Earthquake in Pompeii 62. The death of Pompeii - little-known facts about the tragedy of the ancient city. The death of Pompeii - why people didn’t leave the city

23.04.2020

Mysterious Pompeii, an ancient settlement that holds breath Ancient Rome today it is an open-air museum. An extinct city, today it is coming back to life thanks to the efforts of archaeologists, albeit as a museum exhibit.

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Until the eruption of Vesuvius swept away the city from the face of the earth, Pompeii was very highly developed and high-tech for its time settlement.

Pompeii is not quite a Roman city, as is commonly believed. It was founded in the 8th century BC. Oschi tribe - one of the ancient peoples of Italy. The name "Pompeii" from the ancient Oscan language can be translated as "five", the reason for this name lies in the fact that Pompei were founded on the site of five ancient Oscan settlements.

True, there is another version, more likely related to mythology: supposedly in these parts Hercules defeated a powerful opponent and organized a solemn procession in the city on this occasion (Pompe - this is how “Pompeii” is translated from the ancient Greek language).

In Italy it was at that time many Greek colonies, so a little later the Osskis adopted Greek culture and architecture. The latter is especially clearly visible: the first buildings were chaotic, the order of buildings was not respected, and later, under Hellenic influence, urban architecture acquired clearer outlines - strict rows of streets and rows of houses. Moreover, the Oskos did not even suspect that they were building their houses directly on solidified lava...

After numerous battles The Romans gained power over the city.

Pompeii has a very convenient location economically: at the foot of Vesuvius, on the Sarno River. This location allowed the city's residents to use the river for shipping and trade. Residents were engaged in the production of oils, wool and wines, which also contributed to trade and prosperity of the city. And the Appian Way, which passed through the city, was important for the economy and trade.

Gradually Pompei came under the rule of Rome and became a recreation center for noble Roman patricians. The city grew and developed...

Do you dream of visiting Florence, one of the most romantic cities in Italy? Then you should look at the main architectural structure of the city - Palazzo Vecchio. Detailed information .

Tragedy of the city

The first “alarm bell” rang in 62 AD, when the major earthquake. Many houses and temples were destroyed. But the city residents managed to restore everything in a short time and life again flowed along its usual course.

The peak occurred on 24 August 79. On this day, a strong eruption of the Vesuvius volcano occurred, subsequently the city was buried for centuries under a multi-meter layer of ash.

The day before, flakes of ash began to fall on the city, and there was so much of it that they had to constantly shake it off their clothes. The volcano was considered dormant for a long time, so at first none of the residents paid attention to the cloud of smoke and fire escaping from the vent.

Stones began to fall from the sky, and the ashes settled on the houses in such a thick layer that the roofs began to collapse, burying the people remaining in the premises.

More astute townspeople left Pompeii immediately after the first rainfall, and fled to nearby villages. The eruption lasted for about a day. The city was completely destroyed.

It was discovered by accident in the 17th century during the construction of a water pipeline. The honor of discovery belongs to the Italian architect Domenico Fontana, who, while excavating, came across the remains of a wall and well-preserved frescoes near the river. Moreover for a long time they could not imagine that these pitiful remains were the ruins of the mighty Pompeii.

And only when a sign board was found(border pillar), it became clear that here the once majestic ancient Roman city was buried under layers of earth.

Full-fledged excavations began a century later, in the 17th century, and continue to this day, as well as scientific research.

For more information about the Pompeii tragedy and excavations, watch the video:

Sights and interesting places

Today, on the site of the legendary city, you can see only the remains former greatness. You can find the Pompei excavation site near Naples. Open-air city-museum attracts many tourists every year.

Pompeii is not only a mass of interesting sights of Italy, but also unique witness to history. Due to the fact that the city was almost instantly covered with ash, all surviving buildings, frescoes, mosaics, sculptures and objects are very well preserved. So, what can you see today in the place where Pompeii is located?

Forum.
This building can be called the heart of the ancient Roman city, its social and economic center. At first, on the site of the Forum there was only a trading area, then the market was significantly expanded, and residents began to gather at the market not only for shopping, but also for discussing city events.

Lupanarium.
“A hot place” in the city, where townspeople came in search of carnal pleasures. The name itself is translated from Italian as “she-wolf” - it was with the help of a wolf-like howl that women of easy virtue attracted their clients. The priestesses of love of that time were quite easy to recognize - hair collected and raised at the back of the head, and a wide red belt on their clothes.
All rooms for love dates were painted with erotic frescoes. Today some of these frescoes can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. By the way, this was not the only brothel in the city (there were about 30 of them in total), but Lupanarium was the most famous.

Amphitheater.
A large-scale structure on two levels was intended for gladiatorial fights and various spectacles. Only the outer walls and seats were preserved, but the steps were completely destroyed - they were made of wood and simply did not survive the eruption.

