Pompeii and Everyday Romans in AD 79

The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius Preserved a Typical Roman City

Feb 27, 2009

The catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 trapped 25,000 inhabitants of Pompeii, many of whom left superb examples of everyday life in 1st Century Rome.

Pre-Roman settlements existed in the valley beneath Mount Vesuvius for centuries before Rome took the area from the Samnites and enlarged the small agricultural town into the city of Pompeii. This region of Campania had a long history of commerce, reflected by early Etruscan and Greek influences. Allied with the wrong side during one of the Republic’s periods of civil war, Pompeii was colonized by Roman veterans during the Consulship of Sulla and prospered thereafter. Yet in AD 79, Vesuvius erupted amidst severe earth tremors, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum under a thick blanket of ash for the next 1700 years.

Lionel Casson writes of Pompeii that, “No other archaeological excavation illustrates so vividly the nature of daily life in the ancient world.” In his eye-witness account of the disaster, Pliny the Younger referred to the region as “the loveliest lands in the world…” Surrounded by fertile land, the city produced wine and textiles. At the time of the eruption, 25,000 inhabitants lived in the city. Their daily lives were perfectly preserved by the ash, giving scholars a unique look at daily Roman life.

Pompeii was a microcosm of thousands of other Roman towns and villages within the empire. The discovery of even the minutest aspects of daily life altered perceptions of everyday living, from graffiti on the walls to the many brothels in the city. Salvatore Nappo comments that, “What the excavations in Vesuvius produced was an intact image of ancient life, almost as if in suspended animation, undamaged by the passing of the centuries.”

Of particular note are the many wall depictions that illustrate how ordinary Romans lived and worked in a thriving community. The House of the Vettii, for example, contained exquisite frescoes depicting mythological figures. Unlike other structures, this house was not looted prior to formal excavations.

Although the volcano began erupting on August 24, AD 79, the region had experienced protracted earthquakes and tremors in the weeks leading up to the catastrophe. Pliny the Younger, in a letter to the historian Tacitus, described the efforts of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the fleet, to rescue friends at the base of the mountain. Sailing from Misenum, he would never make it back alive.

Pliny the Young described the great explosion that would end so many lives, comparing it to a tremendous cloud “the shape of a pine tree,” its branches unfolding at the top. He also compares the cloud to a “wide umbrella,” giving the modern reader the image of a giant mushroom cloud. Many inhabitants, huddled together in their homes, died as they waited for relief. Others, like Pliny the Elder, succumbed to the hot air, suffocating on the beach.

Parts of Pompeii still remain covered, ensuring future generations an on-going treasure trove of artifacts that better explain everyday life in the Roman Empire. With Herculaneum on the other side of the mountain, today’s visitors experience a unique opportunity to walk through cities as pristine as the first century. As Tony Perrottet writes, “When Pompeii was uncovered, we were introduced to the far more compelling human details…” of Roman life.

Sources:

Lionel Casson, Everyday Life in Ancient Rome (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998) see chapter 7, “Two Resurrected Cities.”

Salvatore Nappo, Pompeii: A Guide to the Ancient City (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1998).

Tony Perrottet, Route 66 A.D. On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists (New York: Random House, 2002).

The copyright of the article Pompeii and Everyday Romans in AD 79 in Roman History is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Pompeii and Everyday Romans in AD 79 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.