Pompeii

Artistic depiction of Pompeii 

Mount Vesuvius is located at the Bay of Naples near the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy.  About 5 miles away is where the city of Pompeii was located.  It was an ancient Roman city of 160 acres with more than 20,000 inhabitants.  On August 24th, 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and is considered one of the largest most deadliest eruption, and it was a 24 hour period that literally erased Pompeii from the map.  The debris and volcanic ash from the eruption doubled as time capsule for the city.  The buildings, artifacts, and skeletons left behind have given us an opportunity to study and understand everyday life in the ancient world.

Before the destruction, Pompeii was an ancient city captured by the Romans in 80 BC.  At the time of the eruption 160 years later, the inhabitants had developed a complex water system, had built an amphitheater, and had a gymnasium and a port.  Given the opportunity to visit this historical gem, here are some photos I had taken on my trip:

Entrance to amphitheatre

Example of water system

Narrow paved street

NOW:

Pompeii, although a lot of its history and flare was lost in the destruction in 79 AD, we do have some architectural elements that are still used today.  The paved narrow walkways in between houses then can be compared to alleyways and driveways now.

And amphitheaters for different events now are prevalent now with football, baseball, and soccer stadiums for larger sporting events for the masses to enjoy.