Residential buildings.
All buildings and residential buildings are very well preserved, almost in their original form (if, of course, you make an allowance for the past tense). The interior decoration of the houses did not differ in aesthetics, but externally they were very richly decorated, painted with frescoes or decorated with mosaic patterns.
There were almost no windows in the houses (unlike the palaces and houses of rich nobles); they were replaced by narrow openings. There were no street signs either; the name of its owner was simply written on each house (some of these signs are kept in the Archaeological Museum). On the territory of each house there was a stone pool to collect rainwater (such water was considered sacred).

Frescoes found during excavations.
They contain historical scenes and scenes of Roman entertainment. Almost all of them were transferred to the Naples Museum, and in the restored city you can only see skillfully made copies.
In addition, you can also see Temple of Jupiter, Small Theater, Bolshoi Theater, Stabian Baths, triumphal arches and other surviving buildings of Pompeii.

During excavations it was found a lot of gold jewelry, ceramics. The ceramics were generally well preserved, although the designs and patterns on the pots and jugs were damaged by fire and time.

Several bakeries found – huge stoves, kitchen utensils and other equipment, as well as the so-called thermopolia - taverns. Rarely did any house in Pompeii have kitchens with ovens, so food was delivered from such thermopolia.

Opening hours, ticket prices

During high season(from the beginning of April to the end of October) you can get to Pompei from 8.30 am, and the closing time is 7 pm (the ticket office closes at 5.30 pm, an hour and a half before closing).
Low season(this time is from November to March) Pompeii can be seen from 8.30 (9.00) in the morning until 17.00 (the ticket office closes at 15.30).
Ticket price – 13 euros. They can be purchased at the box office.

There, at the ticket office, you can pick up a guide map, otherwise it’s easy to get lost in all the intricacies of the ancient streets.

An excursion to Pompeii can be combined with a visit to other ancient cities - Herculaneum, Boscoreale, Villa Stadia and others. In this case the ticket will cost at 22 euros (with discount).
Groups of schoolchildren and students can visit Pompeii by appointment. None There are no restrictions on the number of groups here.

Check ticket prices, find out about excursion schedules, and also get acquainted with other background information you can talk about Pompeii on the official website of the attraction - www.pompeiisites.org

Pompeii is one of the oldest cities in Italy, located at the foot of Vesuvius in Campania - a fertile region of the Apennine Peninsula with loose volcanic soil and a mild climate.

Ancient Campaign (from the book of Mau)

It is not known exactly when Pompeii was founded, but we know that archeology dates the fragments of the Temple of Apollo - one of the oldest buildings in the city - to the end of the 7th century. BC. Another ancient building of Pompeii - the Doric temple - dates back to the beginning of the 6th century. BC. and probably served as the cultural center of the Greek emporium. But the Oscans can be considered the true founders of the city (the oldest inscriptions of Pompeii were made in the Oscan language). The venerable age of Pompeii is also confirmed by the results of excavations by Amedeo Maiuri and Stefano de Caro: archaeologists date the early city walls and the remains of gates found in the 6th region to the middle of the 6th century BC. - the main building material of this time was tuff.

In the VI century. BC e. Pompeii was one of the cities of the union of Etruscan cities formed in Campania, led by Capua. However, the sources telling about this period do not say anything specific about the town - Pompeii does not stand out in any way from the rest of the Campanian cities. The Etruscan period ends in the middle of the 5th century. BC. - primacy in the region passes to the Samnites. The history of the change of peoples in Campania is given by Strabo in his “Geography” (V.4.8.): “Immediately adjacent to Naples is the Hercules fortress, lying on a cape jutting out into the sea, and so open to the blow of the south-west wind that this makes the settlement surprisingly healthy This city and the next one, Pompeii, past which the Sarn River flows, were once ruled by the Osci, then by the Tyrrhenians and Pelasgians, and then by the Samnites. However, the latter were driven out of this area."

As a result of the Samnite wars of the late IV-early III centuries. BC e. prosperous Campanian cities turn into Roman allies and are deprived of the right to independent foreign policy, which, however, has little effect on their economy. The first written mention of the city dates back to this time - Titus Livius in his “History of Rome from the Foundation of the City” (IX, 38, 2) under 311 BC. talks about the “landing” of Roman sailors: “At the same time, Publius Cornelius, to whom the Senate entrusted the coastal regions, led the Roman fleet to Campania, and the shipmen, landing at Pompeii, set off to ravage the Nuceria possessions.” The Romanization of Pompeii begins, but more than two centuries must pass before its final completion. The chronicles of these centuries did not preserve any mention of the city, and the next time Pompeii appeared in Roman history was in the 1st century. BC.

In 89 BC, during the Allied War, Lucius Cornelius Sulla led the siege of Pompeii, but was forced to retreat - the city managed to hold out. During this turbulent time, the city wall was additionally fortified with 12 towers. True, this did not save Pompeii; later Sulla managed to break the resistance of the residents, and then place about 2 thousand veterans of his army who had served in the city as colonists. Pompeii received the status of a Roman colony with the new name Coloniae Corneliae Veneriae Pompeianorum.

