A Day In Pompeii,II

OK, it was a long day.

In the Fullonicus of Stephanus--the fuller, where wool was cared for, sort of a dry 
cleaners, only not very dry--the principal cleaning agent was urine; here's the big 
tank where slaves tromped around on soiled togas

And the last two of the cascading rinsing tanks; drying was up on the roof



Pompeii has a number of surviving bill boards--messages painted onto walls--
advertising items for sale, election candidates, upcoming gladitorial contests 
and other shows

Pompeii had dozens of eateries; pictured is a counter with built-in bowls for 
foods, wines; in this particular establishment, you could eat around the 
counter or in some of the back rooms; this place may also have had a triclinium, 
a room with three couches for reclining, that could be rented

Up closer of the eatery fresco; note snakes

All kinds of efforts to hold things up, preserve, restore

Not always effective

Larger frescoes at the House of Venus in the Conch Shell



Ditto

Ditto again

Really nice water feature, same place, which was nearly

large enough to be a villa

Vineyard near the anfiteatro; planted again with grapes of the same variety as 
grown in 79

These were discovered using the plaster-cast method in root- and stake-holes; 
same as for human and animal forms; and the grape variety thus identified; the 
grapes are now grown and made into wine using the ancient methods and

sold under the label Villa dei Misteri; we looked all over for a bottle, finally 
finding a 2002 in Sorrento...for 111 euros!

Inside the sizeable and very well preserved/restored amphitheater, mostly the site 
of gladiatorial "games"

Inside the large (Greek) theater

And the small theater

Temple to Isis--by the first century, Romans were getting into the assorted "mystery" 
religions of the east, those that provided a caring god who promised eternal 
salvation--this temple was financed by a six-year-old (whose family was thus 
ensuring his political future; sic transit, Gloria)

The Samnite Palestra; the Samnites were a powerful central Italian tribe, major 
rivals to the Romans; they held Pompeii from the 4th and 3rd centuries, 
succeeded by the Romans

Back near the Porta Marina entrance, remains of the Temple of Venus, perhaps the 
oldest structure in Pompeii

And, lastly, Vesuvius, from Pompeii's Forum; continue the ridge lines right and 
left and you can appreciate the size of the mountain--and the scale of the 
catastrophe--in 79