Ancient History Pompeii
Pompeii & Herculaneum
1. Geographical context
Physical environment: geographical setting, natural features and resources of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Geographical setting
Pompeii and Herculaneum were located in Campania, southwest Italy near Bay of Naples. Herculaneum was a waterfront town situated on the coast of Bay of Naples 7km west of Mt Vesuvius, while Pompeii was slightly inland on the Sarno river, 9km southeast of Mt Vesuvius. Both towns were linked to Rome through sea and land routes.
Natural features
Campania was a fertile plain with two main rivers. Nearby there was a 15km wide series of craters, where pools were filled with boiling mud and vents, from which sulphur and steam could escape. The towns were popular because of their rich volcanic soil, coastal area for fishing and trading area.
Resources of Campania
The production of olive oil was used for cooking, and as the basic ingredient for perfume. Wine, wool and textile productions took place, along with the fishing industries including the production of fish sauce. There were fruits such as peaches, apricots, lemons & vegetables like cabbages and onions, and volcanic material was used for building and paving roads.
Plans and streetscapes of Pompeii and Herculaneum
▪ streets of Pompeii vary greatly in width from 2.4m to roughly 7m ▪ streets & roads divide towns into neat rectangular blocks- called insulae ▪ insulae blocks had 1-12 dwellings with houses, apartment blocks, shops ▪ streets were paved with large Vesuvian lava blocks ▪ either side of most streets had a raised sidewalk, usu about 33cm high ▪ streets were usu raised in the middle so water would run into gutters and footpaths sloped down towards road ▪ roads of both towns were quite diff. P roads had deep wheel grooves caused by constant stream of heavy wagons-proof that it was a major commercial town ▪ P streets had footpaths but drainage was so poor that large stepping stones
1. Geographical context
Physical environment: geographical setting, natural features and resources of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Geographical setting
Pompeii and Herculaneum were located in Campania, southwest Italy near Bay of Naples. Herculaneum was a waterfront town situated on the coast of Bay of Naples 7km west of Mt Vesuvius, while Pompeii was slightly inland on the Sarno river, 9km southeast of Mt Vesuvius. Both towns were linked to Rome through sea and land routes.
Natural features
Campania was a fertile plain with two main rivers. Nearby there was a 15km wide series of craters, where pools were filled with boiling mud and vents, from which sulphur and steam could escape. The towns were popular because of their rich volcanic soil, coastal area for fishing and trading area.
Resources of Campania
The production of olive oil was used for cooking, and as the basic ingredient for perfume. Wine, wool and textile productions took place, along with the fishing industries including the production of fish sauce. There were fruits such as peaches, apricots, lemons & vegetables like cabbages and onions, and volcanic material was used for building and paving roads.
Plans and streetscapes of Pompeii and Herculaneum
▪ streets of Pompeii vary greatly in width from 2.4m to roughly 7m ▪ streets & roads divide towns into neat rectangular blocks- called insulae ▪ insulae blocks had 1-12 dwellings with houses, apartment blocks, shops ▪ streets were paved with large Vesuvian lava blocks ▪ either side of most streets had a raised sidewalk, usu about 33cm high ▪ streets were usu raised in the middle so water would run into gutters and footpaths sloped down towards road ▪ roads of both towns were quite diff. P roads had deep wheel grooves caused by constant stream of heavy wagons-proof that it was a major commercial town ▪ P streets had footpaths but drainage was so poor that large stepping stones