POMPEII BY JOHN LOCKER. VOLCANO This picture of a volcano represents the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. This eruption buries the city of Pompeii, Herculaneum,

POMPE

II

BY

JO

HN

L O

CK

ER

VOLCANO

This picture of a volcano represents the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. This eruption buries the city of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and surrounding areas.

AFTER THE VOLCANO

The volcano buried the city of Pompeii for centuries. It was if the town never existed. The city was excavated starting in the 1700’s and it took several hundred years to dig out from the rubble caused by Vesuvius.

HOUSING

In Pompeii, the rich and poor lived side by side. The poor usually had to make do with one small room, while the rich built large lavish homes which included atriums and gardens. They decorated their walls with frescoes and mosaics.

AMPHITHEATER OF POMPEII

The amphitheater of Pompeii held over 20,000 fans. They came to watch the gladiators battle against each other sometimes until death. These gladiators were usually prisoners of war or criminals. Sometimes they even fought against animals. Some of the best fighters were as popular as movie stars are today.

THEATER

The people of Pompeii enjoyed going to the theater. There was two theaters to choose from located next to each other. They enjoyed plays, concerts, and lectures. Women were only allowed to perform in pantomimes.

TOGAS

A toga could only be worn by a male citizen. Most of the togas were white in color, but men in government wore stripes on theirs. Most of the women and children wore wool tunics

JOBS

Pompeii had a thriving business community. People worked a variety of trades. These trades included metalsmiths, sandal and boot makers, bakers, and barbers. Pompeii was full of bakeries as only the rich had kitchens and ovens in their homes. The poor people would bring there dough to the bakery in the morning , and return later in the day to take it home.

SLAVES

Slavery was common in Pompeii. The slaves were brought from conquered countries. It was possible for them to buy or be given their freedom. Those freed were known as freedmen.

JEWELRY

The rich women of Pompeii wore a lot of jewelry. Some of the bracelets and armbands were designed to look like twisting snakes. They were made of gold and colorful gemstones.

ARTIFACTS

They found copper and other metals that were used by the rich. Beautiful marble was discovered from the rubble and used in many of the houses.