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THE Last Days of Pompeii — a book read long back suddenly surfaces from the recesses of memory as the bus leaves behind Naples and races towards that unfortunate city of yore from Roman times. Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s book, written in 1834, was a novel inhabited by people of Pompeii flourishing under the benign gaze of Mount Vesuvius. On a hot August day in 79 AD, the mountain erupted, spewing a river of ash for two days and two nights continuously that buried the city, with its well-laid lanes, shops, public baths. So it remained buried and forgotten, until architect Domenico Fontana while carrying out a survey for land improvement in the Sarno Valley came across some inscriptions while building a tunnel. It led to the amphitheatre of Pompeii. The real excavation started in 1748 under Charles of Bourbon. In 1860, Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli used an innovative method of pouring liquid plaster into the spaces left in the bed of ashes and let it harden to get a plaster cast of the corpses and other objects. And soon, a city emerged, with houses, men and women at different postures, exquisite statues like that of Apollo and Faun, etc. It was like Pompeii resurrected, literally from the ashes, to tell of a time more than 2,000 years ago. All this the tour guide elaborates as visitors enter this open-air museum, a Unesco heritage site. Frozen in time, Pompeii gives a rare opportunity to come in close contact with the lifestyle of the Romans in the first century of the last Millennium. Pompeii was originally under the Greeks but became a Roman colony in 80 B.C. So the architecture displays influence of Graeco-Roman style. Pompeii was surrounded by a 3-km wall with eight gates. Near the Sarno Gate entrance is the amphitheatre which could hold about 20,000 people. It is one of the best preserved amphitheatres of its kind in Italy. You can walk around the quarters where the gladiators stayed and practised. There is also a large gymnasium opposite the amphitheatre. By modern standards the roads of Pompeii were narrow but well laid out with footpaths. Some cobbled tracks still bear the hoof marks of chariot horses. The streets often overflew with water and waste material so there were stone blocks for pedestrians to step onto to cross the street. These stone blocks also served as speed breakers to make the carriages slow down and not run over the pedestrians. Also, while walking around you will notice on the ground small tiles called ‘cat's eyes’. The moon’s light or candle light was reflected off these tiles and people could see where they were walking at night. At some corners, you can drink water from pipes built some 2000 years ago! These pipes were made of lead but lined with lime to protect them. There are also public fountains and baths with provision for hot and cold water and holes on the wall to keep the clothes dry. The baths were divided into male and female sections. The lay-outs of living and trade quarters too show meticulous planning. The houses of the rich still bear remains of beautiful frescoes. The walls were covered with at least six layers of plaster and then painted. The huge hall where the fish and meat market was located show faded paintings with fishmongers and a lively market scene. You can also see where the wool market was located. On a narrow street leading to the centre you can peek into Lupanar, a cluster of rooms of the brothel. The walls still bear remains of erotic paintings. The bakeries’ ovens look similar to the old brick-stone oven. At the ‘House of the Baker’ there is a garden with millstones of lava used for grinding the wheat. Common people were mostly illiterate and sign language was used. So the ‘House of the Tragic Poet’ with the elaborate mosaic at the entrance depicts a chained dog, with the words Cave Canem meant ‘Beware of dogs’. The Forum, as in other Roman towns, was the centre of public life. The Basilica next to it was surrounded by many of the important government, religious and business buildings. At the ‘Granary’ are remains of everyday life like amphorae (storage jars) and plaster casts of people who could not escape the eruption. It was quite eerie to observe people at work frozen in action as the river of ash submerged them or at the ‘Garden of the Fugitives’ where groups of people lay, dying. For 900 years the Vesuvius had remained dormant and then it came alive on that hot day. Experts say it may erupt again in the decade 2020-30 and it can even destroy nearby Naples. That people should not build houses near the bay. But then, who can say what would happen? The accounts by Pliny, the younger, nephew of the Pliny, the Elder, who was in charge of the province of Pompeii, gives a real picture what had happened, people caught unawares in the spiralling gloom. On that note you leave behind Pompeii pondering on the fragility of life. Fact File How to get there: By road from Rome via Naples (three hours). Also by train from major cities to railhead at Naples. Where to stay: Hotels to suit all budgets from luxury to youth hostels in Naples (40 minutes to Pompeii). Most people take day trips from Rome. What to do: Explore the ruins of the city with a guided tour beginning with 2 hours to 6 hours, according to preference. What to buy: Artefacts, replicas of jars, pots reminiscent of Roman times.
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