"Pompeii may be the city most commonly linked to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, but the cataclysmic events of that year affected nearby towns just as violently: Herculaneum, Oplontis, and others. These towns were rich in architecture, advanced infrastructures, and exquisite works of art. The artifacts found there tell a vibrant story of an ancient Roman society, advanced in many ways, which simply disappeared. - Pompeii, Stories from an Eruption
Please visit this web site from the Field Museum in Chicago.
Start with About the Exhibition, next the Introduction, and continue on to visit the cities of Herculaneum, Oplontis, Terzigno, and Pompeii. Be sure to take a look at the Photo Gallery and Field Museum Collections.
Notice the many remains of this early Roman culture: sculpture, frescoes, architecture, jewelry, and decorative household items.
- Make your first post.
- Share one specific art/architectural remain that you found interesting. Describe it in great detail.
- Share one interesting factoid that you learned about the daily lives/culture of these Romans
- Make your second post.
- Make a comment or ask or answer a question related to one of your classmate's posts. It is okay to post more!
IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY POSTING TO THE BLOG, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH THE CONTENTS OF THE TWO POSTS TO GET CREDIT.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/pompeii/about.asp
The artwork that I found most interesting was the Marble statue of a woman. Initally, the statue was a representaion a wealthy member of the Istacidi, owners of the Villa of the Mysteries. Later, the Emperor Tiberious, replaced the statue's head with his mother's.This marble statue is of a women wearing a long dress-type clothing, with elegant drapery and a hood covering her head. Her right hand rests on her chest.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the volcanic eruption that occured, helped historians piece togehter what daily life should have looked like.Doctors carried surgical tools around, women kept their jewls in heirlooms and slaves wore shackles. Although, since theives were abundant, historians had a hard time telling apart owners of the objects from the theives.
One architectural remain I found interesting was the House of Menander. A very fascinating aspect of this remain is that it has a square basin on the floor of the middle of the atrium (called an impluvium) that was built to store rainwater. The roof was built on a slant so that the water would funnel down and pour through a hole in the roof called a compluvium. The impluvium was used to wash household items such as clothes and dishes. From the picture given of the House of Menander, I can see that there are two columns at the inside of the entrance - one on either side. Also, the walls are painted (I cannot make out any specific scenes) with yellow and vivid red paint.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting fact I learned about Roman culture was that the remains of victims were extremely useful tools to help reconstruct details of Roman daily life. For example, doctors were equipped with their surgical tools in hopes of helping others, woman carried with them their precious jewels and heirlooms, and slaves were found with iron rings around their ankles. This not only gives us insight to what items were most valuable to the Romans, but also provides information about the extremely low social status of slaves.
Whoops, I didn't see Avanti's comment until after I posted mine! So another fact about Roman daily life is that in AD 79 (when the Roman Empire was just a century old) Herculaneum was a seaside resort for the Roman elite, perhaps even for Emperor Nero.
ReplyDeleteThe drinking cup from Herculaneum made of chalcedonic agate was my favorite art piece. It is a rare object. The cup was discovered in Arcade 7 on the beaches of Herculaneum, where the bodies of nearly 300 fugitives were buried. I really liked the design and colors of the drinking cup.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting fact about lives and culture that i found was that they used a public bath for men and women, which was a very large area where people gathered socially and made business dealings.
An artifect that I found interesting is a strongbox fro Oplontis. It was found int he peristyle of the Villa of Lucius Crassius Tertius. It is made out of wood and iron. the wooden framework of the box is covered by iron leaves. It also has the names of three characters inscribed on it: Pytonymos, Pyteas, and Nicocrates. These are believed to be the artisit.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting factoid that I learned was that the people of Herculaneum had what we would considered today to be a fast food place. They had a bar which was called a thermopolis, that held dolia or storage jugs, that they probably served lunch from to works and travelers. Fires beneath the countertop kept the dolia warm.
@ Kaymi, how come the drinking cup is a rare object?
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting piece of art to me was the Mosaic with a polychrome from Gorgoneion, Pompeii. Medusa is found in the center of the mosaic and it is named after the House of the Centenary because this was where it was found. Wine related materials and a few skeletons were also found in this area.
ReplyDeleteI also learned that wine production was very important to the people of Pompeii. Many wine producing equipment has been unearthed as well as wine storage chambers.
Stephanie, do you find it interesting that there were 3 artists that made the strongbox fro Oplontis?
ReplyDeleteCatherine, was the House of the Centenary a house of a wealthy person or was it actually a wine cellar? Do you think that the Medusa mosaic was used for or symbolized something important?
ReplyDeleteCatherine i thought the fact you found was very intersting, it was cool to learn about the important wine production.
ReplyDeleteI found the bronze statue of Apollo very interesting. It was taken from the house of a Greek descendant who was running for a political office during the time of the eruption. It seems to have Greek-like realistic aspects such as the hair and sculpted face, but the eyes and eyebrows are more stylized.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting factoid I learned about was that in the city Terzigno, which was the closest town to the volcano, many wineries were operated because of the nutrient rich volcanic soil that had already fallen from previous volcanoes. It was easy to identify these areas as wineries because wine storage chambers were present.