Traces of Sulla's battering guns on a section of the city wall of Pompeii

Rome's dominant position in the Mediterranean contributed to the development of maritime trade and the emergence of new markets in the East. The invention of cheap, locally made concrete and the widespread use of slave labor led to a boom in construction. The empire paid special attention to civil architecture: water pipelines and bridges, baths and amphitheatres, villas and multi-storey residential buildings were built. The creation of excellent roads throughout Italy contributes to the development of overland trade and interregional connections. Cities are being intensively built up with shops, markets and other premises for exchange and trade.

In the 1st century BC e. Pompeii is turning into a well-maintained cultural center. An amphitheater for 20 thousand spectators, an Odeon, and numerous private buildings are being built, and streets are being paved. The city is actively decorated with sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes created at a high artistic level.

February 5, 62 AD The first bell of the impending catastrophe sounded - a powerful earthquake occurred in Campania with an epicenter in the vicinity of Pompeii. The city was destroyed, and Nuceria, Herculaneum and other nearby towns were also badly damaged. Naturally, for such a seismically active zone as Campania, earthquakes are not uncommon, as Seneca notes in his treatise “Naturales Quaestiones” (VI, I, 2): “... it is true that Campania has never been free from the threat of such disasters, but they happened so many times without causing any harm that the fear of them passed..." However, this time the power of the elements surpassed the scale known to the generation - the Pompeians even captured its consequences in art: the lararium in the house of the Pompeian banker Lucius Caecilius Jucunda depicts a whole series of buildings of the city during an earthquake.

Bas-relief from the house of Jucunda

The next 15 years of Pompeii were filled with feverish construction activity - city residents restored what was destroyed by the earthquake and even laid new buildings. One of the largest buildings in Pompeii after the earthquake - the Central Baths - was never completed by 79 AD. In many houses, archaeologists found traces of reconstruction, cosmetic repairs, renovation of paintings and mosaics. Everything indicated that the inhabitants of Pompeii, despite the cruel blow of nature, did not take Vesuvius into account in their future plans for life.

Mild tremors of the 70s. AD The townspeople took it very seriously - the cracks in the walls served as the reason for another renovation of the interiors of houses and other restoration work in the city. Many indications of another construction boom have been found: valuables in rich houses are stacked in locked utility rooms, tools, amphorae with lime, and pots of paints are laid out in rooms ready for decoration. Everything indicates that the earthquake preceding the eruption did not cause panic among the Pompeians, and they prepared for the usual restoration of what was damaged by the elements.

But on August 24, the history of the city is suddenly interrupted - the hitherto dormant Vesuvius wakes up and brings down all sorts of products of volcanic activity onto the surrounding area. Tremors, flakes of ash, stones falling from the sky - all this took the inhabitants of Pompeii by surprise. People tried to take refuge in houses, but died from suffocation or under the rubble. Someone died in in public places- in theaters, in markets, forums, in churches, some - on the streets of the city, some - already beyond its boundaries. However, the vast majority of residents still managed to leave the city.

Bryullov K.P. The last day of Pompeii. 1833

The eruption of Vesuvius lasted all day. Pompeii was covered with a multi-meter layer of ash and lapilli. The nearby towns of Stabia and Octavianum suffered the same fate. Herculaneum, located on the other side of the volcano, died a little later - on the next day it was destroyed by a powerful pyroclastic wave, and the rain that began after the eruption washed away the ashes from the slopes of Vesuvius, and the destroyed city was flooded with mud flows - mudflows and lahars.

Dust and ash hung in the sky like a black veil for three days. An investigative commission that arrived at Vesuvius found that the towns were irretrievably lost. For some time, the surviving people wandered through the ruins, trying to find their property, but soon they too left the dead city.

They forgot about Pompeii until the 16th century, when in 1592-1600, when digging underground tunnels to divert water from the Sarno River to the villa of Count Tuttavilla under the leadership Italian architect Domenico Fontana did not find several inscriptions, as well as fragments of colored wall paintings, which, however, no one thought to associate with Pompeii, although one of the inscriptions contained two perfectly preserved words “decurio pompeis” (which was interpreted as the name of the owner of the “found villa " - Pompey, in fact it was a mention of one of the city positions).

Fountain tunnel to drain water from the Sarno River

The assumption about the identity of Civita and ancient Pompeii was first made by the German antiquarian Holsteinius, who visited the town in 1637, but was perceived negatively by the public. Another inscription with the name of the city, found in 1689, sparked discussions in scientific world. The architect Pichetti again suggested that the site was somehow connected with Pompey, while the historian Bianchini stated that the inscription directly points to the location ancient city Pompeii.

