POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM

Cue (NZERS), Issue 1, 15 June 1944, Page 6

POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM

(By

N.Z.M.C.)

ALMOST every New Zealander learns something about Pompeii, either at school, from the films, or from literary sources. The name at least is familiar but the ideas may be coloured by the fanciful writing of/ Macauley or the lurid imagination of, Hollywood, or, perhaps in some cases interest may have been not unnaturally aroused by the over-cautious condemnation on moral grounds of the mural decorations, many of which certainly display vigorous vignettes from the old paganism. ,A

Many have also heard something of the less well-known Herculaneum with its fine villas and clubs and most have heard L™° ul ’s S the - nia ml curlous relics of the rich life and sudden recafi P d f <^iv^ eU ' Th e + c ent eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius have recalled only too vividly the disastrous fate J which overtook ompen. Those who were able to obtain a close view of the eruption in March of this year will be able to add their impressions to the accounts which history has handed on. No Seater P doub n t th- CO r d i haVe been iven t 0 the chance onlooker and no doubt this timely survey will provide added interest. both 1 places eVent the Kiwi n leave usuall - v tries to visit one or

.In point of fact Pompeii and Herculaneum, if properly understood, offer many attractions and interests for almost every taste in art, e history, economics and sociology. To appreciate them more fully some previous knowledge is necessary and a definite plan of tour desirable. Lack of suitable information in English has prompted this article which is an attempt to supply the need for the story of the excavations, what they reveal, and the nature and origins of the cities which so . suddenly disappeared in the fatal eruption. of August, AD 79. . < ORIGINS OF POMPEII. Pompeii commenced as a small settlement of the Osci' on the coastal plain twenty kilometers south-east of Naples. Before the foundation of the city -of Rome in the Bth century - BC, Greek and Carthegenian traders used the navigable mouth of the , river Sarno near Pompeii, as a convenient collecting post. By the 6th century BC, together with the Greek settlements y of Neapolis and" Cumae, 1 the city was in alliance against the Etruscans who held the high country inland. , By the sth century the whole of the present defensive wall was built and the street plan began to assume the Greek pattern though most of- its inhabitants were doubtless Sannlti, one of the Italian tribes. In 310 BC during the ; Sannite war the Romans occupied the city for a time but left it independent. The crty / remained delicately neutral during the Punic war against Hannibal (216~202) and in April, 89 BC, was besieged by Sulla, relieved, and finally in 80 BC became a Roman ’colonia’ having to accept a large settlement of Sulla’s « returned soldiers.» Local feeling, however, persisted, and as late as 59 AD a riot occurred in the amphitheatre during which the Pompeians disgracefully drove out their Roman visitors from Nocera, killing many and being punished by the Emperor Nero with . ten years’ suspension of games. - Thriving City. In 63 AD an earthquake did severe damage which was rapidly

restored, with consequent richness of the later decoration which is found in so many of the excavated villas. At this -time it was a thriving commercial city of over 25,000 inhabitants and had > expanded somewhat outside the original walls, then 600 years old. The bulk of the city is thus occupied by domestic and commercial architecture J covering several periods and styles and though showing evidence of considerable wealth and artistic attainment is not so rich in the large patrician villas and dwellings of the leisured classes such as occur at Herculaneum, and A of course so much more in Rome itself.,, Herculaneum on the other hand was a small coastal pleasure resort four kilometers south-east of Naples, situated between two small streams on the coastal side of the ,Naples-Pompeii road. Its first written mention was in 314 BC. Legend a tributes its origin, however, to Hercules, who is said to have established it on his return from Iberia and the Atlas. In any event it seems to have been a Greek foundation and the street plan strongly resembles that of the 'Greek Neapolis (Naples). The early history was similar to, but less eventful than, that of Pompeii during whose seige Herculaneum fell unopposed to the Romans, Its later development was essentially that of a . luxury resort (second class), hence its remains are in every way richer, its architecture more varied and its extent smaller than the other city. From the manner of its burial it has been. preserved unpillaged until its modern scientific excavation, followed luckily by good resoration. THE ERUPTION OF AD 79. The Romans -thought Vesuvius to be as dead as Mt. Eden. The startling eruption of AD 79, so vividly described by Pliny, the Younger, in his letter to Tacitus, occasioned, as did that of 1944, a ..torrential downpour of rain which rushing down the mountain side through the hot ash and lapilli carried a sea of boiling mud towards Herculaneum . It

