Joanna found lots of new material about life and death on her recent visits to Pompeii and Herculaneum

If you have visited Herculaneum, you will no doubt recognise this image, of the skeletons on the beach front. These poor people were clustered together, almost certainly hoping to be rescued by sea. But it was too late. They all died where they waited. Rescue never came.

I had seen these places before, too, but it’s impossible not to be moved by them. Nearly 2,000 years ago, about 300 people waited down here, hoping against hope that the might of Rome would rescue them. But the fleet was unable to do so. The eruption was in charge and the sea state was impossible. Scientific study has shown that, mercifully, these desperate people all died instantly from “fulminant shock” from the pyroclastic surge.

New displays of life and death, but mostly death

The Palaestra in Pompeii where young men exercised (naked)

There are now excellent new displays in the museum along one side of the palaestra in Pompeii. (The higher wall in the background is the amphitheatre.) In the museum, we can see how people died — from the plaster casts of the body cavities in the ash — and, in some ways, how they lived.

The eruption itself must have been devastating. It began at noon and continued for about 32 hours, ending about 8 pm on the second day. You can see in the column [click to enlarge] that the material becomes progressively finer so that it filled every crevice and cranny. There was much more material falling on the second day (above the dotted horizontal line). And the column gives a visual presentation of how deep the ash fall was (at least 13 feet, about 4 metres).

We know that people tried to escape from Pompeii on day 1 with cushions tied to their heads to protect them from falling pumice. But where would they go? And how could they see, in any case, when the falling ash blocked out the sun? Some, we know, turned back.

How death came to people in Pompeii

Some people tried to shelter in their homes but houses became a death trap. How could people get out? Windows and doors would have been blocked by the accumulating ash fall. And the weight of material on roofs led many of them to collapse. People died where they’d hoped to be safe.

This cast (right)  is the one that I find most poignant. It’s not clear what this poor person is doing. He or she may be praying to their gods. Or that pose may be indicative of resignation, perhaps even despair?

Clearly, action of any kind — fighting against the advance of death — is not possible.

Parents could not even protect their children. This poor little toddler shows signs of extreme heat. You can also see the remains of a short tunic that has ridden up over his hips. He was found in the House of the Golden Bracelet.

Pompeii, plaster cast of a dead toddler, male, aged about 3

Life and death? But what about life?

One of the interesting aspects of the eruption is how the ash fall preserved things. Many organic materials, such as wood, were charred but did not burn. (I’m no scientist, but I’m assuming the ash fall cut off the oxygen needed for flames.) As a result, we can see a lot about the way the people of Pompeii lived their day-to-day lives.

This, for example, is a loaf of bread.

It’s charred, of course, but we can clearly see that it was originally round and marked into 8 segments for cutting or breaking.

It seems extraordinary, doesn’t it, that this charred bread is nearly 2,000 years old?

And then there is the famous cradle for a baby found in the House of the Mosaic Atrium in Herculaneum. These days, the cradle is displayed in the new Herculaneum museum as part of this whole-room scene. Front right, there’s a charred desk with a drawer and hinged doors. Against the back wall, you can also see a charred cupboard. And there are fascinating items both inside the cupboard and sitting on the surfaces: lamps, coins, cooking and eating pots, glass and pottery vessels and more.

Herculaneum may have been a rich place before the eruption

Herculaneum was a lot smaller than Pompeii and possibly a lot richer. Certainly, many rich patricians had elegant houses there. This is a reimagining of two of the richest houses: the House of the Mosaic Atrium (on the left) and the House of the Stags (right). Both of them were set high up to make the most of the view and the sea breezes.

And this is how that same view looks nowadays. The boat sheds, where the skeletons were found, were on the next level down and are just visible in the bottom right-hand corner of the present-day view.

The House of the Stags is named after a pair of stunning marble sculptures of hounds hunting stags. They were originally in the garden of the house and are now in the museum. A bit gruesome — I warned you this was a blog about life and death — but beautifully executed.

Returning to Pompeii, this is a  computer reconstruction of rooms from the  House of the Fruit Orchard.  First, we have a cubiculum (a smallish room used as a bedroom) beautifully decorated with garden scenes against a sky-blue background. Below, we have the triclinium (the dining room) with its three couches for the diners.  We were told that the walls were painted black so that the smoke from lamps would not show on them. But it’s real luxury, isn’t it?

Dining in style to show off wealth and taste

The triclinium would have been lit by lamps on holders like these (right) from the Naples museum. These candelabra, made of bronze, were intended to display the owners’ taste and wealth.
One of those in this collection is even telescopic!

If the guests risked getting cold, they could be warmed by braziers. Not all were as ornate or expensive as this one with its winged sphinxes, though.

And how did they look after all their riches? They kept them in a bronze safe, like this one. Don’t miss the putti and Bacchic decoration. The guests were drinking wine, after all, weren’t they?

But not everyone had a villa with a triclinium

Even in rich Herculaneum, there were poorer people, artisans, people living in a single room. They didn’t have the luxury of a dining room with couches for three and slaves to serve their luxury foods.

Ordinary people tended to eat in the streets, at food shops which abounded in Roman-era towns. This is one belonging to L. Vetutius Placidus who lived in a large house behind the caupona. The counter, covered in marble, held 13 vessels for liquids and food. One of them, when excavated, yielded 683 sesterces, probably the takings from a number of days.

At the back of the shop, is the lararium for the household gods.

The owner is shown in the centre, pouring a libation on a portable tripod.

On each side of him are his household gods.

They are flanked by Mercury, who protected commerce, and Bacchus, the god of wine and patron of food shops and taverns. Placidus was taking no chances on the success of his emporium. Unfortunately, neither Mercury nor Bacchus could save him from Vesuvius.

Which brings me back to life and death, mostly death. It is too easy to forget, as we marvel at the treasures Pompeii and Herculaneum can show us, that thousands of people died in the AD 79 eruption. A dreadful, terrifying end which we would never wish on any human being.

Joanna