One of the Pompeii inscriptions in Oscan language

In 1748, the head of the excavations in Herculaneum, Joaquin de Alcubierre, as a military engineer who controlled the work and maintenance of all royal military facilities, received a message about the discovery of some ancient objects in the town of La Civita near the city of Torre Annunziata, where the royal gunpowder factories were located. Assuming that the Stabiae buried by Vesuvius were also located there, Alcubierre transferred several workers from Herculaneum to Civita. In technical terms, working here turned out to be easier - the layer of volcanic material is three times smaller and not as hard as in Herculaneum.

However, three months of work in Pompeii did not satisfy Alcubierre with the number of things found, and the excavations were curtailed for a while, and the workers returned to Herculaneum. From the Stabii, in documents of those years prepared by Alcubierre himself, a plan for a section of the amphitheater has been preserved.

They returned to Pompeii again in 1750. Alcubierre's newly appointed assistant, Karl Weber, undertook to explore the city villa of Julia Felix, already known since 1748. Over the next 7 years (in 1757, Julia's property was filled up after the removal of things suitable for the king), Weber was able to draw up a detailed plan of the entire complex, indicating the exact locations of all finds, linking this plan with inventory lists. Even later - probably in 1759 or 1760 - he also prepared axonometric documentation of the Villa Julia Felix. All this time, Pompeii was conventionally considered Stabiae (despite the work in the real Stabiae and Gragnano).

Only 15 years after the start of regular excavations - on August 18, 1763 - the border pillar of Pompeii was discovered (more details in the chapter on excavations of 1748-1798), which made it possible to accurately determine the object of interest of archaeologists.

Thanks to its sudden and rapid destruction, Pompeii is the best preserved ancient city. Since the entire furnishings of the houses remained untouched under a layer of solidified lava, Pompeii became an important and valuable source of information about the life, way of life, urban structure, culture and art of the Roman Empire in the 1st century. n. e.

To date, 3/5 of the city has been opened (they decided to leave the rest to future generations): defensive walls, gates, necropolises, blocks of residential buildings with mosaics, frescoes and sculptures in excellent preservation, two forums, an amphitheater and two theaters, temples and much more. The Pompeii lighting project is being implemented.

Fragment of a three-dimensional map of the ruins of Pompeii. National Archaeological Museum of Naples

Reasonable attempts are now being made to push the date of the eruption forward by 2 months - to October 79 AD.

The date itself in Pliny's letters, indicated as nonum kal. Septembres, was translated as August 24, but now the translation tradition can be revised in favor of non(as) Novembr(es) or nonum kal (endas) Decembres, which moves the eruption date to the end of October, the beginning of November, or even the end of December.

In favor of the “autumn version,” archaeologists give the following arguments:
- ripe fruits, including grapes, found during excavations;
- warm clothes on some victims and braziers in the premises;
- jugs full of wine in a rural villa in Boscoreale;
- a silver coin from the House of the Golden Bracelet (where the title of Titus was minted with the indication "imperator XV", which could not have happened before the beginning of September).

Andreas Churilov, author of the book “The Not Last Day of Pompeii” unequivocally proved that all traditional history must be put to rest- the death of the famous city, dated in the framework of traditional history and science in 79 AD, actually occurred in 1631.

1. Maps and medieval sources

Pompeii and Herculaneum are marked on a map dating to the 4th century AD, on maps from the 15th and 16th centuries, and on illustrations of the 1631 eruption of Vesuvius in books of the time.

Johannes Baptist Mascolo, an eyewitness to this eruption, writes:

“...Everything that came along the way was captured by this storm and whirlwind of fire. Cattle and herds were crushed and scattered in all directions along the outskirts of the fields. Trees, huts, houses, towers were knocked down and scattered. Of these fiery streams, two were the fastest, one rushed with force towards Herculaneum, the other towards Pompeii (cities that were once reborn from the ashes, I don’t know if they will live again)...

2. Sleeping Vesuvius

After the '79 eruption, various sources place up to eleven eruptions between 202 and 1140. But for the next 500 years there is no information about the eruptions of Vesuvius. Active with enviable regularity, the volcano suddenly switches off for half a millennium, and then since 1631 again regularly disturbs local residents. Such volcanic hibernation becomes easily explained if we take into account the chronological shift.

3. Epitaph

15 kilometers from Naples there is still a monument with an epitaph dedicated to the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631.

This epitaph, carved in 1738, describes the events of a terrible volcanic eruption. The list of affected cities includes the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

4. Medieval writing

In one of the restored texts on Pompeian papyri, diacritics were discovered - accents and aspirations, which, along with punctuation and ligatures, came into use only in the Middle Ages, and were completed only with the beginning of printing.

5. Three Graces

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples displays a fresco from the Pompeian excavations. It is an exact copy of Raphael’s famous painting “The Three Graces” of 1504, down to the poses and the smallest details of the composition. Either Leonardo da Vinci invented and gave Raphael a time machine, or the owner of a villa in Pompeii knew about Raphael’s painting and ordered medieval interior designers to make a copy of the then famous painting.