<" overwhelmed, the suburban villas, divided into several arms, passed along the main streets and gradually filled everything in its glutinous path' leaving no voids even in the upper stories. The inhabitants fled to the shore and were either evacuated by sea or made their way to Neapolis. Hitherto-only three skeletons have been found—that of a small child, probably dead from other causes, and those of* two attendants who foolishly sought- refuge in the baths. • . Over the town some 45-75 feet of solid mud scaled the old city until modern times. The town of Resina is built in part above it. At Pompeii, on the other hand, the wind blew showers of hot stones and dust which "gradually piled up in layers with each successive outburst of activity../ The wise fled early; the timid crouched in the basements awaiting for fav-> ourable lull during which" the bolder, like Pliny the Elder, with pillows tied round their heads to protect themselves, made for the shore only in many cases to be overcome by asphixiating gases. The roofs and upper stories collapsed under the weight of debris killing many in their fall; others died slowly from asphyxia and the dust has preserved the evidence of their last struggles. The avaricous returned at intervals, to retrieve their valuables and in many cases paid with their lives. Altogether over 2000 perished within the city and many more. must have been, killed in the surrounding countryside. CITIES INTACT. Unlike so many excavated cities, Pompeii and Herculaneum were struck down in their full vigour and at a time when many restorations had just been completed, during a period of wealth and prosperity, after the earthquake of AD 63. They- represent,' therefore/ a complete picture of city life differing economically, in the two areas, but suddenly arrested in its full vigour. Everything remained from the food in the bakeries and eating-houses to the electoral inscriptions in the streets and the Usual’drawings on

the latrine z walls. The plan, economics, thoughts, pleasures, sorrows, games and gossip. of an age is presented in one vast «still.» Nowhere else can such a record .be examined so clearly; only the richness and mass of material to be seen tends to confuse the casual visitor possessed x of insufficient knowledge to recognise the significance of what he sees.The Street .Plan needs little comment. Simple ultra-modern in consept (and showing all too clearly how Europe fell away in the Dark Ages), it is in many ways as regular as a model camp. Firstly, the complexes of public buildings -and temples around the Forum; a lesser space around the Amphitheatre and Baths; axial streets (known as ordines) and cross streets (known as decumanni)’ running from gate to gate in , the city walls, connecting' them at about 90 degrees. Water conduits and fountains are found at the principal cross-roads and - main drains under the road. At Pompeii where building was over a long period the streets are not always quite regular. Herculaneum on the other hand was geometrically laid out. . A ■ DWELLINGS. ~ ' The Pompeian house conforms generally, to the well known classical « Italian » pattern. Unlike ours, they face inwards and the garden if any is enclosed within the walls. They centre round the atrium, in the centre of which a square hole in the roof admits light, and also rain which is caught in the impluvium. The rooms are mostly small and numerous. In the triclinium, a ’dining room’ usually reserved for the formal meal of the day, we are reminded by the smallness of the table that the Romans, even in modest circumstances, had ample attendants to carry for them and also that they ate reclining on couches and not sitting on chairs. ? The -mural decorations havebeen outlined already. The floors were of terazzo, stone or mosaic. Slave quarters may be to one side of the ’garden.’ The residential houses are curiously enough for the most part with some evidence ■

