Test Your Knowledge of Ancient Pompeii

The House of the Faun was the largest residence in Pompeii, measuring more than 32,000 square feet and stretching an entire city block. Archaeologists believe construction began in the second century BCE, and it was the home of an elite Pompeiian family. The home is filled with lavish art and mosaics, as well as a bronze statue of a faun, a mythological creature that was half human and half goat.

Pompeii was home to more than 80 Thermopolium, where many middle- and lower-class Pompeiians purchased prepared foods. Thanks to the city’s wealth and location, the residents of Pompeii enjoyed a varied diet. Because the homes of lower- and middle-class residents were often small, many Pompeiians purchased meals at these food vendors, which featured fresco wall art that likely served as a visual menu.

The Temple of Apollo predates Roman rule of Pompeii and shows the influence of Greek culture, which built a cult of worship around this god of the arts and prophecy. The earliest structure was built in the sixth century BCE. The temple was located in Pompeii’s forum, or marketplace. It contained numerous statues and was surrounded on all sides by dozens of columns.

Pink Floyd’s Pompeii concert was the brainchild of director Adrian Maben and took place in October 1971. A recording was released in 1972, a year before the band’s classic album “Dark Side of the Moon.” The show, which didn’t have an audience, was performed at Pompeii’s amphitheater, built around 70 BCE. In 2016, Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour returned to the site for two solo concerts at the amphitheater.

Like many cities in the ancient world, Pompeii was caught up in conflicts between warring powers. Originally settled by a southern Italian group known as the Oscans, Pompeii was subsequently controlled by the Greeks, Etruscans, and Samnites. Following a failed revolt known as the Social War in 89 BCE, Pompeii and other nearby Italians cities came under Roman dominion.

The ruins of Pompeii remained covered for more than 1,600 years. Preliminary investigations at the site began in the late 1600s, with the first dig at Pompeii in 1748. Archaeologists found a city frozen in time, with remarkably preserved buildings, art, furniture, skeletons, and even food. Preservation work continues to this day, with each new find informing our knowledge of the classical world.

Located on the north side of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum was smaller than Pompeii, but just as thriving. Because Herculaneum’s location meant the deadly ash arrived a bit later than at Pompeii, more of its residents were able to escape. Archaeologists have found a treasure trove of preserved artifacts at the site, including still-intact wooden buildings, frescoes, and a library of ancient Roman manuscripts.

Pliny the Younger built a career as a prominent magistrate and author, but he was just a teenager when he witnessed Pompeii’s destruction. He was living nearby with his uncle, Pliny the Elder, also a writer, when Vesuvius erupted. His uncle died trying to rescue those fleeing Pompeii, and Pliny the Younger’s letters, which were rediscovered in the 16th century, evocatively depicted the disaster.

In the year 79 CE (recent archaeology suggests August or September), Mount Vesuvius erupted, sending a massive plume of ash, pumice, and gases visible for hundreds of miles. Some 2,000 people died in Pompeii, and 10,000 more died in surrounding areas. The city was covered under millions of tons of volcanic ash. Vesuvius had erupted before and remains one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, with the last eruption in 1944.

Pompeii is located in southern Italy, near the Bay of Naples. It was a wealthy port city and in the first century CE became a popular vacation spot for rich Romans looking to escape to the coast. Pompeii was home to some 12,000 people and had a vast array of amenities to entice and entertain residents and visitors, including hotels, brothels, restaurants, shops, and bathhouses.