Pompeii - History and Public Places

The History

 We do not know too much about the history of Pompeii, a city thatwas the scene of any important event (rather than a major volcanic eruption, of course) and has remained in the shadow of not havingmade famous destination.

 The presence of a Doric temple of the sixth century BC the cityproves that existed at that time and was permeable to Greek influence. Pompeii had been then submitted, to the late sixth century and the beginning of V, for Etruscan domination is anotherproblem, as complex and controversial. Some architectural motifsin terracotta and numerous fragments of vases with inscrpicionesshow undoubtedly Etruscan influence in the art. But as political domination, opinions are divided, and some people say thatPompeii has always remained under the supervision of the Greekcolony, established at the beginning on the coast, were slowly gaining the country's interior. In any case, even as some Etruscan influence, necessarily end in the year 474 with the defeat of theEtruscans at the Battle of Cumae, which led to Pompeii to be brought under the Greek influence. Towards the 425 starts a whole new historical phase, which, in triungo of the Samnites, from the interior, will meet the first reunion Campania under the rule of anItalic people. 

 The fourth century is for a period of expansion cities. From itsoriginal core. located in the area of large public buildings, will growto the north and east, with large housing estates. At the beginningof the third century, Rome defeated the Samnites extends itshegemony throughout the Campania, without thereby resultingsignificant changes to Pompeii. The town seems to ignore once again the great historical events, and chronicles continue to ignore it until, in the year 59 AD Tacitus tells us a curious anecdote: thequarrel between Pompey and nucerianos that broke out in theamphitheater for gladiatorial combat, which was due no doubt toquarrels steeple.

 Here is the account of Tacitus:

"At that time there was a terrible massacre of Pompeii andnucerianos during a gladiatorial contest organized by the famousLivineius Regulus, expelled from the Roman Senate. The reason for the disagreement was rather minimal, and at first the audiencemerely trade insults, that passed the stones and finally to arms.They won the Pompey, whose city is celebrating the show. Amongthe many wounded nucerianos, and not a few people in this city had to mourn the death of their children or relatives. The emperorordered that the senate who was handling the matter, the Senatecinfió the consuls, and they entrust to the Senate again, he finally decided to prohibit Pompeian amphitheater organize games for aperiod of ten years . It also agreed to the dissolution ofassociations formed Concul existing laws. As Libineius Regulusand the heads of tumult, were condemned to exile. "

 Three years later, in 62 AD Pompeii and other cities of Campaniawere affected by an earthquake, drama perpetuated in the reliefsthat the banker Caecilius Jucundus made carve in the atrium of itsnew home. Pompeii's reaction to catastrophe est made the wholecity is transformed into an immense work, with passion that tests the strength of its economy. It bears witness to one of the latestdiscoveries in the ruins of Pompeii, the famous "treasure" found artin the house of Julius Polybius. These art works have beengathered in one room to not disturb the workers, even as evidencepiles of lime and amphorae. It should be clarified that the owner was an influential politician whose good works, which seems veryspecific, were propagated mural inscriptions such as: "It providesgood bread. "

 The verses that follow, scrawled on a wall of the house are verydifferent in tone and form a kind of drama promonición the future:

"Nothing is eternal and shine so much that eventually sinking into the sea. Also, the moon disappears when you still shone a moment inthe firmamanto. Then if one day, under the influence of anger, yourchoice of fire corazónecha flames, remain unmoved, that the stormwill soon succeed the gentle breeze. "

Public places in the city

 The Curious trapezoidal perimeter of the walls of Pompeii follows the contours of a hill of volcanic origin chosen for its privilegedposition at the crossroads of several trade routes. But thesettlement took place at different times, which explains why withinthe fortifications, built largely on the semnitas time (late V centuryand early fourth century BC), had empty areas intended for future expansion. These spaces were not completely filled, so it has beencalculated that only two thirds of the urban area were built at the timeof the disaster. Thus the population, calculated before twentythousand people, should not exceed ten thousand.

 The first town was formed in the southwestern corner of the citytoday, about the Civil Forum, where it flourished and was the largest group of public buildings. With relation to this first núclero, square shaped, triangular space of the Forum, which is further east, was to play the role of foreign sanctuary. Since the sixth century there was asacred building, the Doric temple. It came after a third public areaopposite the first, in the southeast corner, with the amphitheater andarena. In the final phase of development, the three major public buildings were, therefore, in three areas of the south, while occupiedresidential neighborhoods, from the Samnite period, the center and north. Also in the middle of the neighborhood districts are somepublic buildings such as baths and shrines, but few in number andnever reaching important groups in extension form.

 The development of neighborhood districts responded to very precise rules. Among the main streets that crossed at right angles,blocks of houses were built in turn split by streets pequeñas.Elmajor north-south axis (cardo maximus) was the street of stabilization and the largest east-west axis (decumani Maximini) the streets of Nola and Abundance. The white spaces can be seen in the survey correspond to unexplored areas or recent excavations have shown that they were never built, as with several plots of I andII. These plots, reserved for future housing and fully fenced, wereharvested in the meantime to grow vegetables and vines.

How public buildings were distributed in the three areas of the South?.

The oldest, and most importantly, the Civil Forum, around which arethe temple of Apollo, basilica, comitium, Eumaquia building, theTemple of Vespasian, the Sanctuary of the gods lars, the macellum(market) and the Temple of Jupiter.