Avanti, I find it so interesting that there were so many thieves in the cities that it was difficult to differentiate between them and the noblemen. They must have been very skilled in stealing if it was such a big problem.
ReplyDeleteKatie, did other cities have wineries as well? It is very interesting (and useful!) that volcanoes provide nutrient rich soil.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork that i found interesting was the 'Marble statue of Woman'. This statue is depicts a member of theIstacidi family who were the final owners of the Villa of the Mysteries. The emperor later had the statues head replaced with his mothers.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that intrigued me about the lives of Romans was the sophistication and advancement of the doctors surgical equipment. Their arsenal included copper cylinders, surgical instruments like scalpels and chisels, forceps, pliers, hooks, and a needle.
@catherine
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that wine production was important to these people?
i've actually visited a museum that had a pompeii exhibit, so i got to see the actual casts; it was pretty disturbing but really enlightening.
ReplyDeletesomething interesting that i found was the bezel ring from pompeii; i feel stupid saying this, but i didn't know that jewelery such as rings were around during this time period. the ring shown is beautifully made with the pegasus incision! i would wear that ring!
johannez; do you think that the romans were any good at surgery?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Catherine, the Strongbox from Oplantis was my favorite piece. The wooden box is so intricately decorated with metal that it is hardly distinguishable as wooden.It stands on four legs that have little pictoral scenes on them. It also has little relief sculpture of people on the top. Overall, it's a beautiful and functional piece and I can't help but wonder what exactly it was used for.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting that the Romans, though not as technically advanced as our era, still enjoyed decorating eating venues with paintings. They "enhanced the experience." It would seem that ambiance has played an important role in setting moods since the beginning of time.
Morgan- Isn't it interesting that the House of Meander established some of the techniques we still use today to utilize rain water?
ReplyDeleteThe artwork that stood out to me most was the fresco, Caupona of Salvius. This particular narrative shows people of low social status interacting together at an inn. Wheteher it be fighting to be served, dealing with a prostitute or arguing over a a game of dice, the lower class people were depicted to act in a way that would be frowned upon today.
ReplyDeleteA fact i learned about Roman life came from frescoes found at the House of the Triclinia. The people of Pompeii held muses at a high level of reverence. These muses included Clio, the Muse of History, and Calliope, Muse of lyric poetry.
Kaymi, how do you think the artist was able to make such vivid designs on the drinking cup from Herculaneum?
ReplyDeleteFrom Mariah:
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of artwork was the detailed fresco in the building of Triclinia. It was found in modern day Moregne, south of Pompeii. The character in the picture was supposed to be a personafication of the river god Sarno. There were many othe frescos that covered the walls in the three-sided triclinia (which means dining room). The extravagant frescos on the walls were meant to amplify the dining experience for the guest. The preservation of the fresco of the river god and many other pieces of art work were magnificently preserved because of the feet of ash that covered the cities after the eruption of Vesuvius.
Honestly the most interesting thing I read in this was the fact that they had public baths overlooking the sea. It may not be a unique feature about this time period, but it is something that I find completely foreign. It's an amazing architectural and engineering feat that they managed to develop a system of baths to serve the people though. The public part is the aspect I find somewhat disturbing; I wouldn't want to bathe in a public forum with members of my town. Creepy!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting fact I learned from this was that volcanic soil is rich in nutrients and therefore ideal for wine grape cultivating. It's interesting that something associated with death and destruction is also something that brings life to vines.
Josh-
ReplyDeleteDid these muses have any root in Greek or Etruscan culture, or were they exclusively Roman?
I also really liked the black and white drinking cup found in Herculaneum. It’s made of semi-precious stone (chalcedonic agate ), and the swirling patterns are quite beautiful. It reminds me partially of an optical illusion and partially of a lava lamp. I’d love to have that to use as a tea mug or something today!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find that Pompeii was considered a “large, cosmopolitan city”, even compared to Rome. Some people practiced Egyptian beliefs/rites there, and they often used Greek architecture. There was even what historians would consider “suburbs” surrounding the city. The Romans sound a lot more modern than I thought they would.
Madeline - Isn’t it interesting to see how this culture, as well as the Greeks, have really begun to focus on art for enjoyment rather than mainly as a form of recorded history or story telling? I really think that this shift is an important part of what has created art as it is today.
I found the fresco in the Building of Triclinia to be interesting. The fresco is of Nero depicted as Apollo most likely. The painting is very realistic, it shows Nero playing a harp in front of a rich red background. Nero is looking into the distance very seriously and his rich clothes sway in the painting.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the residents of Pompeii and the cities next to it realized that the volcano would erupt before it happened. Many people tried to run before it erupted but few seemed to have fled in time.
Johannez: What materials did the Romans use to make these medical instruments?just copper?or did they have steel or iron?
ReplyDeleteOne architectural work that I found very interesting was the strong box. This box was found at the Villa of Lucius Crassius Tertius. It is covered iron leaves, and seems to have a sense of mystery to it.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting factoid is that Terzigno was dedicated to cultivating and storing wine. It is interesting to think that alcohol played a role insociety even that long ago.
Chelsea, do think that the subarbs were home to a specific class within the society?
ReplyDelete