Pompeii

POMPEII
the past

The extent of Pompeii was about 66 hectares, of which two thirds have been excavated so far. Situated at the intersection of the two important streets that are at the origin of the foundation of the city, the present forum (38 x 142 m) does not date to earlier than the 2nd century BC. Its buildings, all public, seem to have been built there without any unified plan, before being regularised by the construction of a monumental portico. This portico does not exist in the north, where the short side is occupied by an arch, now completely stripped of its marble covering and its statues, next to which stands the temple of Jupiter that dominates the square, with a high podium typical of the Etruscan-Italic tradition; the sanctuary is divided into three parts corresponding to the deities of the Capitoline triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The opposite part of the square is occupied by three public buildings. On the long eastern side of the square, the macellum, the meat and fish market, whose wide courtyard is occupied in the middle by a circular building that encloses a fountain. The “temple of Vespasian” actually seems to have been dedicated to the imperial cult. This is followed by the Eumachia building (perhaps a slave market) and by the Comitium, where elections were held. The long west side was occupied by the temple of Apollo, the oldest in the city, and by one of the first examples of a three-nave basilica, datable to around 125 B.C. Of the various public buildings built near the forum, the most remarkable are the large baths and the Stabia baths in the northeast, dating back to the 2nd century B.C. To the south-east of the forum, a second public square, the triangular forum, was developed around a Doric temple from the second half of the 6th century BC. To the east, the large theatre, which could accommodate 5,000 spectators, is flanked on the right by a smaller performance building, originally covered, probably an odeon, with a capacity of about 2,000 people. Carefully placed on the edge of the city centre, the amphitheatre of Pompeii, dated around 70 B.C., is one of the oldest examples of this type of building. The large parapet surrounding the scene had depictions of hunting and gladiators, known today only from watercolours of the 19th century. During the hottest days, a large velum was stretched out to shield its approx. 12,000 spectators from the sun.