Unfortunately, I haven’t been to Pompeii, though I’m familiar enough with images of its Roman stone-paved streets, figures frozen by volcano ash from when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD, and some of its ruined homes and other structures. And for those wanting a refresher, The Buried City: Unearthing the Real Pompeii is packed with scores of beautifully reproduced colour photographs that are a welcome adjunct to the text.
The book by German archaeologist Gabriel Zuchtriegel serves as a particular kind of guide to what is known as the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. In 2021 Zuchtriegel was appointed director of the park. He brings a passion and a zeal for ancient history, with a section of the book devoted to his background as a student.
Much of the earlier sections of the book explore the artwork that has been uncovered, with a discussion of the religion of the time, when various gods were worshipped. Zuchtriegel goes into some detail around this. He also tells us that the Romans looked to Ancient Greece as an example of high civilisation, much as the Romans are considered “ancient” today.
In the Villa of the Mysteries a frieze was uncovered that depicts all sorts of scenes that might be signs of debauchery and louche behaviour. Zuchtriegel writes that it is like a puzzle: perhaps it depicts forbidden worship of Dionysus, perhaps it shows fertility and marriage rites. That is part of the challenge of deciphering meaning when looking at the ancient world, sometimes it’s impossible to interpret what is right in front of you.
He recounts details of everyday life and beliefs. For example, it was considered “abominable” for a male Roman citizen to have sex with another male Roman citizen. But homosexuality was tolerated: a citizen could have a same-sex relationship with a noncitizen — a slave or foreigner. If they had such a relationship with another citizen, they risked losing their social status.
This brings us to the concept of slavery, a practice that is in such opposition to our modern beliefs (though we know people are virtual slaves in various parts the world). Yet slavery was a natural, accepted part of the Roman world. It’s heartbreaking to read that elderly slaves were sometimes tossed onto the streets when they were of no use, which could mean starvation. But there are also instances of people who were freed from slavery and went on to not only survive but flourish.
While much of the ancient city has been excavated, large parts of it have not, and these excavations are revealing facts and details that add to our understanding of this place.
One example is that it was thought that only about 8,000 people had lived there. But a bit of arithmetic challenges that theory. A funerary inscription found from 2017 when a burial chamber was uncovered said that the man buried there, Gnaeus Alleius Nigidius Maius, had once thrown a dinner party “consisting of 456 tricliniums with 15 men at each triclinium”. This means he had 6,840 men at the table. Add to that figure the others then likely to have been present in the city — women, children, noncitizens, slaves and people with a second residence in Pompeii — and it’s estimated that about 45,000 people lived there.
Of the importance of Pompeii, Zuchtriegel writes, “What is exceptional about Pompeii is that we find things such as statues, paintings, domestic and temple architecture, as well as simple everyday objects, in their ancient contexts, and not, as is usually the case, in so-called secondary contexts.”
It is these everyday objects and living spaces that really bring the Romans to life. These range from a description, and a photo, of a thermopolium excavated in Pompeii in 2020 with the caption: “Warm food and wine were sold from these kitchens, but there was nowhere to sit. People ate on the street, or took the food home.” These were useful, as not all Romans had kitchens.
Another insight into the way citizens lived emerges in another excavation of a small “slave room” in the villa at Civita Giuliana. The room was 16m2 “of everyday hardship”. There were three camp beds, a tiny window and a chamber pot beneath one of the beds. It was a room for both sleeping and living in cramped quarters, and served as a storage space. Even more poignant is that there was a rectangle of white plaster, which held a nail to hold an oil lamp. The patch was painted there to amplify the weak light from the lamp. Zuchtriegel suggests that the people living in the room must have done it themselves. As a slave you couldn’t just call on a painter. Did they beg someone to do it?, he wonders.
Zuchtriegel also recounts the discovery of a child’s drawing showing a gladiator fight that was found on a courtyard wall. Various stick-like figures hold shields in front them. Figures that are similar to those drawn by children today. The handprint nearby indicates the child was about seven.
I smiled reading this, as Zuchtriegel surmises that a child must have snuck into a gladiator fight, and came back to detail the scene and told their friends about it. This is yet another ray of light on the lives of a long-ago people, so similar and so different. This fascinating book illuminates the culture, the beliefs and the lives that they lived. Who knows what further discoveries will be revealed with further excavations as Pompeii reveals its secrets.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.