| agent |
unknown (Roman and Samnite builders) |
| culturalContext |
Roman; Samnite |
| date |
79 CE (destruction); ca. 525 BCE-79 CE (inclusive) |
| description |
Roman site in southern Italy, located 24 km south-east of Naples, destroyed by an
eruption of Mt Vesuvius. Vesuvius began to erupt in the late morning of the 24 August
79 CE, and by the end of the day some 2 m of ash had fallen on the town. The first
3 m also contain lava pebbles (lapilli), followed by layers of pumice, the solidified
volcanic magma. Pompeii ultimately lay buried under some 4 m of debris. The city was
undisturbed for some 1700 years until excavations in the mid-18th century following
the discovery of Herculaneum, about 15 km further up the coast. Pompeii’s architectural
development can be divided into three phases that also reflect the political evolution
of the city: the Pre-Samnite period (525-425 BCE), the Samnite period (425-80 BCE)
and the Roman phase (80 BCE-79 CE); the last may be further subdivided by the establishment
of the Roman Empire under Augustus in 30 BC and by an earlier earthquake of 62 CE.
Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com (accessed 5/25/2009) [description source] |
| inscription |
|
| location |
Pompeii, Campania, Italy [site]
24 km south-east of Naples [location note] |
| material |
|
| measurements |
35 m (width, forum) x 157 m (length, forum) |
| relation |
|
| rights |
|
| source |
Core 4 Sample Database (VCat) |
| stateEdition |
|
| stylePeriod |
First Style; Imperial (Roman) |
| subject |
architectural exteriors; architectural interiors; cityscapes; domestic life; genre;
archaeology; Roman Empire
|
| technique |
construction (assembling) |
| textref |
|
| title |
Pompeii [cited, true, la]
Pompeii [archaeological site] [descriptive, false, en] |
| worktype |
complexes; sites (locations); archaeological sites; excavations (sites); complexes;
sites (locations); historic sites
|
|
|
|
| image courtesy Davis Art Images |
|
