Undressing, and Uncovering Pompeii

The Shady Side:

Aside from the gigantic houses and fantastic gardens of the rich and powerful, life in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD was likely not as glamorous for those who didn’t belong to the Patrician upper classes. The streets were filthy, filled with sewage and refuse thrown from the surrounding homes and animal drawn carts.  This concept can be demonstrated by the large stepping stones still present today, that allowed citizens to pass over the lowered road and on to raised sidewalks in order to avoid the filth. The sight however, would have had no comparison with the stench.  Judging by the beating sun and intense heat while touring the site, I can only imagine how disgusting the streets must have been.  The deep marks left in the roads by the wagon wheels suggest a wider use of the lowered road for transport other than by foot. 

Also considered to be a slightly less savory aspect of Pompeii is its definitive mark of sexual promiscuity.  With estimates of the presence of nearly 40 brothels, it is evident that this type of elicit behavior was a common occurrence. It should be said however, that early excavations of the site deemed any structure containing erotic artwork as a brothel.  As it was not uncommon for Romans to have these types of erotic scenes and phallic symbols in their homes, the estimated number may be slightly high, and most of the known brothels are simply rooms above stores or apartments.   In Pompeii, the largest and most famous brothel is the Lupanar on the Vico del Lupunare. A Lupanar, Latin for brothel (literally “den of she-wolves”) housed Lupas, slang for prostitutes.  In the Lupanar, there are very small rooms with stone beds which may have had a thin cushion.  Above the doorways of the rooms are wall paintings depicting the various services that were offered at the particular location, and customers often voiced their opinions of the girls in lewd graffiti that can still be found on some of the walls.  Female children in Roman society were not desired to the level of males they were not a suffiencient heirs to the family line.  Thus, many young girls were abandoned and left to prostitution, a fate that may have been relatively common in Pompeii. 

Bringing the City to Light:

Excavation of Pompeii began in 1748, in an effort to obtain artwork for the collection of Bourbon king Charles III.  As a result of this, many of the beautiful mosaics and wall paintings had been destroyed or severely damaged, however many remain in the Museo Notational in Napoli.  Over several centuries, various teams of archaeologists have worked to uncover the lost city of Pompeii, a task that may not be as difficult as one would think because the volcanic debris covering the site was light and not compact.  One of the most famous archaeologists was Giuseppe Fiorelli, who employed an excavation technique working from top to bottom in order to better preserve the remains.   Fiorelli also developed the use of the plaster casts, made using the forms left from the decayed bodies covered in volcanic ash to recreate the states of those victim to the fateful eruption.  Today, almost 70% of Pompeii has been excavated and there is a continuous effort to restore the uncovered remains.  Many believe it is necessary to leave the other 30% beneath the volcanic debris in order to preserve Pompeii’s fateful legacy for future generations.

When I took my first steps on to the almost perfectly preserved road that led into Pompeii, I felt an overwhelming feeling of awe.  I had hoped to come here since I was in grade school, with a strong interest in Roman history and archaeology, and it was everything I had imagined and more.  Mount Vesuvius stood looming over the ruins, a fateful reminder of the devastation that happened here.  As I walked through the streets and saw the plaster body castings it felt incredibly surreal.  I can’t even imagine the terror the citizens must have felt as the volcano erupted into an enormous pillar, followed by an intense heat wave, and finally showers of volcanic ash and gaseous air that would have eventually smothered them.  These people had no recognizable warning, and no explanation for what was happening to them.  Unidentified distant booming sent a bit of shiver up my spine today as we traversed the ancient town, as Vesuvius is still an active volcano.  From start to finish, roads, ruins and people, Pompeii was not a sight that I will not soon forget.

~Alissa Douglass