Ancient Pompeii

Pompeii was founded in the Pre-Roman period by the Oscans, and came later under the domination of the Etruscans and Samnites. It was a seaport, although it is now about two miles (3 km) from the shore, and a prosperous market town. Wine, vegetables, olive oil, and pumice were the main products. As the town grew larger new streets were laid out in a gridiron pattern. They were made so narrow, however, that only a single cart could pass along them. Eventually, as commerce thrived, the city became so crowded that small houses were built on the grounds of large ones, and shops were built into the street sides of private residences.

In the first century B.C. Rome made itself master of the entire region. The Roman general Sulla settled his army veterans at Pompeii, and it quickly became Latinized. An amphitheater, new public baths, two theaters, and temples to Roman deities were constructed. The Bay of Naples became a popular resort area for imperial Rome, and many new, luxurious villas were built in Pompeii. At the time the city was destroyed, the population was about 20,000.

Pompeiian homes were built with few windows and with two inner courts onto which all rooms opened. One court, the atrium , was roofed except for a hole in the center through which rainwater drained into a shallow cistern in the floor. The other court, the peristyle , was larger, with a colonnaded gallery on all four sides. The open center area was a garden, adorned with a fountain and statuary. In Roman times water was piped into the house.

The homes were colorfully decorated, with mosaic floors and frescoed walls. Many of the wall paintings were of high artistic merit. Favorite subjects were the activities of gods and goddesses. Stucco reliefs of these deities were also popular as wall decorations.