A
- Libertus and Liberta
- Men and women freed from slavery
- Worked for their former masters
- Many became wealthy and influential
- Withheld their relationship with their masters
- Associated with crafts, trade and commerce
- Libertus could own businesses and hold formal political office
- Liberta could not ^
- Libertus often participated in religious cults
14
Q
Slaves
A
- Servi
- Would help their masters with their businesses, sales, house work e.t.c
- Large population of P. and H. was from Servi origin
- Offspring from slaves belonged to their masters
- Slaves could be manumitted by their masters
15
Q
Local political life
A
Executive:
- Two duoviri (responsible for crime, electoral roles e.t.c)
- Two aediles (administered public and private buildings, maintained roads, regulated markets)
16
Q
Decuriones
A
- Legislature (city council) - 100 members (decurions) who were chosen from ex-magistrates
- Control cities finances and taxation
- Granted honorific statues and tombs
17
Q
Magistrates
A
18
Q
Comitium
A
19
Q
Housing
A
- Atrium: Rectangular hall off the Vestibulum, heart of domestic activity, ceremonial and sacred.
- Ala: Shrine for their family and paterfamilias
- Cubiculum: small bedroom
- Culina: Kitchen, found in wealthy homes
- Exedra: garden room located off the peristyle, used for entertainment, wall paintings show garden themes
- Peristylium: colonnaded garden, large closed area overlooking the viridarium
- Taberna: Shop front
- Tricillium: Dining room, located off the Atrium
- Vestibulum: Entrance hall
20
Q
Leisure activities
A
- Gladiators were usually slaves or criminals
- Helmets, greaves and weapons were found in the gladiator’s barracks. Due to poor recording much evidence was lost.
- People would gamble on the outcome of the cockfights
21
Q
Food and Dining
A
- Latrines in wealthy homes were used as a kitchen.
- Kitchens were commonly mobile in most houses
- Garum: Fermented mixture of different fish species.
- Aulus Umbricius Scaurus made and exported garum in P.
- Small terracotta jars would hold the Garum
- Takeaway food was common
- Dolia was used to serve fast food
- Tricillium was the location of dining inside the Domus
- Wealthy people would sit and eat whereas poorer people and slaves would stand.
22
Q
Clothing
A
- Evidence of clothing comes from primarily artistic representations
- ^ may not be reliable because they may have wanted to be represented differently
- Status was shown through stripes + colours
- Women did not wear togas
- Stola: Long, sleeveless tunic, worn on top of another tunic, worn by women of rank and as a symbol of marriage
- Palla: Cloak worn over a woman’s head when outdoors.
- Vittae: Woolen headband
23
Q
Health
A
24
Q
Baths
A
- Apodyterium: change room
- Frigidarium: Cold bath
- Tepidarium: Warm bath
- Caldarium: Hot bath
- Palaestra: Exercise areas
- Marine themed decorations
- Visitors would also play sports and exercise
- Therapies: massages, garden walks, music, poetry, reading in the library, conduct business
- Pornographic graffiti
- Lamps found in the baths tell us that they may have been open during the night
- Stabian Baths: Oldest baths in P.
- Suburban Baths: financed by Marcus nonius Bulbus.
25
Q
Household Gods
A
26
Q
Temples
A
27
Q
Foreign cults and religions
A
28
Q
Tombs
A
29
Q
Influence of Greek and Egyptian cultures: art and architecture
A
Egyptian:
- Frescoes showing Egyptian animals such as hippos found in P.
Greek:
- Architectural styles
- Religion included Greek gods
- Mosaic, found in the triclinium in the House of the Faun, depicts the Greek God Dionysus
30
Q
Pompeian forum project: 1988
A
- Began because: Plans of the form were inaccurate and incomplete, recorded architectural and decorative remains were rapidly deteriorating
- Led by John Dobbins
- Computer mapping
- AutoCad - electronic surveying devices
31
Q
Herculaneum conservation project: 2000
A
- Aim to halt the serious decay to Herculaneum so that it can be maintained sustainably
- Faced major groundwater problems
- Replaced roofing
- Introduced safeguarding walls
- Restoring 20th century reinforced concrete lintels
- Consolidating wall paintings and bubbling mosaics
- Identified sustainable methodologies that can be used to conserve the wall paintings, plasters, mosaic and wooden features
32
Q
Issues of conservation and reconstruction (natural)
A
- Sunlight: discolouration of mosaics, frescoes and wall paintings
- Water: deterioration, erosion
- Weeds: Roots undermine the foundations of houses, destabilise walls and buckle, and loosen mosaic floors
- Birds + insects: Acidic excreta, pecking and eating wooden structures. In 2004 the HCP used falcons to give the impression that they lived their to scare away the birds
33
Q
Poor restoration work
A
- Soft wood lintels
- Rusting of iron armatures in concrete: split concrete, collapse of structures
- Fresco protection: Paraffin wax, perspex cases on mosaics and frescoes create a damp environment - mold
- Non-expert building firms
34
Q
Looting and poor security
A
- An Italian preservationist group states that between 1975 and 2000, nearly 600 items were stolen from the sites
- In 1977, 14 frescoes were cut from walls inside the House of the Gladiators
- In 1990, a storeroom was robbed of 250 artefacts
- In 1997, several heads were cut from Pompeian plaster casts by the local Italian mafia
- In 2000, a fire was set near the house of Iphigenia.
35
Q
Ethical issues (excavation)
A
36
Q
Ethical issues (conservation)
A
37
Q
Ethical issues (Study and display for human remains)
A
38
Q
Value and impact of tourism: problems and solutions
A
39
Q
Sara Bisel
A
- Calculated the mean heights for the sample from Herculaneum
- Results indicate that their diets were adequate and allowed for good health during the period of bone growth
- Soldier
- Had swords and tools with his skeleton
- 32% of the male and 11.4% of the female population had suffered some kind of bone trauma
- Analysis of the teeth
- Diets contained little sugar
- Fluoride found in fish was a primary part of their diet - provided protection against tooth decay
- There were many instances of gum disease and teeth loss prior to their death
- Vegetables and seafood were the main sources of protein
