Pompeii: The city frozen in time

Imagine it is the year 79 AD in the hills of Italy. You are surrounded by skies as blue as the ocean and the charming aroma of the local produce—lemons, cherries, pomegranates, grapes, and pears—drifts through the air. To start off your day, you arrive at the public bathhouse where you submerge yourself in a refreshing cold pool. Next, you journey to a heated room where you are covered in lavish oils. In another room, you bathe and wash off the oils, and then you end back at the cold pool. As you exit the bathhouse, you look forward to the ferocious and brutal gladiator fight taking place later at the amphitheater. While walking down the long basalt roads of the city, you witness specks of black dust floating down from above. 

Despite these privileged lifestyles, even the wealthiest people were unaware of what was coming. The dust that was falling so daintily, would eventually lead to the demise of their civilization. This city was Pompeii. Bustling life was brought to an end by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Though the lava never reached the city, it was the thirty feet of volcanic ash that caused its destruction. The next time the city would see the sun again would be centuries later in 1738 when it was discovered by construction workers in the nearby town of Herculaneum. The secrets uncovered about Pompeii forever changed how history views Roman life.

Through decades of excavation, inventions that were previously unknown were discovered to be used by the Romans. They invented heating in rooms and bathtubs by using double-wall systems that trapped hot air in between. In addition to this, the Romans had advanced aqueducts that supplied water to public bathhouses. They also constructed many intricate buildings, including theatres and houses. Through the ruins of Pompeii, archaeologists were able to make assumptions about the social hierarchy that took place in the civilization. For example, only the wealthiest families could afford their own private bathhouses. Members of the lower class had to share a public bathhouse. Therefore, the lower class viewed bathing not as a private activity, but a social one.

The city of Pompeii was frozen in time, protected under natural preservation. It would have been devastating if the methods and advancements these Romans had used long ago had gotten lost to history. Although it is sad that this civilization did not last, it will never be forgotten. Just imagine the countless other civilizations that could be hidden right under our noses.