Pompeii ruins, Italy. (24/8)
Part of the forum, with Vesuvius in the background. The volcano covered the town in thick ash in an eruption in 79AD,
The forum was an important part of the town, being used as a market and meeting place and the scene of political discussions and debates.
Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748. Its excavation since then has provided a detailed insight into the everyday lives of its residents.
At the time of the eruption, the town may have had some 20,000 inhabitants, and was located in an area in which wealthy Romans had their holiday villas.
Part of the forum, with Vesuvius in the background. The volcano covered the town in thick ash in an eruption in 79AD,
The forum was an important part of the town, being used as a market and meeting place and the scene of political discussions and debates.
Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748. Its excavation since then has provided a detailed insight into the everyday lives of its residents.
At the time of the eruption, the town may have had some 20,000 inhabitants, and was located in an area in which wealthy Romans had their holiday villas.
Ruins of Pompeii ,Italy. (24/8)
This ancient Roman town on the Bay of Naples was completely buried under a thick layer of hot ashes, in the year 79AD, by the eruption of a nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius. This photo is looking along one of the main streets. A drinking fountain is on the right .
Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year.
Recent research has determined that the town's occupants would have died from exposure to extreme heat, not by suffocation in the clouds of ash as previously thought. Studies show that exposure to at least 250 °C hot surges at a distance of 10 kilometres from the vent of Vesuvius was sufficient to cause instant death, even of people sheltering in buildings.
This ancient Roman town on the Bay of Naples was completely buried under a thick layer of hot ashes, in the year 79AD, by the eruption of a nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius. This photo is looking along one of the main streets. A drinking fountain is on the right .
Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year.
Recent research has determined that the town's occupants would have died from exposure to extreme heat, not by suffocation in the clouds of ash as previously thought. Studies show that exposure to at least 250 °C hot surges at a distance of 10 kilometres from the vent of Vesuvius was sufficient to cause instant death, even of people sheltering in buildings.
Pompeii ruins, Italy. (24/8)
The Roman town was buried in 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet) of volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79. This photo shows the temple of Apollo, one of Pompeii’s most important religious buildings.
The temple as excavated dates from the 2nd century BC.
At the time of the volcanic disaster, uncompleted works were under way repairing damage to the temple caused by an earthquake in the year 62AD.
The Roman town was buried in 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet) of volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79. This photo shows the temple of Apollo, one of Pompeii’s most important religious buildings.
The temple as excavated dates from the 2nd century BC.
At the time of the volcanic disaster, uncompleted works were under way repairing damage to the temple caused by an earthquake in the year 62AD.
Pompeii ruins, Italy. (24/8).
A luxurious house, with courtyard garden, belonging to two former slaves, the Vettii brothers. The brothers became wealthy merchants after being given their freedom.
Their house was one of the largest and best appointed in Pompeii.
Its statues and a shrine of protective guardian deities and erotic frescoes were preserved under the volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
One of the most famous images in the house is that of the deity Priapus, which today might be considered as pornographic. The frescoes in this house, and others in the town, reveal that the sexual mores of Roman society at the time were much more liberal than in most present-day cultures.
A luxurious house, with courtyard garden, belonging to two former slaves, the Vettii brothers. The brothers became wealthy merchants after being given their freedom.
Their house was one of the largest and best appointed in Pompeii.
Its statues and a shrine of protective guardian deities and erotic frescoes were preserved under the volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
One of the most famous images in the house is that of the deity Priapus, which today might be considered as pornographic. The frescoes in this house, and others in the town, reveal that the sexual mores of Roman society at the time were much more liberal than in most present-day cultures.
Pompeii, Italy. (24/8)
Looking along Mercury St towards the old Greek city wall, and Mt Vesuvius.
It was an eruption from that volcano in 79AD that destroyed the Roman town and covered it under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice.
Paved streets were part of the town's drainage systems and stepping stones were provided for pedestrians.
The gaps between the stones were set to the standard width of Roman wheeled vehicles. A popular legend, which has been around since at least 1937, is that the modern-day standard rail gauge is based on this width.
Looking along Mercury St towards the old Greek city wall, and Mt Vesuvius.
It was an eruption from that volcano in 79AD that destroyed the Roman town and covered it under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice.
Paved streets were part of the town's drainage systems and stepping stones were provided for pedestrians.
The gaps between the stones were set to the standard width of Roman wheeled vehicles. A popular legend, which has been around since at least 1937, is that the modern-day standard rail gauge is based on this width.