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Pompeii

This article is about the ancient city. For the modern Italian city, see Pompei. For the Classical Roman leader, see Pompey. For the Roman family, see Pompeia gens. For the Pacific island, see Pohnpei. For other uses, see Pompeii (disambiguation).

Pompeii
View of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius
Pompeii is located in Italy
Pompeii
Shown within Italy
LocationPompei, Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy
Coordinates40°45′0″N 14°29′10″E / 40.75000°N 14.48611°E / 40.75000; 14.48611
TypeSettlement
Area64 to 67 ha (170 acres)
History
Founded7th–6th century BC
AbandonedAD 79
Site notes
Websitewww.pompeiisites.org
Official nameArchaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata
TypeCultural
Criteriaiii, iv, v
Designated1997 (21st session)
Reference no.829
RegionEurope

Pompeii (/pɒmˈpeɪ(i)/ pom-PAY(-ee), Latin: [pɔmˈpei̯.iː]) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and many surrounding villas, the city was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Largely preserved under the ash, Pompeii offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried,[1] as well as insight into ancient urban planning.[2][3] It was a wealthy town of 10,000 to 20,000 residents at the time it was destroyed.[4] It hosted many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings and artworks, which were the main attractions for early excavators; subsequent excavations have found hundreds of private homes and businesses reflecting various architectural styles and social classes, as well as numerous public buildings. Organic remains, including wooden objects and human bodies, were interred in the ash; their eventual decay allowed archaeologists to create moulds of figures in their final moments of life. The numerous graffiti carved on outside walls and inside rooms provide a wealth of examples of the largely lost Vulgar Latin spoken colloquially at the time, contrasting with the formal language of classical writers.

Following its destruction, Pompeii remained largely undisturbed until its rediscovery in the late 16th century. Major excavations did not begin until the mid-18th century, which marked the emergence of modern archeology;[5] initial efforts to unearth the city were haphazard or marred by looting, resulting in many items or sites being damaged or destroyed.[6] By 1960, most of Pompeii had been uncovered but left in decay;[7] further major excavations were banned or limited to targeted, prioritised areas. Since 2018, these efforts have led to new discoveries in some previously unexplored areas of the city,[8][9][10][11] including a banquet hall adorned with rare well-preserved frescoes depicting various mythological scenes and figures.

Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owing to its status as "the only archaeological site in the world that provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city."[12] It is among the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors annually.[13][14]

  1. ^ De Carolis & Patricelli 2003, p. 83.
  2. ^ "Pompeii – Archaeology, Roman, Ruins | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ Pompeii building site reveals ancient Roman construction methods. NBC.
  4. ^ Wilson, Andrew (2011). "City Sizes and Urbanization in the Roman Empire". In Bowman, Alan; Wilson, Andrew (eds.). Settlement, Urbanization, and Population. Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy. Vol. 2. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-0-19-960235-3.
  5. ^ "Pompeii | History, Volcano, Map, Population, Ruins, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  6. ^ Stefano De Caro, Excavation and conservation at Pompeii: a conflicted history, The Journal of Fasti Online: Archaeological Conservation Series (ISSN 2412-5229), www.fastionline.org/docs/FOLDER-con-2015-3.pdf.
  7. ^ Giovanni Longobardi, Sustainable Pompeii, Rome, Italy, L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2002. ISBN 88-8265-189-4.
  8. ^ "Homepage – Pompeii Sites Portale Ufficiale Parco Archeologico di Pompei". Pompeii Sites.
  9. ^ "Pompeii victim crushed by boulder while fleeing eruption". BBC. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  10. ^ Squires, Nick (25 April 2018). "Skeleton of child trying to shelter from Vesuvius eruption uncovered in Pompeii". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  11. ^ Squires, Nick (11 May 2018). "Remains of ancient Roman horse found at Pompeii in dig started by tomb raiders". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  12. ^ New frescoes discovered at Pompeii, buried by volcano. The Washington Post.
  13. ^ "Dossier Musei 2008" (PDF). Touring Club Italiano (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Visitors to Pompeii archaeological park Italy". Statista. Retrieved 12 April 2024.

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