Pompeii … City of the Dead

DSC_0082One of the most unusual destinations we visited was Pompeii. The city has emerged from the darkness of its past and remains similar to what it would have been like before it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.

DSC_0193The scale of the tragedy was striking and caused life in Pompeii to come to a standstill. The thick layer of volcanic material which covered Pompeii allowed the city, its buildings and their contents, to remain intact and provide a striking picture of what daily life must have been like.

DSC_0231The excavated city provides outstanding historical evidence of Roman civilization. Today when you stroll through the site, you can still see the shop signs or the shopkeeper’s names in the doorways. And, the houses still contain pieces of furniture, kitchen wear and terracotta tiles.

DSC_0093It is said that the residents of Pompeii likely responded with panic when the volcano erupted and the dense black cloud of ash formed. The skeletons that remain in Pompeii are testimony to the sad reality that the residents of Pompeii were likely unaware of the risk that awaited them.

DSC_0207DSC_0201

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lisbon - World's Leading City Destination 2018

Image
Lisbon is the stunning capital city of Portugal, and voted the World's Leading City Destination and the World's Leading City Break Destination for the World Travel Awards 2018. It certainly has a lot to see and do and we certainly saw and did! We drove in from Evora and dropped the rental car off in the morning leaving us nearly the entire day to spend exploring this ancient capital. As is our habit, we signed up for a walking tour for the afternoon and evening and set off on the 20-minute walk to where the tour started. The tour met and started at the Praça Dom Pedro IV, which Lisboans feel is the main central square of Lisbon and the true heart of the city.  Praça Dom Pedro is often referred simply to its much older name of Rossio which is also where we had caught the train to Sintra on our first day in Portugal. Rossio was founded during the 13th century as the large central square of Lisbon. Here public shows, bull fights, and royal proclamations occurred. During...
Read more

Obidos

Image
The town of Óbidos is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall. Óbidos remains a well-preserved example of medieval architecture; its streets, squares, walls and its castle are a popular tourist destination. The castle now houses a hotel.  Legend holds that Obidos was founded in 308 BC by the Celts. As the streets of Obidos are very narrow, cars are parked outside the walls -- we were able to park right next to the very cool preserved aqueduct. Originating in Usseira, the aqueduct it is 3 km long. Queen Catarina commissioned its construction In the 16th century, . The water was carried through a great number of high arches which crossed extensive vineyards and orchards and came to provide water to the town's main fountains. The Castle of Obidos has walls that date back to at least the 8th century AD with parts of the walls actually include some of the fortifications of the original settlement that may date back to the 4th century BC.  A interestin...
Read more

Mycenae and the Tomb of Agamemnon …

Image
  Familiar with the history of King Agamemnon, Austin enjoyed visiting the tomb of Agamemnon and the ruins of the palace. Unfortunately, over the years, the tomb has been raided and there were few treasures left to recover.   Agamemnon’s  Mycenaean fortress includes an entry ramp that is a long, steep climb to the infamous lion’s gate entry.  It is said that the gate was intentionally built to be steep so that it would be easier to defend the palace from marauders! Mycenae was considered to be a major centre of Greek civilization from 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.   Agamemnon was the commander in the Trojan War to return Helen back to Greece.  Agamemnon prepared a fleet of ships to carry the Greeks to Troy, however the winds were not favourable and he was unable to sail. As Greek mythology unfolds, we learn Agamemnon was ultimately successful in the Trojan war, and Helen was returned to Greece.  The end of the story isn’t that kind for King Agamem...
Read more