In case you aren't aware, Pompeii was a prosperous port town located just outside of Naples. It was rich with merchants and businessmen. It was a popular destination for trade and business dealings, gladiator fights and its notorious red light district. We of course avoided the red light part of town with the kids.
In the year 79 AD, the town was buried in volcanic ash from the nearby volcano, Mt. Vesuvius. Rather than being blown away, the town was amazingly preserved in the ash. It has since been dug out in a massive archaeological undertaking. It is an archaeological dig site, so you will still see the fencing and graphing of the area in the pictures. You can also see the deadly Mt Vesuvius looming in the background of many of our pictures.
The Roman baths were particularly well preserved.
Here Atlas holds up the ceiling of the well preserved massage room in the bath house.
The saddest part of Pompeii was seeing the people and animals, frozen in time from the volcano. These were real people and animals, whose burnt bodies left fossil-like imprints in the ground.
It's pretty amazing to walk on streets with grooves worn from chariots from 2000 years ago.
The home of a wealthy merchant
The Court House
The Temple of Venus
A memorial to one a 3 time governor of Pompeii
The Bakery - where 35 loaves of preserved bread were found
Freakin' amazing.
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