The ruins of Pompeii

Yesterday we stopped along the way at Pompeii to have a look at the ruins. The first thing we read was that Pompeii was covered in ash and lapilli (burning fragments of pumice stone) and the people poisoned by the gases from the volcano not lava as we had first thought. We looked around and saw some buildings and temples. One thing we found that was cool was a goods measure in the market square.




It was used to see if you were given the correct amount. You fill up the appropriate hole (a bucket, 1/2 a bucket, 1/4 of a bucket and so on) then if it was correct you would pull away the bottom and the contains would fall into your bucket.




Due to the heat we set ourselves a few hours to look around. After awhile Dad said there were 2 things he wanted to see:
1. The amphitheater
2. The garden of the fugitives.
We walked along making our way to the amphitheater and stopped every so often to look at the ruins. We got to the amphitheater and went inside. It was really big and tall, we looked around here a bit and moved on.




We finished our visit to the ruins at the Fugitive Garden. It is a garden with a glassed off area full of the human casts. The casts were made by the archeologist when they were digging in the ash. They'd find a hollow made by a human body, that rotted away to leave the hollow. They would then fill the hollow with plaster and let it set and then excavate the outside of the cast. What this does is shows you the position that people died in. Most look like they are struggling to move but there were one or two who were praying perhaps.




Pompeii is a great visit, it is just amazing to think you are walking in a city that was covered in ash and rock for hundreds off years and yet some of the buildings remain.
Jake

Location:Pompeii