6. Technological level of the Middle Ages

During the excavations, a huge number of different instruments were found, indistinguishable in manufacturing technology from modern ones: a corner with a perfect right angle, compasses, tweezers, scalpels, dental instruments, complex musical instruments, including trombones with gold mouthpieces.

During construction, standard red-hot medieval bricks made on a belt press were used.

The frescoes depict bladed weapons from the 16th and 17th centuries - sabers and musketeer swords.

A water tap, which is a sealed structure of three parts: a body, a bushing with a through hole and a cylindrical shut-off valve ground into it.

A large number of iron parts were found, which by definition cannot be in Bronze Age- locks, door handles, hinges, bolts, latches.

The supply and main pipes of the complex water supply system in Pompeii are made of lead. In England, for example, even to this day many old houses have the same lead pipes.

One of the frescoes depicts a pineapple, but this fruit appeared in Europe only after the discovery of America, in the 15th century.

In Pompeii, items made of bottle glass, perfume bottles of colored glass of different shades, and many absolutely transparent thin-walled items were discovered.

The same glass vases are depicted in numerous Pompeian frescoes excavated from the ashes of the city. However, clear glass was first produced only in the mid-15th century. And the secret of producing such glass for a long time was kept from competitors like the apple of an eye. In addition, standard large-sized window glass was discovered in Herculaneum - 45x44 cm and 80x80 cm. But the first known window glass began to be made only in 1330, and the first standard window glass similar to Herculaneum was produced using the modern rolling method only in 1688.

7. Water pipeline Domenico Fontana

Even if there were none of the above points, the “antiquity” of Pompeii is negated in the literal and figurative sense by the water pipeline carried out by the famous papal engineer-architect Domenico Fontana. He was an advanced engineer of the time, who, among other things, installed an obelisk in the square in front of Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, and completed the construction of the cathedral itself.

By official version, Pompeii, like Herculaneum, was discovered to the world almost by accident in 1748 during the restoration of the water supply to the gunpowder factory, the mills of which were driven by water coming through a canal from the Sarno River. One of the sections of the canal was underground and passed under a hill, which later turned out to be the city of Pompeii buried by Vesuvius. The hill was called “Gorodishche”. However, the official version is forced to recognize Domenico Fontana, who built the same water pipeline near Pompeii at the end of the 16th century, as the accidental discoverer of the buried city. And more than a hundred years later, the restoration of the same water pipeline led to the discovery of Pompeii.

It turns out that the engineer Fontana, while engaged in mining and tunneling work, came across the roofs and walls of houses in the city, buried under a multi-meter layer of ash. But, firstly, Domenico Fontana himself never mentioned such a find, and secondly, a two-kilometer tunnel cannot be built in volcanic soil without forced ventilation of the mine workings. The poisonous gas released from volcanic soils makes it impossible to carry out any underground work without effective ventilation, with which the mine would resemble the Titanic, with a main tunnel and huge “pipes” for ventilation. After all, if Fontana had laid a water pipeline under a multi-meter layer of volcanic ash, then the mines would have been many meters long. Instead of such structures, we see ordinary city wells.

Very rarely, a water pipeline is laid in violation of urban infrastructure, as, for example, here.

The depth of the water conduit is insignificant in relation to the zero level of Pompeii, and, with few exceptions, it passes under the streets, walls of houses and religious buildings.

If you follow the route of the water conduit laid by Fontana near Pompeii, you can discover amazing things. Traces of laying the road surface, a water mill, which archaeologists call the “Bourbon water lift”, but which is not on the maps of the Bourbon and later periods.

In the early topographic maps Pompeii, no wells were marked before the excavations began. All water supply wells were discovered exclusively during excavations, mostly in the 20th century. Some wells are equipped with stone console steps built into one of the side walls. Some wells are simply destroyed by restorers. There is a well with a side door. Another well has a window in one of the walls. Why make a window underground? And how could it be possible to plaster a well from the outside if it was laid out like a vertical shaft from the inside?

In the courtyards of the Temple of Isis, the conduit also had a well, now destroyed, it is represented in an 18th century engraving by Francesco Piranesi, who depicted the Temple of Isis immediately after its excavations. The well is depicted with side slopes and covers - which is logical for a simple city well.

This was the first water supply well discovered during excavations. Therefore, in the time of Piranesi, they did not yet understand what danger he posed to the official version of the death of Pompeii in deep antiquity.

When leaving Pompeii, the conduit opens into an L-shaped well with steps and a side entrance.

The canal outside the city, laid using the trench method, had to be dug out for more than 20 years. The mills of the new gunpowder factory of the Spanish Viceroy were launched only in 1654. However, according to the official version, the catastrophic eruption of 1631, located there, was not affected in any way by the catastrophic eruption of 1631.

How do archaeologists comment on this obvious fact? The first excavations of the water pipeline were carried out back in 1955, they are still being carried out, but neither the results of old nor new excavations have yet been published, because then a lot will have to be revised...

Why hide?

It would seem that there is nothing more monolithic than historical science, standing firmly on three pillars.

