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Ancient History > Pompeii and Herculaneum > Flashcards

Pompeii and Herculaneum Flashcards

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1
Q

“The part of the land that has been covered in dust from the hot ashes…makes for a land of fine vines. For it contains the substance that fattens the soil”.

A

The Geography of Strabo’ Greek Historian

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2
Q

“A fertile region so blessed with pleasant scenery that If that manifestly the work of nature in a happy mood.”

A

‘Pliny the Elder’ Well known naturalist

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3
Q

Pompeii was accessed by

A

7 gates

Eg, Stabia, Vesuvius Gate

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4
Q

Decumani

A

Main axial roads that crossed Pompeii on east-west axis

Eg, Via Marina

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5
Q

Cardini

A

Minor roads that crossed Pompeii along the north-south axis.

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6
Q

Insulae

A

Created by decumani and cardini

City block, groups of houses on one block surrounded by a road.

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7
Q

Characteristics of street

A
  • Raised pathways
  • Stepping stones
  • Public Fountains
  • Deep wheel ruts

The grid pattern design of the roads within P & H were designed according to the principles of the Greek architect Hippodamos. This shows the Hellenic influences on the towns.

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8
Q

Plans and streetscapes of Pompeii and Herculaneum

A

More than 100 taverns, inns and bars have been located in Pompeii

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9
Q

Decumanus Maximus

A

Herculaneum main street

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10
Q

A lot of shops, residential, workshop and craft had been mixed together.

A

Wallace Hadrill

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11
Q

Plinian Phase

A

column of ash 30km high, appear like a pine tree as described by Pliny the Younger; pumice falls on Pompeii.

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12
Q

Pyroclastic phase

A

Hot avalanche of pumice, ash and gases

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13
Q

Pyroclastic flow

A

A hot, high-velocity mixture of ash, gas and pumice that flows like a liquid down slopes and over terrain.

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14
Q

Manner of Death

A 
Pyroclastic flow of lava
Toxic gases
Trapped in buildings Starvation/dehydration/suffocation
Covered in lava, burnt
Inhalation of ash
Heatwaves (Herculaneum)
Roof Collapse
Hit by falling Rocks
Trampled
Suicide
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15
Q

Trade

A
  • Vital aspect of society
  • P had a thriving economy with full range of commercial activities
  • H was not major trading centre.
  • Evidence from graffiti suggests that Pompeii had a large population of foreigners involved in trade.
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16
Q

Commerce

A
  • 600 excavated of privately owned shops, workshops, bars, taverns and inns.
    Markets around the forum
  • Epigraphic evidence of guilds of tradesmen and retailers
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17
Q

Industries

A

Textiles, Cloth, Wine, Oil, Garum, Bakeries, Metalworking & Pottery

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18
Q

Wine

A
  • Jaskemski thinks it’s an important industry. Jongman disagrees.
  • Mainly took place in the area outside the city. In Villas (need more room).
  • Stayed in big jars (Dolia)
  • Inscriptions say it varied in quality.
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19
Q

Oil

A
  • Villa of Pisanella kept enough storage jars for 5910 litres of Oil
  • Used in furniture, cooking, cleaning body.
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20
Q

Garum

A
  • Fish Guts & Salt
  • Containers have been found all over the town but only one shop has been found.
  • According to Curtis, 70% of Garum consumed in Pompeii was named from Scaurus’s shop.
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21
Q

Bakeries

A
  • 30 bakeries in Pompeii, one street found to have 7 in a row.
  • Graffiti from Pompeii suggests that it was bought daily.
  • In Bakery of Modestus, 81 baked loaves were found.
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22
Q

Metalworking & Pottery

A
  • Pompeiian pottery has been found in Greece, North America, Germany & Pompeii.
  • House of Vetti: painting showing cupids involved in the proves of metalworking.
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23
Q

Political Life (Evidence)

A
  • More than 2000 electoral notices found in P
  • Amphitheatre at P inscribed with plaque detailing duumviri paid for it with their own money as a gift to their fellow citizens
  • Smaller theatre at P commerates its erection by “decree of the decurions”
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24
Q

Political patronage

A

Powerful people offered both protection and assistance to individuals in return for their political and social support. (For political and social advancement)

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25
Q

Cursus Honorum

A

Political career pathway in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Must work up

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26
Q

Aediles x 2 (one year)

A

Junior magistrate who took care of streets, temples, organisation of games, maintained public order, granted permits, supervised the Macellum.

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27
Q

Duumviri x 2 (one year)

A

Senior magistrates responsible for law, administration and residency of the ordo decurionum (city council)

Every 5 years organised a census and revised eligible people for council.

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28
Q

Duumviri quinquennales x2 (one year)

A

Revised the town census every 5 yrs

Had the power to remove other councillors who have
a bad reputation.

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29
Q

Decuriones x 100

A

Needed to be wealthy, have status, spend money on town, member of ordo decuriones.

