This Honorary Arch at Pompeii Italy frames the blown-off top of Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in 79 AD and buried the town under tons of volcanic ash. It is located on one end of the Forum, where merchants gathered to sell wares and where most of the public buildings were located.
Ruins of the Viridarium at Villa di Poppaea Sabina in ancient Oplontis, now Torre Annunziata. This grand estate, which was completely covered by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD (the same eruption that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum) was owned by the second wife of Emperor Nero. The circular wall enclosed a “Roman pleasure … Read more
Frescoes at Villa di Poppaea Sabina in ancient Oplontis, now known as Torre Annunziata, Italy. Here the Oecus (main living room of a Roman house) scene depicts a false door leading to sanctuary dedicated to Apollo and family ancestors, where a sacrificial tripod stands on pedestal column. The villa, which was buried by the eruption … Read more
In the early afternoon of August 24 in A.D. 79, more than 300 residents of Herculaneum, Rome fled to the shores of the Mediterranean. Some lingered on the beach, others huddled inside seafront boathouses, and all were terrified. For the past several days the earth had been rocked by tremors. Earthquakes were a fairly common … Read more
Floor mosaic of the Battle between Alexander and Darius from Pompeii hangs prominently in the National Museum of Archeology in Naples, Italy. The mosaic masterpiece, which dating from around 100 BC, originally decorated the House of the Faun in Pompeii, one of the most important estates in the ancient Roman city that was covered in … Read more