The first pillar of history is the primary sources, which, to varying degrees of preservation, supposedly exist for two historical millennia.

But the fact is that it is very easy to falsify any written source. For example, the entire 19th century can easily be called the century of fakes. Allegedly, ancient Greek manuscripts, letters from monarchs, famous scientists, and many other documents were forged not in hundreds, not in thousands, but in tens of thousands of copies. For example, between 1822 and 1835, more than 12,000 manuscripts of famous people were sold in France alone...

But even before the 19th century, activities to falsify sources were a state European program. In the Middle Ages, ancient ancient manuscripts are found en masse and very conveniently in the abandoned towers of monasteries, and businessmen in the field of hoaxes, such as Poggio Bracciolini, who also wrote the “History” of Tacitus, sell the “originals” of antiquity to the rich people of that time for a lot of money.

The second pillar of history is archeology, which has been digging for 400 years wherever possible, and everything that is dug up only confirms the traditional version. However, in practice, archeology merely legalizes an already existing historical framework, tying finds to an established chronology, despite obvious contradictions. Technological artifacts found in Pompeii are a vivid illustration of this process.

The third pillar of history is independent dating methods, the well-known radiocarbon and dendrochronological methods. But even here the declared independence is completely unjustified.

Despite the fact that the discovery of radiocarbon dating was given Nobel Prize in chemistry, in fact, it only works to confirm the existing chronology. In order not to get something seditious, laboratories conducting such analyzes never take a sample blindly, without indicating its place of origin and estimated age, strictly tied to a chronological scale.

If radiocarbon dating supports our theories, we put it to work. If it does not completely contradict them, we put it in a footnote. And if it doesn't fit completely, we just don't take it.

There is justified criticism of these methods, for example, in the work "ERRORS IN THE BASIC POSTULATES OF RADIOCARBON AND ARGON-ARGON DATING"

One of the first samples to hone the Radiocarbon dating method was bread from Pompeii. There were no dendrochronological calibration curves at that time, and despite the approximate half-life known at that time, the results amazingly exactly coincided with the generally accepted chronology. Essentially, Radiocarbon dating is a method of fitting into an existing chronological timeline.

The same applies to the dendrochnological method, the tables of which are based on the same standard chronology. The date of the death of Pompeii in 79 AD is one of the fundamental benchmarks there.

So why did European specialists work and continue to work on exalting their history and attributing it to ancient times? It’s all very simple - when the Slavs with slingshots were chasing bears through the forests, Europeans were already living in cities and eating pineapples. Which means in modern political issues the younger brother must obey the more mature, by as much as one and a half thousand years, European civilization. This is exactly how the essence of History as an ideological weapon manifests itself.

But it is not clear why Russian historians are still working on the historical tale composed by Miller, Schlozer, and Bayer. Maybe it's time to stop working against your country and start working for the benefit of your compatriots?

But while certified historians are in no hurry to clear out the Augean stables of false chronology, this task is being solved by competent, indifferent enthusiasts. Research by Andreas Churilov - shining example such work.

What do we know about the ancient city of Pompeii? History tells us that once this prosperous city instantly died with all its inhabitants under the lava of an awakened volcano. In fact, the history of Pompeii is very interesting and filled big amount details.

Founding of Pompeii

Pompeii is one of the oldest Roman cities, which is located in the province of Naples in the Campania region. On one side is the coast (which was previously called Kumansky), and on the other is the Sarn River (in ancient times).

How was Pompeii founded? The history of the city says that it was founded by the ancient Oska tribe back in the 7th century BC. These facts are confirmed by fragments of the Temple of Apollo and the Doric Temple, the architecture of which corresponds to the period when Pompeii was founded. The city stood right at the intersection of several routes - to Nola, Stabia and Cumae.

Wars and Subjugation

The first harbinger of the impending disaster was the earthquake that occurred on February 5, 63 BC.

Seneca noted in one of his works that since Campania was a seismically active zone, such an earthquake was not uncommon for it. And earthquakes had happened before, but their strength was very small, the residents simply got used to them. But this time expectations exceeded all expectations.

Then in three neighboring cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples - buildings were greatly damaged. The destruction was such that over the next 16 years the houses could not be completely restored. Throughout 16 years, active restoration work, reconstruction, and cosmetic repairs were carried out. There were also plans to erect several new buildings, for example, the Central Baths, which could not be completed before the death of Pompeii.

Death of Pompeii. The first day

Residents tried to restore Pompeii. The history of the death of the city indicates that the disaster began in 79 BC, on the afternoon of August 24 and lasted 2 days. The eruption of what was until then thought to be a dormant volcano destroyed everything. Then not only Pompeii, but also three more cities - Stabiae, Oplontia and Herculaneum - perished under the lava.

During the day, a cloud consisting of ash and steam appeared above the volcano, but no one looked at it special attention didn't pay attention. A little later, a cloud covered the sky over the entire city, and flakes of ash began to settle on the streets.