Oversaw: city councilor senate, city finance, religious authority and oversee public business

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30
Q

At the comitium, voting took place. People voted in tribes (eg, based on where they lived)

A

Paavo Castren

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31
Q

Social Structure

A 
Upper strata or US (citizens: Cives):
Emperor
Imperial family
Senatorial order
Equestrian orders
Rich freedmen
Lower strata or LS:
Poor free-born citizens
Freedmen (Liberti)
Slaves (Servi)
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32
Q

Paterfamilia

A

Male head of the family

Taught young people respect for elders, obligations, religious commitments.

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33
Q

Senators

A
  • Served the emperor in offices throughout the empire.
  • Wealth from large estates.
  • Hereditary.
  • Distinguished by their clothing (toga with a stripe of purple) in Pompeii
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34
Q

Equestrians (Equites)

A
  • Served the emperor in being commanders of the fire service, grain supply and military offices
  • Wealth from public offices, trade and banking
  • Not hereditary.
  • Wore a toga with purple stripe and gold finger ring
  • Cicero criticised them for trying to ape (aristocracy).
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35
Q

Freed men (Liberti)

A
  • Previously slaves given freedom by various means
  • Wealth from trade/wealth/banking/manufacturing/land ownership
  • Cant become senators but can be equestrians
  • Poor can be lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers
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36
Q

Slaves

A
  • Performed mostly agricultural and manufacturing work. Also served upper class in their homes.
  • Were often from a foreign country defeated in war, or free citizens who sold themselves to pay debts.
  • The work of a slave varied,eg, in the house of Gauius Rufus has a small statue of two slaves carrying a sedan chair through the streets.
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37
Q

Poppaea Sabina

A
  • Wife of Emperor Nero
  • Status and fame increased when she persuaded her husband to lift the ten-year ban on gladiatorial games.
  • Graffiti from time: “Three cheers for the imperial decree, three cheers for the decision of the emperor and the empress. Long Live Empress Poppaea.’
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38
Q

Julia Felix

A
  • Could own property and run successful businesses
  • Turned part of her house into public baths, shops and a bar and rented them out. A notice outside her house read: “to let, in the estate of Julia Felix, daughter of Spurius: elegant baths for respectable people, shops with upper rooms and apartments.”
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39
Q

Eumachia

A
  • Patron of the Fullers
  • Fullers erected statue of her
  • Cause of her own expense she had donated a new building in the Forum to the Fuller’s Collegia (Guild
40
Q

Forum (P)

A
  • Centre of Pompeiian life
  • A large rectangular space measuring 137 meters by 47 meters surrounded by public buildings where political, administrative, legal, commercial, religious and social activities took place.
41
Q

Religious Function

A
  • Capitolium; Jupiter, Juno, Minerva Triad
  • Temple of the Lares: housed statues of imperial army
  • Temple of Vespasian: White marble altar
  • Temple of Apollo: had a sacrificial altar
42
Q

Administrative & Political Function

A
  • Civic Buildings:3 buildings opp of Capitolium, offices for the town councils and magistrates.
  • Comitium: place where people voted
  • Basilica: housed law courts
43
Q

Economic Function

A
  • Macellum: Marketplace
  • Granary
  • Building of Eumachia: Had a statue
44
Q

Forum (H)

A

Part of the forum in Herculaneum has been located underneath the modern town of Resina, but yet not excavated, however the adjoining basilica has been uncovered.

45
Q

Basilica (P)

A
  • Home of the court of justice and the centre of the town’s economic life (busiest civic places)
  • Used for commercial business as well as legal transactions.
46
Q

Basilica (H)

A

The basilica of Herculaneum was either damaged or entirely destroyed by the 62 AD earthquake and was rebuilt by Marcus Noius Balbus. Statues of himself and his family adorn the walls.

47
Q

Palaestra (P)

A
  • Large open space surrounded on three sides by a colonnade, swiiming pool in the middle
  • Gymnastics, exercise (running, discus and javelin competitions.)
48
Q

Palaestra (H)

A
  • Large sporting complex that occupied a whole block
  • In the palaestra stood a grand statue of the town’s patron, Hercules. Surrounding the open grounds were temples to Hermes and Hygeia, meeting rooms and a spacious upper gallery.
49
Q

Odeon

A
  • A small theatre constructed around 80 - 75 BC.

- Used for more serious musical, lectures, mime and poetry performances. It had seating for about 100 people.

50
Q

Amphitheatre

A
  • Large oval, circular, or semi circular outdoor theatre with rising tiers of seats around an open playing area
  • Used for games, e.g. gladiatorial fights, hunts/battles featuring wild animals
51
Q

Macellum

A
  • Food market that stood in the north east corner of the forum, it was built a covered market that sold food.
  • Fish, meat and possibly vegetables and fruits, lamb, beef, veal, pork and poultry
52
Q

Private Buildings

A
  1. Shops (Tabernae)
  2. The Atrium House
  3. The Atrium-Peristyle House
  4. Creative Atrium-Peristyle House
53
Q

domus

A
  • House

- Houses often looked inwards, where one can see the very inside of the house when viewed from outside

54
Q

Shops (Tabernae)

A

Shops and workshops with one or two roomed residences behind or above.

