Pompeii Italy

Posted by cameron

February 28, 2007 |

Pompeii is a couple of hours south of Rome and a stones throw from Naples. Any trip to Italy should have Pompeii on the itinerary. As I think of all the places I have been, Pompeii is very high on my list. Sure it’s an archeology site with lots of ruined buildings, Europe is littered with them. Pompeii sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius and it’s easy to imagine how that volcano could erupt and bury this ancient city. What sets Pompeii apart is the emotional experience and it’s like no other if, and only if, you have a knowledgeable tour guide with you. Without that you will miss much. The three things listed below all came from the guide:

As we were standing in the center of Pompeii, our guide pointed out some grooves cut into the stone roadway. There were two grooves running parallel to each other. The same could be seen on another road running across the intersection where I was standing. These were grooves worn into the stone over centuries by chariot wheels. One after the other traveling along the same road, It was amazing to think about those chariot drivers moving right where I was standing.

Near the main intersection in “downtown Pompeii” is a water pump and trough to hold the water. Riders would stop there to pump water for themselves and their horses. You can imagine the rider pumping water and leaning down to pump it straight into his mouth. To do that he would rest one hand, most likely his left hand, while he pumped with his right hand. To keep his balance he would rest his left hand on the edge of the trough. You can imagine that can’t you? The trough had a groove worn in it where many, many left hands had steadied their owners. It must have taken a long time and many riders to wear that groove. I put my hand in the groove. I was touching ancient historical people. Amazing!

In the early excavation of Pompeii researchers had noticed cavities in the packed down ash. They didn’t know what it meant but caution was the order of the day. To determine if it was important, researchers pumped some kind of hard setting foam into the cavities, let it set and carefully removed it. To their utter amazement what appeared before them were human forms. These were images of Pompeii residents at the moment of their deaths, frozen forever. These “models” are still in Pompeii behind lock and key, but you can view them from a distance. Who can ever forget the image of a pregnant lady suffocating in the ash and frozen in time. Unbelievable!