The tremors coming from underground continued. Gradually they intensified to such an extent that carts overturned and finishing materials fell off houses. Along with the ashes, stones then began to fall from the sky.

The streets and houses of the city were filled with suffocating sulfur fumes; many people were simply suffocating in their homes.

Many tried to leave the cities with valuables, while others who were unable to leave their property died in the ruins of their homes. The products of the volcanic eruption overtook people both in public places and outside the city. But still, most of the inhabitants were able to leave Pompeii. History confirms this fact.

Death of Pompeii. Second day

The next day, the air in the city became hot, and the volcano itself erupted, destroying with lava all living things, all buildings and property of people. After the eruption there was a lot of ash that covered the entire city, the thickness of the ash layer reached 3 meters.

After the disaster, a special commission arrived at the scene of events, which stated the “death” of the city and that it could not be restored. Then it was still possible on what was left of the streets former city, meet people who were trying to find their property.

Along with Pompeii, other cities perished. But they were discovered only thanks to the discovery of Herculaneum. This second city, also located at the foot of Vesuvius, did not die from lava and ash. After the eruption, the volcano, like the affected cities, was covered with a three-meter layer of stones and ash, which hung menacingly like an avalanche that could fall at any moment.

And soon after the eruption, heavy rain began, which carried away a thick layer of ash from the slopes of the volcano and a thick layer of water with dust and stones fell directly on Herculaneum. The depth of the stream was 15 meters, so the city was buried alive under the flow from Vesuvius.

How Pompeii was found

Stories and stories about the terrible events of that year have long been passed on from generation to generation. But several centuries later, people lost the idea of where the lost city of Pompeii was located. The history of the death of this city gradually began to lose facts. People lived their own lives. Even in those cases when people found the remains of ancient buildings, for example, while digging wells, no one could even think that these were parts of the ancient city of Pompeii. The history of excavations began only in the 18th century and is indirectly connected with the name of Maria Amalia Christina.

She was the daughter of King Augustus of Saxony the Third, who left the Dresden court after her marriage to Charles of Bourbon. Charles was king of the Two Sicilies.

The current queen was in love with art and examined the halls of the palace, parks and her other possessions with great interest. And one day she drew attention to the sculptures that were previously found before the last eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Some of these statues were found by chance, while others were found at the instigation of General d'Elbeuf. Queen Mary was so amazed by the beauty of the sculptures that she asked her husband to find new ones for her.

The last time Vesuvius erupted was in 1737. During this incident, part of its top flew into the air, leaving the slope exposed. Since the volcano had not been active for a year and a half, the king agreed to begin searching for sculptures. And they started from the place where the general had once finished his search.

Search for statues

Excavations took place with great difficulties, since it was necessary to destroy a thick (15 meters) layer of hardened lava. For this, the king used special tools, gunpowder, and the strength of workers. Eventually the workers came across something metallic in the artificial shafts. Thus, three large fragments of gigantic bronze horses were found.

After this, it was decided to seek help from a specialist. For this, Marquis Marcello Venuti, who was the keeper of the royal library, was invited. Further, three more marble statues of Romans in togas, the body of a bronze horse, and painted columns were found.

Discovery of Herculaneum

At that moment it became clear that there would be even more to come. The royal couple, arriving at the excavation site on December 22, 1738, examined the discovered staircase and the inscription stating that a certain Rufus built the Theatrum Herculanense theater at his own expense. Experts continued excavations because they knew that the theater signified the presence of a city. There were many statues that were carried by the water current to the back wall of the theater. This is how Herculaneum was discovered. Thanks to this find, it was possible to organize a museum that had no equal at that time.

But Pompeii was located at a shallower depth than Herculaneum. And the king, after consulting with the head of his technical detachment, decided to move the excavations, taking into account the scientists’ notes regarding the location of the city of Pompeii. History celebrated all memorable events with the hands of scientists.

Excavations of Pompeii

So, the search for Pompeii began on April 1, 1748. After 5 days, the first fragment of a wall painting was found, and on April 19, the remains of a man were found, from whose hands several silver coins rolled out. This was the city center of Pompeii. Unfortunately, not realizing the importance of the find, experts decided that they needed to look elsewhere and filled up this place.

A little later, an amphitheater and a villa were found, which was later called the House of Cicero. The walls of this building were beautifully painted and decorated with frescoes. All art objects were confiscated, and the villa was immediately filled back up.

After this, the excavations and the history of Pompeii were abandoned for 4 years, attention turned to Herculaneum, where a house with a library “Villa dei Papiri” was found.

In 1754, experts again returned to the excavations of the city of Pompeii, to its southern part, where an ancient wall and the remains of several graves were found. Since then, excavations of the city of Pompeii have been actively undertaken.

Pompeii: an alternative history of the city

Today there is still an opinion that the year of the death of Pompeii is a fiction, based on a letter that supposedly describes the volcanic eruption to Tacitus. Here questions arise about why in these letters Pliny does not mention either the names of the cities of Pompeii or Herculaneum, or the fact that it was there that the uncle of Pliny the Elder lived, who died in Pompeii.

