Naples and Pompeii - 2002

Random Recollections

• This had to be the highlight of the trip for me.
• I thoroughly enjoyed the priceless works of art from Pompeii in the museum in Naples.
• One of the things that amazed me most was that the ancient Romans were able to make clear glass for containers and for windows. It would seem that they were much more advanced than people of that time were thought to be before Pompeii was discovered and excavated.
• Another thing that amazed us were the fantastic "paintings" made of tiny mosaic tiles. One portrait of a young woman showed tremendous shading and depth. It also showed jewelry and clothing more reminiscent of modern times than two millennia past.
• We spent the morning in the museum in Naples and the afternoon and early evening walking through the ruins of ancient Pompeii. Excavation began in Pompeii several hundred years ago. Most of the area that we toured had weathered through the years and the best artifacts had been moved to the museum in Naples and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the buildings were still there, as were the streets and plazas.
• We were able to actually walk on tile courtyards and walkways which were constructed two thousand years ago.
• We followed streets which still had the original ruts from the iron-wheeled wagons which made their way through the town delivering supplies and transporting people and goods.
• We saw lead pipes which provided indoor plumbing to many of the houses and businesses. According to Fred, the Romans must have slobbered a lot, since lead poisoning is known to cause one to drool.
• We also were informed that the Romans used the streets as open sewers. You could tell that the sidewalks were raised 18 inches above street level so that people would not get their feet dirty. At each intersection there were enormous stones spaced across where our current day crosswalks would be. This way people could cross without soiling their feet, but wagons could still pass over the stones unimpeded. When they got a good rain, the streets would be cleared. I even wondered if they didn't have a mechanism for flushing the streets at regular intervals. I never found out for sure.
• Pompeii was rediscovered several centuries ago. Most of the area that we toured first during the afternoon had undergone excavation for decades or centuries. Many of the artifacts have been removed and the buildings have been subject to weathering. Some artifacts have been moved to open warehouses which at least are covered. Most of the buildings in this section no longer have roofs. Nevertheless, you can truly get a sense of how the people lived and worked.
• We were able to see clearly the marvelous architecture and construction methods used by the Romans in the 1st Century. The columns that remain show the central core of some of the most durable concrete ever made. This core was covered by a beautiful veneer of marble. Because of weathering we could see this marble in various stages of wear which exposed the construction methods perfectly.
• We finally ended up in the amphitheaters (large and small) where the citizens watched dramas and operas. It was late afternoon and we were quite tired. We began to head for the exits. On the way out we saw another section and decided to take a look. It was astounding. This section was recently excavated. They had done a much better job preserving and protecting the newly revealed parts of the city. Homes and stores had awnings covering them and Plexiglas was attached to the exterior walls, all of which shielded everything from the weather. You could clearly see the original artwork. There were open doors into homes that allowed us to wander freely inside. We walked on the original tile still covered by the original roofs. Original frescoes and murals still adorned the walls. No one was around to restrict us in any way. It was unbelievable. We could have walked up and put our hands right on the paintings on the walls, but I could not bear to do so, knowing that the oils on my hands would cause damage. I just hope that others had the same restraint that I had. Nonetheless, it gave us feelings that could not have been possible in any other way. Our tiredness had momentarily vanished and we spent another hour or two spellbound by these new treasures.