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Pompeii
built 656 days ago
For more than 1,500 years, Pompeii lay undisturbed beneath heaps of ashes and cinders, and not until 1748 were excavations undertaken. The importance of the discoveries first came to the attention of the world through the work of the German Classical archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann. New discoveries continued to be made throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. In 1912, in a street that connects the Strada dell' Abbondanza with the amphitheatre, several houses were found, each with a balcony on the first floor that was 6 m (20 ft) long and 1.5 m (5 ft) deep. This section of the city is known to tourists as the Nuovi Scavi (New Excavations). Some of the ruins were badly damaged by air raids during World War II and had to be restored.
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At the time of its destruction, Pompeii was a thriving commercial port at the mouth of the Sarno River in southwestern Italy. While the first occupations at Pompeii date to the 6th century BC, the city grew slowly over the centuries, blossoming with the Roman occupation beginning in 81 BC. Pompeii's known buildings--and there are many that were preserved under the mud and ashfall--include a Roman basilica, built ca 130-120 BC, and an ampitheatre built circa 80 BC. The forum contained several temples; the streets included hotels and eating places and gardens within the city walls.
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Pompeii had its share of natural disasters. In 62 AD, just 17 years earlier, the city was destroyed by an earthquake, then rebuilt. In the year 202 AD, Vesuvius erupted for a solid week. In the stretch of time from 306 to 522 AD, the volcano erupted at least four times, and maybe as many as five. Vesuvius ... erupted in 1631, then again several times in the period from 1913 to 1944. Italians refer to the mountain as "Vesuvio."
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Pompeii had outdoor food taverns where its citizens could enjoy a snack and a cool drink. Shops were clearly marked with carved signs: a goat for the dairy, grapes for the winery, bread for the bakery. In the baker’s house one could find a fresco of a man selling bread.
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The original village of Pompeii... was built on a volcanic ridge produced by a prehistoric lava flow by native Italian people, the Oscans. In the 6th Century BC, the Greeks settled in Pompeii, using it as an outpost. Between 524 and 474 BC, the Etruscans took control of Pompeii. Finally, the Romans took control. What is interesting throughout the early period of Rome's control over Pompeii is that no king "could shake Pompeii's loyalty to Rome" (Etienne 48). However, during this time, the Pompeii remained a fortified city, and the Pompeiians focused on maintaining their physical separation from Rome.
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The first Pompeii restaurant, located at Broad and Sansom Street, opened in 1997. After six successful years, it closed in February 2003 to relocate to the heart of Philadelphia’s theater district at 11th and Walnut streets. On September 12, 2003, owner Robert Liccio re-opened Pompeii, unveiling a modern and posh new interior inspired by Roman times. Although Pompeii has a distinct new look, the menu retains all of its familiar charm. Their signature flatbreads, fresh seafood and traditional Italian dishes will please old customers and entice plenty of new ones. Preset, pretheater and post-theater menus have been added to accommodate the local theater crowd, as well as a separate bar/lounge menu.
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