Some scientists refute the fact that the disaster occurred precisely in 79 BC, due to the fact that in various sources one can find information about 11 eruptions that occurred between 202 and 1140 AD (after the incident that destroyed Pompeii). And the next eruption dates back only to 1631, after which the volcano remained active until 1944. As we can see, the facts indicate that the volcano, which was active, fell asleep for 500 years.

Pompeii in the modern world

The history of the city of Herculaneum and the history of Pompeii remain very interesting today. Photos, videos and various scientific materials can be found in the library or on the Internet. Many historians are still trying to solve the mystery of the ancient city and study its culture as much as possible.

Many artists, including K. Bryullov, in addition to their other works, depicted the last day of Pompeii. The story is that in 1828 K. Bryullov visited the excavation sites and even then made sketches. In the period from 1830 to 1833, his artistic masterpiece was created.

Today the city has been restored as much as possible, it is one of the most famous cultural monuments (on par with the Colosseum or Venice). The city has not yet been completely excavated, but many buildings are available for inspection. You can walk along the streets of the city and admire the beauty that is more than 2000 years old!

A city where there are no residents, but there are crowds of tourists, where there is no city government, but there is a big name and a good annual budget. It was once a fairly large and prosperous city of the Roman Empire. Almost 30,000 people lived here (for comparison: this is three times more than the current population of Suzdal!). The city had an important strategic and economic position: a port city located on the Appian Way, which connected the south of the country with Rome.

Today we will go for a walk through the dead city of Pompeii

Depending on the significance they were wide or narrow. Paved with stone. In some places, strongly protruding cobblestones are visible - a pedestrian crossing for people during the rain, when the streets were flooded (for example, visible in the distance in the photo below). Sometimes you can see horse “parking” spots on the sides.

In Pompeii all houses have their own addresses. On the map of Pompeii that you will be given at the entrance, it will be clear how to get to which house. And there will be modern signs on the streets (as in the photo below).

Many houses are well preserved and you can even go inside and see what it was like. For example, on this street there are a couple of such houses.

On the street below on the left side there is a row of all kinds of shopping shops.

There were once all sorts of ornaments on the walls, which they are now trying to restore.

WITH drinking water there was trouble in the city. Like many Roman cities, an aqueduct was built here. But water from the aqueduct was supplied only to the houses of the richest citizens. The rest of the people went to fountains and wells with all sorts of containers. Well, in general, they had average dacha conditions there. Here is a street with a well.

But the city already had a developed fast food chain. Here you go: the prototype of McDonald's and others like it. Although the service, to be honest, is more reminiscent of the shawarma at the Kievsky station, which was removed from there a couple of years ago. :) Here, inside these holes there were constantly heated pots with all kinds of food. By the way, this fast food was quite popular, because... many poor houses simply did not have a kitchen.

The inhabitants of Pompeii loved to have fun, so they built two theaters there. One of them is below.

The inhabitants of Pompeii loved sex no less than you and me (yeah, who doesn’t love it! :)). They set up as many as 200 so-called lupanarii (brothels) in the city, which had certain opening hours and a certain range of services. The second floor was reserved for especially wealthy clients with VIP service. This establishment was very popular both then and now. In those days - among clients, in our days - among tourists. Nowadays it is the most visited building in Pompeii. :)

The rooms where clients were served were at most two in area. square meters. What can, with a stretch, be called a bed is a bed of some incredibly small dimensions. No doors, no ventilation. In general, I wouldn’t be attracted to sex there. Honestly. I was drawn to the fresh air there. But in general, men know better, of course. :)

By the way, comrades, if you remember, then, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf. So, according to one version, it was not a she-wolf at all, but the same “magnifying glass” - a lady of easy virtue, which is translated from Latin as a she-wolf. Didn't the psyche of children who grew up in a brothel suffer if they first joyfully killed their uncle, then Romulus killed Remus, and then his descendants conquered half of Europe?..

Well, okay, sex is an eternal and wonderful topic. Let's return to the city. Pompeii had a couple of fairly large squares. The largest of them is the Pompeii Forum. There was a market, a court, a municipal building, a voting building, all sorts of temples, shops, etc.

One more square. Vesuvius was already visible from here. But that day, apparently, there was still a strong fog, because the photo of Vesuvius turned out somehow bad: everything was completely foggy...

Next will be what is left of people. Those who are especially impressionable may end up viewing the report at this point. And with people it was like this... Pompeii was not at all flooded with lava, as depicted in Bryullov’s painting: Pompeii was covered with many meters of ash and stones.

In that same BBC film that I mentioned at the beginning, it was shown that the first signs of the end were visible a few days before the very end. The wind brought ashes that fell on the heads of citizens so that it was almost impossible to go outside without covering their heads with something. Many hastily began to leave, but some remained in the city and took refuge in their houses.