Free Essays on Pompeii

The morning of August 24th 79 A.D. started out as any other day in Pompeii. The streets were full of people trying to do their daily chores and activities, unaware that it was the day that would be forever engraved in history. The Pompeians settled in that area mainly because of soil and agriculture, but were also mesmerized by the beautiful location. They did not know the dangers of the neighboring volcano and so believed themselves to be very lucky to find such a place. The Pompeians were led to immortalization by uncontrollable forces of nature and their lack of knowledge. Although a very unfortunate disaster, Pompeii provided future generations with a great deal of knowledge about their civilization. Campania, the region in western Italy where the site of Pompeii is located attracted its inhabitants with its fertility, rich soil and magnificent location. The main reason the Pompeians settled in Campania was for the soil. The ashes from previous eruptions had changed to rich, volcanic soil full of minerals, providing great agriculture. Some areas had up to three crops of grain per year. Historians have concluded, â€Å"In ancient times, the region’s crop yield was 6 times higher than the average of the rest of the peninsula.† However, the soil and the crops were not the only reason the Pompeians inhabited Campania. The splendid and magnificent location did its fair share in attracting the population. Pompeii was situated only 500 m from the Mediterranean Sea, which helped give it a warm, pleasant climate. Unfortunately, the Pompeians were not aware that this picturesque setting was hiding a deadly force hide it, and many souls were trapped and immortalized inside the â€Å"paradise† land. Due to the lack of evidence and knowledge, the people of Pompeii were shocked to have the mountain disrupt a typical day of their simple lives. Several authors say that the inhabitants of Pompeii were attending a performance in the amphitheate... Free Essays on Pompeii Free Essays on Pompeii Pompeii Pompeii is possibly the best-documented catastrophe in Antiquity. Because of it, we know now how the Pompeians lived because they left behind an extensive legacy of art, including monuments, sculptures and paintings. Pompeii lay on a plateau of ancient lava near the Bay of Naples in western Italy in a region called Campania, less than 1.6 kilometers from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. With the coast to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the East, Campania is a fertile plain, traversed by two major rivers and rich soil. However, in the early days, it was not a remarkable city. Scholars have not been able to identify Pompeii’s original inhabitants. The first people to settle in this region were probably prehistoric hunters and fishers. By at least the eight century B.C., a group of Italic people known as the Oscans occupied the region; they most likely established Pompeii, although the exact date of its origin is unknown. â€Å"The root of the word Pompeii would appear to be t he Oscan word for the number five, pompe, which suggests that either the community consisted of five hamlets or, perhaps, was settled by a family group (gens Pompeia)†(Kraus 7). In the course of the eight century B.C., Greek and Etruscan colonization stimulated the development of Pompeii as a city around the area of the Forum. A point for important trade routes, it became a place for trading towards the inland. Up until the middle of the 5th century B.C., the city was dominated politically by the Etruscans. In the course of the 6th century B.C., the influence of Greek culture is also documented by terracottas, ceramics and architecture. A group of warriors from Samnium, called Samnite, invaded the region in the 400’s B.C. Pompeii remained a relatively unimportant village until the 200’s B.C., when the town entered a prosperous period of building and expansion. The Romans defeated the Samnites, and Pompeii became part of the emerging Roman state. Pomp... Free Essays on Pompeii The morning of August 24th 79 A.D. started out as any other day in Pompeii. The streets were full of people trying to do their daily chores and activities, unaware that it was the day that would be forever engraved in history. The Pompeians settled in that area mainly because of soil and agriculture, but were also mesmerized by the beautiful location. They did not know the dangers of the neighboring volcano and so believed themselves to be very lucky to find such a place. The Pompeians were led to immortalization by uncontrollable forces of nature and their lack of knowledge. Although a very unfortunate disaster, Pompeii provided future generations with a great deal of knowledge about their civilization. Campania, the region in western Italy where the site of Pompeii is located attracted its inhabitants with its fertility, rich soil and magnificent location. The main reason the Pompeians settled in Campania was for the soil. The ashes from previous eruptions had changed to rich, volcanic soil full of minerals, providing great agriculture. Some areas had up to three crops of grain per year. Historians have concluded, â€Å"In ancient times, the region’s crop yield was 6 times higher than the average of the rest of the peninsula.† However, the soil and the crops were not the only reason the Pompeians inhabited Campania. The splendid and magnificent location did its fair share in attracting the population. Pompeii was situated only 500 m from the Mediterranean Sea, which helped give it a warm, pleasant climate. Unfortunately, the Pompeians were not aware that this picturesque setting was hiding a deadly force hide it, and many souls were trapped and immortalized inside the â€Å"paradise† land. Due to the lack of evidence and knowledge, the people of Pompeii were shocked to have the mountain disrupt a typical day of their simple lives. Several authors say that the inhabitants of Pompeii were attending a performance in the amphitheate...