Day 4 - Pompeii: Charlotte and Everson

 Day 4 - Pompeii: Charlotte and Everson

Charlotte: We started off the day visiting a local high school where we joined a Latin class with students our age. The class was a lecture style class that taught the medieval form of Latin opposed to the classical style taught at Poly. This was especially interesting as a student who studied Latin for four years to see the evolution and juxtaposition of the differing oration styles. I also enjoyed getting the opportunity to meet kids our age and  learn about them and their daily life. It was also cool to walk through classrooms and labs and see how similar our curriculum is. 

Visiting with students at a Roman high school

After a long bus ride through a more rural area of Italy we arrived in the coastal town of Pompeii. Immediately immersed in a plethora of art and cultural history, the active excavation sites offered a look into ancient life. The port city, with its variety of social, racial, and economic groups, was tragically covered by an eruption from the volcano Vesuvius in three waves; first was a catastrophically hot gas wave, then came the molten mud and volcanic rock covering the fleeing bodies and finally a layer of ash preserved the site. The last time Vesuvius erupted was in the 1940s when people were able to take pictures that were actually instrumental in demonstrating how the volcano still erupted in the same pattern as when it first covered Pompeii. We were able to learn this through translating a first hand account in Latin by Pliny the Younger, describing the destruction of Pompeii.

First Views of Pompeii

One of my favorite sites that we visited was the House of Faun, which due to a lack of estate records was named after a statue found within the grounds, as many of the houses were. At the villa, which was originally two separate houses then bought and combined by a rich family, we learned about roman house layouts including the hortus, atrium, and cubiculum. 

The House of Fawn was also a unique opportunity to learn about Roman art and mythology as it houses one of the largest most well preserved collection of frescos and mosaics in Italy. One of my favorite mosaics we saw today was a mosaic of Alexander the Great that displayed a single point perspective proving that single point perspective was a facet of Roman art and was later rediscovered in the Renaissance opposed to it being formed in the renaissance as many think. 

Overlooking Pompeii's Theater

I also enjoyed viewing the different temples and dedications to the gods. We had the chance to walk around the edge of the Temple of Apollo which was similar to the a sacrificial procession tradition where people would encircle the temple and offer on the alter a triad sacrifice of a sheep, deer, and bull. 

The forum was also particularly interesting to visit as I was able to compare it to the one we previously visited on Palatine hill. This one was less stylized, functioning more for the law proceedings and commerce activities. The forum at Pompeii also had a library attached at the top of the structure which I found very intriguing as it is one of few places where we have sources of ancient literature that was not written by the elite and rich for the elite and rich, but instead commoners, merchants, and freedman. As someone interested in ancient texts and modern adaptations this was very exciting to learn about. 

The day wouldn't be completed without lots of snacks and excellent food! As well as trying several gelato flavors, pasta, pizza, cookies, and drinks I also got to learn about the ancient cuisine of ancient Italy. In Pompeii we saw giant pots which perpetually held soup. Soup in Ancient Rome was cooked similar to a sourdough bread starter, as a little bit of the soup was left at the bottom of a giant stone pot to curate a plethora of bacteria. Also there were ancient fast food stands that had pots of soup carved into a  roadside bar where passerbys could ladle soup into tightly woven waterproof baskets.  

On a Road in Pompeii

Everson: Today, I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the ancient city of Pompeii, a place that holds the heart of modern archaeology. As I roamed the streets with the group, I found many cool and interesting sites.

The stop was the Pompeii Theatre, a majestic structure that served as a focal point for both entertainment and civic life. The theater's quad functioned as a versatile space, hosting markets and other public activities.

The backstage area, designed for larger productions, revealed the need for dedicated spaces to prepare for performances. I was intrigued to learn that gladiator fights were once banned in Pompeii by the Roman Senate due to a skirmish causing the viewers to join in which ended in many deaths. This banned the gladiator fights for 10 years. 

I think in the future it would be truly amazing to have the opportunity to watch a play live on the Pompeii Theatre. This could really give both students and teachers a good perspective on what was going on.

A Public Square in Pompeii