55
Q

The Atrium House

A

Larger shop and workshop residences with three to seven rooms, some with an atrium.

56
Q

The Atrium-Peristyle House

A

The average Pompeian house with between eight to thirteen rooms, most with integrated workshops or shops, with architectural features such as decorated atrium, tablinum and peristyle.

57
Q

Creative Atrium-Peristyle House

A

The largest houses with integrated workshops and shops with often two atria, two peristyle and richly decorated.

58
Q

Atrium

A

Central hall of a house where guests were often greeted.

59
Q

Impulvium

A

A small shallow pool which collected and held rainwater in the centre of an atrium.

60
Q

Peristyle

A

Garden

61
Q

Tablinum

A

Master bedroom

62
Q

Culina

A

Kitchen

63
Q

Cubicula

A

Bedrooms

64
Q

Use of houses

A

Public, private, commercial, politica, social

65
Q

Leisure Activities

A
  • Boxing/athletic contests
  • Social gatherings/banquets/receptions/drinking in bars and taverns
  • Gambling/gaming
  • Theatre/festival games
  • Circus/chariot racing
  • Gladiatorial games/beast hunts
  • Baths.
66
Q

Theatres (Evidence)

A
  • Theatres near Stabian Gate + Amphitheatre
  • Graffiti shows that actors were very popular.
  • There were acts of tragedy, comedy & mimes.
67
Q

Amphitheatre (Evidence)

A

Graffiti, wall paintings, various forms of ceramic art, gladiatorial equipment

68
Q

Gladiators

A
  • Were ‘worshipped’ (loved)
  • Popularity evident through graffiti
  • Gladiators’ quarters were in the palaestra behind the Great Theatre,many pieces of armour were found here
  • Bodies of 4 gladiators found in detention room
69
Q

Dinner Parties

A
  • Were like a ritual where one would show off their collection of silver and glassware
  • Conversation, songs, professional entertainers, dancers, acrobats, actors
70
Q

Health

A
  • Significant problems in Roman society regarding health/disease
  • People turned to magic charms, healing herbs, prayers and religion for cures.
  • Most Roman bodies had a high lead content. Lead cooking pots were used and water was flushed through lead pipes
71
Q

Baths

A
  • Thermae

- Regarded as a social activity in ancient Rome.

72
Q

Apodyterium

A

Changing room

73
Q

Trepidarium

A

Warm room

74
Q

Calidarium

A

Hot room

75
Q

Laconicum

A

Sauna

76
Q

Frigidarium

A

Cold pool

77
Q

Hypocaust

A

Heating system

78
Q

Water Supply

A
  • Water from the aqueduct flowed into a water tower (castellum) and was siphoned off into three pipes, which supplied different areas of the city.
  • Many private homes had access to this supply
  • Poorer people got water from fountain
  • Lead pipes
79
Q

Sanitation: Toilets and sewage

A
  • Romans devised a system which involved water running continuously through a drainage channel that moved waste along.
  • Public L: people sat side by side on benches above the flowing channel. There was no toilet paper only a sponge on a stick.
80
Q

Graffiti and how it helps our understanding about daily life

A
  • Pompeii: thousands of scrawls on walls on - public/private buildings. E.g.:
  • Advertisements
  • Political propaganda/political views
  • Quotations, personal thoughts
  • Jokes, gossip, threats and vulgarities
    gave a voice to people not usually in Ancient sources.
81
Q

Public religion

A

presided over by priests.

82
Q

Private worship

A

presided over by Paterfamilias

83
Q

Official cults

A

worshipped Roman deities

84
Q

Mystery cult

A

worshipped foreign deities

85
Q

Pax deorum

A

Peace with the gods, protection, looked after

86
Q

Flamen

A

specialised priests to a particular god or goddesses

87
Q

Augastales

A

specialised priests of the imperial cults

88
Q

Temple of Vespasian

A

centre of imperial cult.

89
Q

Imperial culr

A

Worship of the emperor

90
Q

Paterfamilias

A

head of the household, usually oldest male, and was in charge of private rituals in the house. Daily ceremonies were held, where offerings were made.

91
Q

Genius

A

god of male line of descent. Worshipped on birthday of paterfamilias, life spirit

92
Q

Penates

A

They were deities of the innermost recesses, the safest area – the heart or core- of the house. Penates were considered protectors of the house and of everything in the house that was necessary for the family.

93
Q

Lares

A

household gods who protected the home and the family

94
Q

Lararium

A

Household shrine

95
Q

The most sacred, the most hallowed place on earth is the home of each and every citizen. There are his sacred hearth and his household gods, there the very centre of his worship, religion and domestic ritual

A

Cicero

96
Q

Foreign cults

A
  • Met emotional needs of people not met through state religion.

Ancient History (3 decks)

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