Friday, August 10, 2007

Pompeii

Pompeii was a prosperous Roman harbor city destroyed by a volcano eruption nearly 2,000 years ago. Citizens and slaves were killed by toxic gases. New Pompeii was built over the ashes, which became like stone. The volcano changed the landscape and it's no longer on the sea. In the 1600s a farmer found something that led to excavations, revealing a well-preserved city with a remarkable degree of civilization. Buildings had central heating, plumbing, hot water. The city had fountains, spas and shops for carry-out food because only the rich had kitchens. The Temple of Apollo, amphitheater and government buildings stood on the square. Rooms were decorated with frescoes.

Next is Capri and Sorrento, one of our favorite spots.

Blessings,

Janet

2 comments:

Myra Johnson said...

Oooh, I wish we could have seen Pompeii on our trip to Italy. It's fascinated me ever since I did a report on it in high school. I just picture all those frightened people trying to escape the eruption.

Janet Dean said...

Hi Myra,

Some of the people fled and survived, but then returned to the city to dig up treasures, releasing toxic gases, killing them. It's a fascinating city. I didn't include pictures of how ash formed around corpses, preserving the shape of their bodies before they deteriorated. Kind of spooky.

Thanks for the comment, dear friend. Hugs, Janet