of the .occupation of the owner who built his house around his shop, tavern or manufactory. Good houses are mixed with poorer just as in a modern city in . the Near East. The manufactories were small and for the most part emnloved fewer than twenty operatives, many of them slaves. In Pomoeii alone some thirty bakeries have been discovered in an area of about half the city. Food and grain was stored In jars like zeers. . • •' • Although the occupation of the owner is usually indicated it should not be forgotten that at this time professional men, whether grammarians or physicians. were often slaves living as a valuable and highly priced possession of the owner who usually treated them well and paid them a peculium (slave wage). ? The house of the surgeon, for example, . may well, have belonged to some less enlightened potter. < The streets were mostly cobbled as in old Naples of today. The events 'of the day as recorded in « graffiti » _ written on the ' walls, record the amusemen+s’ politics, gossip, libels and scandals of the dav. One such wall, carries this «How wonderful that you (the wall) have not already fallen in ruins with the .niusance and tedium of supporting so much babbling gossip.» Unfortunately for the Kiwi most of ; the remarks are written in a bad hand and in Latin. VISITING HERCULANEUM. It is easier to start with a visit to Herculaneum. Everything is mo r e concentrated, styles are more varied and the majority of the . buildings richer and more interesting. Get to ■- know the plan 'of the « Italian » house; manv at Herculaneum are of two stories. Then studv the. baths which the ancient Romans took more seriously than their modern successors. The ' wealthy man took several hours over it. massage. refreshments, - conversation and the gossip .of the town were «la ; d on.» It was the centre of social activity like the piazza, the street pump, and the barber. • ■

- Water was hot, - cold and tepid. The baths were taken in the nude, clothes being left, in the little stone receptacles. At Rome, in 117 AD, Hadrian insisted on different hours for the two sexes, a fact necessitated by some of the sectionsi being common to both sides. The spaciousness of the principal room in the houses (atria) and the intimate atmosphere of the r triclinium and oeci are' still apparent Study' the tavern and the club near . the shore (remember the coast has \ receded since 79 AD). Don’t miss the Lararium or temple of household gods or the lovely. - little mosaics in the Casa,di Jtfettunio e di Anfitriti. . - - . ’ Good Murals. Spend some time in the Casa del Tramezzo di Legno (house of the wooden screen). Examine the hinges of the screen and the .wooden press, .and. then see the internal trellis and decoration in the Casa Sannitica 'and in the Casa • del Atrio and .a. . Mosiaco, where there, arey good murals showing/ ’Dirce dragged? .by \ the Bull,’ and ’Diana in Her Bath. The theatre is hardly worth the walk as you will see one, at Pompeii. . • First of all beware of false guides and don’t buy pamphlets or post. cards except at official prices. The same articles can be had for a third the price or less In Naples, Enter through the archway, at the gate near the Hotel Suisse and go straight 'to the Forum. Observe its lay-out, the temples and" Basilica — with its compo columns of fluted brick — and then turn right “down the Via dei Theatri to the Foro Triangularis. Here was some of the Greek nucleus of the town. Look back at the triumphal arches. See the theatre; it explains itself. Compare it with Sabratha if you were there. Unless time presses, a glimpse at the now spoilt Villa di Citarista is. worth while to gain an idea of the lay-out of a large private residence. Return to the Forum, turn right down the Vico del Balcone and at Insula 12, No 18 is the well known Lupanare,

whilst at No 28 is the Casa del Balcone Pensile used apparently for the same purpose. k Next turn left, and again left to' gain Via degli Augustali where in Insula 4 look into the Casa della Caccia. A good building in period « C » decorated in Style 4 with mythological and hunting scenes. Alongside is the Casa di Arianna e dei Capitelli Colorati, also with good Style 4 decoration. Continue into the Strada Stabiana and on into Strada Nola. In Insula 2 you will find the Casa degli Nozze di Argento, which after the Casa del Fauno, is the finest in Pompeii. Nearby is the Casa del Cecilio .Giocondo a type specimen of Style 3 decoration. .The gladiators’ barracks are also worth . a glance (Insula 5, No ,3). Best Of All, Pass back seawards along the Strada di Nola, ■; turn right down the Via Consulare and near the Herculaneum gate you will see, on the right, ■ some bakeries with typical ovens and hand grindstones for corn. Pass through the gate, noticing the side passages, down along the Via Sepulchrale (Cemetery area) through the turnstile and follow the sign posts to the Villa dei Mystereii This villa is on a steep slope, on strongly built foundations of a 3rd Century BC building. It is perhaps the best of all the villas in its completeness, but work is still in progress which detracts from the atmosphere which the’ decoration cannot fail to impart. Spacious Rooms. Its 'present murals and decorations .are largely related to the calling - of its latest owner—a priestess of Dionysios. On entering through the tablinum the «Egyptian» element in the decoration (Style 3) is very apparent and the fignre of the dancing Satyr attracts immediate attention. Pass through into the Peristilium. Notice the extent and spaciousness of the rooms, all of which were decorated but most of which now give only a hint of former magnificence. Well Preserved. Return to the tablinum. turn left and in the end room, formerly

