Curiosities about the history of Pompeii and its excavations

Every August 24 marks the anniversary of the great eruption of Vesuvius which in the year 79 AD devastated Pompeii and other small roman citiesas Herculaneum, which surrounded said volcano.

Now you know that Pompeii y Herculaneum have become two essential tourist attractions and essential visits during a trip through southern Italy.

In fact, visit Pompeii and Herculaneum is, without a doubt, the best pretext for travel to Naples, and from there take the excursion to these two ancient Roman cities that are very close to it.

In this regard, I tell you that to complete the visit, it is essential that you also include in your travel plan the visit of the National Archaeological Museum found in Nápoles.

This is the place where they conserve a large part of the objects found in excavations of both Roman cities.

Likewise, and specifically with regard to your Pompeii visit, it will be interesting for you to know various data and historical curiosities of Pompeii, which will help you better appreciate your visit of the archaeological remains.

Interesting curiosities from the history of Pompeii

What Pompeii was like before the eruption of Vesuvius

Before the big volcanic eruption from the nearby Vesuvius, which completely destroyed the city, Pompeii It was an enclave with great commercial boom, and where the goods arrived by sea and were then transported to Rome.

The first vestiges of a wall in the place it occupied Pompeii dates back to the 6th century BC, which was built with the ok (volcanic material) that was in the area.

Pompeii, sea port in Roman times

Indeed, one of the things that will initially draw your attention the most during your visit is knowing that Marine Gate, the actual main entrance to the archaeological remains, had dock for boats who arrived at the Roman city.

Therefore, the coast reached Pompeii, although now you see it several kilometers away, which seen now is really shocking.

The same will happen to you if you visit the archaeological remains of Herculaneum, where you will also see the pier of the small Roman city, when the archaeological remains are also located several kilometers from the sea.

Eruptions in Pompeii

Prior to the big eruption From the year 79 AD, there were other eruptions, with evidence of one that occurred in the year 60 AD, after which it is known that the city of Pompeii was seriously damaged.

When did archaeological excavations in Pompeii begin?

Maybe you don't know that we Spaniards were the ones who rediscovered the archaeological remains of Pompeii.

Or to be more precise, after centuries of the remains of the ancient Roman city being hidden, it was the King Charles III of Spain, who also reigned in Naples, who promoted archaeological search work for them.

And it was in the year 1738 when these works bore fruit.

What is the surface area of ​​the Pompeii excavations?

The jobs in the Pompeii excavations They continued systematically throughout the subsequent years until today, so that, currently, they occupy an area of 66 hectares, although only 45 hectares have been thoroughly excavated.

Names of the houses of Pompeii

The names of the different houses what can you visit in Pompeii, if the owner is not known, they are due to specific findings made by archaeologists.

This is the case, for example, of the House of the Venus de la Concha (a large fresco that you can see in one of its rooms) or the Furnace House (it was the first bakery to be discovered; there are now 35 excavated).