Pompeii C Questions Flashcards
What evidence suggests that there were many religions in Pompeii?
- in the forum there were temples to the gods of the state religion e.g Jupiter, Apollo
- there was a temple to an emperor Vespasian, showing they practised emperor worship
- they also worshipped foreign deities, which you can tell from the temple to Isis
- there was also the semi-secret cult of Bachus
Describe a roman funeral
- the body was laid out in the atrium and people paid their respects
- a coin is placed in the persons mouth to pay Charon to cross the river Styx
- the body was carried in a procession with musicians a professional mourners
- the body was cremated and the ashes were mixed with wine and placed in an urn ans the urn was placed in the family tomb
What was a libation?
An offering to the gods
Name any two gods/goddesses that had temples in the forum
- Apollo
- Jupiter
Who is Isis and how was she connected with Pompeii
Isis was a egyptian goddess who had a temple dedicated to her in the forum
Mention an example of a mosaic in Pompeii and what tells you about life in Pompeii
The mosaic is a skeleton carrying wine jugs and the message is to enjoy life while you can because life is short
What were household gods called and who would conduct a daily service to these gods?
The household gods were called the Lares. The head of the house would place a libation at the Lararium which was usually found in the atrium.
What was the headquarters of this industry called?
It called the Eumachia after the rich prietess who had sponsored the building
What was the process of fulling?
- The wool or cloth was cleaned by workers who trod it in a mixture of urine, potash, carbonated soda and fullers earth.
- The cloth was then rinsed in larger vats and then hung over canes or lines in the sun.
- The wool was dyed with mineral or vegetable dyes.
- The colours were made fast by soaking the cloth in vinegar.
Why did Pliny write to Tacitus?
Tacitus asked him to give him an account of his uncles death to put in his book.
How did Giuseppe Fiorelli make the models of the humans and objects destroyed by the lava?
He poured plaster into the cavaties
What was the opening in the roof of the atrium called?
Compluvium
Describe the atrium
The main room in a roman house. It contained a central rainwater pool called an impluvium which filled with rain that came through the compluvium.
Descirbe the peristylium?
The colonaded courtyard at the back of the house with a garden in the centre.
Describe the triclinium
The dining room, where three long sofas were placed around a dining table in the centre.
Describe the cubiculum
The bedroom, which only had room for a bed high off the ground and a stool with which to access it.
Describe the tablinium
The masters study which linked the peristylium and the atrium
Describe the culina
The kitchen, usually situated at the back of the house. There was usually no windows.
Describe two ways in which a roman house would have been decorated
- mosaics on the floor often depicted geometric designs, legends, seasons and others such as the unswept floor
- murals on the walls were also used showing landscape, nature and still-life scenes. These were made by the fresco techniques.
Describe the tepidarium
The warm room in the baths where the bathers acclimatised themselves to the heat.
Describe the frigidarium
The cold room in the baths where the bather may have had a cold bath after the caldarium before dressing.
Describe the caldarium
The hottest room in the baths, the walls and floors were heated and people wore clogs on their feet.
Describe the palaestra
The sports area of the baths where one could box, wrestle and throw discus
What was the underfloor heating system the romans used called?
A hypocaust
Explain how a hypocaust worked
Warm air, heated by a furnace circulated under the floor and inside the walls
What was a strigil?
A blunt scraper used for removing impurities from the skin in the baths
How did Emperor Nero react to the riot in the amphitheatre?
He closed the amphitheatre for ten years, but there is evidence that it had been opened by 62 AD as the emperor was under pressure from his wifes family, who lived in the area.
Describe two activites that took place in the amphitheatre
- gladiator fighting
- beast hunts
What did a Rhetor do?
He taught rhetoric, or public speaking.
Why was the forum so important to pompeiians?
The Basilica was in the forum where court cases and business meetings were held, there was a market, various temples, guildhalls amd notices about upcoming events.
Name two buildings besides temples that were in the forum?
- The Eumachia
- The office of the duoviri