an oecus, later a triclinium, are the « grand frescoes.» It is impossible to describe the effect of seeing such striking colouring and skill in composition of this « religious » subject with « divine » and human figures which look barely a century old instead of nineteen centuries. The subject is the initiation ceremony for the cult of Dionysios. The story passes from left to right round the four walls. The centre panel alone vis damaged. The first group shows a child reading the ritual under the guidance of two older women, whilst another carries an offering to a group seated before 1 a small «table » preparing the sacrifice. < < - . Story Unfolded. Next a Satyr playing a ecstatycall-lyre, then the ’Donna Atterrita’ staring with fear at something occurring outside the picture, her right arm raising her dress which frames her head. Then an old Silenus and two young Satyrs,, one with a mask and one drinking, then the central composition, the marriage of Arianna and Dionysios, while below them the young initiate is unveiling the «Mystica Vannus.» Farther on a wing demon prepares to punish her impiety and again to the right the initiate is seen utterly collapsed on the knees of a disturbed companion, who? looks towards the demon, Near her partially draped figure is commencing a Dionysian dance. On the third wall the priestess is seen being robed for the ceremony, and finally she is seen seated • and presiding over the mysteries. v ■ •" , - ' . . ' Short Tour. . If you only have a short time in Pompeii, go through the Forum, glance at the Theatre, pass back to the Casa del Cecilio. Giocondo (for Style 3) and the Casa di Arrianna e di Capitelli Colorati and perhaps Casa del Caccia (Style 4) or Casa del Fauno. Then pass the bakeries of Via ' Consulate and on to the Villa del Mystereii. You will have seen the rest much more easily . and with better guides at Herculaneum. ■ - . ; • v"■

The buildings, as in the nuclei of present day cities in Italy, fall in to several distinct periods. Their internal decoration is similarly of different styles, but naturally is in most cases more modern than the buildings it adorns. ’ The following table summarises the principal periods of construction and decoration at Pompeii:

Type of Period 7 ' Bate Construction Decoration A. Pre-Sannite VI -V BC 7 . Squared lime- —— stone blocks B. Sannite (1) IV - ill BO Limestone and volcanic blocks and rough stone O. Sannite (2) 200-80 BO Volcanic tufa Style 1 D. Early Roman SO BC -14 AD Trellis and part Style 2 trellis work \ same materials - E. Roman and 14 AD- 79 AD Mixed styles) Style 3 Imperial with brick work y Style 4 (after -r; ) 63 AD) ■ • • ■ , • ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■ • Decorative styles referred to above are easy to recognise and for convenience houses showing them to advantage have been selected to fit In with the itinerary described later. Style Description Villas 1. (Incrustation) Wall stucco and plaster are Casa di Sal lust us 200 -80 80 veined and coloured to imitate marble and stone. 2. (Architectural) Walls are decorated to create The Villa del 80 80 -14 AD an illusion in perspective of Mystereii several architectural levels. - • < ' " y Large square areas are filled with paintings of mythological subjects. 3. (Egyptian) ‘ The actual functional parts Casa di Cecilio 14 AD -63 AD of the building are used and Giocondo enhanced by architectural paintings (e.g., a pillaster is richly decorated) and the . - . Intervening spaces covered with finely executed motifs in brilliant colouring, the figures often being very small. 4. (Ornamental) The whole surface is treated Casa dei Vettil 63 AD -79 AD as a background for decoration and no clear-cut distinc- ~ tion Is preserved between v- architectural elements, freizes and pictures. it typifies commercial wealth and luxurious taste of the period.