Pompeii

Link to Photos is HERE.

Everyone has heard of it. Pompeii, the city buried in ash by Mt Vesuvius (pictured above) and locked in place in time only to be excavated 1700 years later to reveal a never before seen detailed glimpse of life in the Roman Empire.

I have only have a few observations then some bullet points. First of all the city is much larger than I anticipated and there is still much more to be excavated. The whole complex is huge and some of the greatest treasures may yet to be found in outlying villas. We took a day tour from Rome that only went to the site but any visit include the Museum in nearby Naples which contain the artifacts found in Pompeii.

Our guide was a Dr. of archeology who has spent most of his life studying Pompeii. His book was for sale in the gift shot for something like $100. He held that the famous plaster castings of people who died in Pompeii were not actual copies as reported in many places including the big piece in National Geo. According to the good Dr. these are basically artistic renditions by archeologists based on the evidence found of a body and not in fact a plaster pouring into a cavity left by the body of the victim. This makes a great deal of sense, so I am inclined to believe him.

• A Brothel still stands with their "menu" pained on the wall in a fresco. Patrons would choose what they wanted with the corresponding number. "Give me a number seven".
• Many mosaics are still on site.
• Many frescos are still on the wall such as this one from the house of the huntsman.
• This is a poor picture, (the light was impossible for this shot) but we did get to see the famous floor mosaic that says "beware of dog" in Latin “Cave Canem”.
• My favorite shot of the day from inside one of the Baths.