History of Pompeii's ruins | The rise and fall of an ancient city

740 BC

The Oscans originally settled along the slopes near the coast, but it was the Greeks and Etruscans' arrival in the 8th century BC that put the port city of Pompeii on the map.

The Doric Temple, now known as the Triangular Forum, was the most significant building then. In the 6th century BC, the community was surrounded by an impressive tufa city wall indicating that its residents were wealthy, perhaps that to the flourishing Maritime trade. The Etruscans also settled the surrounding areas and began to control the military, and Pompeii soon became a part of the Etruscan League of Cities.

The community is known to have built the Temple of Apollo along with a primitive forum and several houses. However, their reign was short-lived because the Greek city of Cumae, along with Syracuse, gained control of the region by defeating the Etruscans in the Battle of Cumae in 474 BC.

450 BC – 2nd century BC

This period in Pompeii’s history saw most areas of the city getting abandoned. The Samnites took over Greek Cumae and eventually introduced new architecture. The Samnite Wars (343 BC – 341 BC) saw the entry of Romans into Campania, making Pompeii part of the Roman orbit despite being ruled by the Samnites. It remained faithful to the Romans during the third Samnite War, the Second Punic War, the conquest of the East, and the war against Pyrrhus after which it was forced to accept the status of the socii of Rome.

The city continued to flourish despite political uncertainty and the migration of the wealthy due to intensive agriculture and the production and trade of oil and wine. Important buildings like The Forum, the Temple of Jupiter, The Large Theatre, the Basilica, the Stabian Baths, and more were built during this period.

89 BC – 59 AD

This was the time when Pompeii was one of the Campanian towns to rebel against Rome in the Social Wars. However, Sulla conquered the city in 89 BC leaving Pompeii with no choice but to surrender following the conquest of Nola. The city was declared a Roman colony and its residents were granted citizenship. With the main language becoming Latin, many aristocrats Latinized their names as a sign of support and assimilation.

The Roman period saw the construction of several farms and villages that have now been excavated, including Villa of the Mysteries and Villa of Diomedes. Pompeii became a passage for goods. Many structures were renovated and new buildings were constructed like the Forum Baths, the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, and the Odeon, which established the city as a cultural center. However, a riot in 59 AD forced the authorities to ban all events at the amphitheater for a decade.

79 AD

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD caused widespread destruction and loss of life in Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the surrounding towns and villages. The region was buried under layers of volcanic ash following the eruption that lasted for two days. Around 2,000 people died in Pompeii and Herculaneum within 24 hours. Residents seemed to have no way out with most deaths due to suffocation in their homes or on the streets because the city was engulfed in toxic gases, ash clouds, and volcanic particles.

Around 1,150 bodies have been retrieved so far. The eruption changed Pompeii’s history and landscape forever. The whole city and its residents were buried under layers of pumice ash and stone that were at least 6-7 meters deep. There is a record of only one person surviving the eruption – a man named Cornelius Fuscus, who died in a military campaign later.

Between 1830 and 1833, Russian painter Karl Bryullov created a large painting called ‘The Last Day of Pompeii’ depicting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

1592 - 1863

Following the Mount Vesuvius eruption, relief efforts were made to help victims, but valuables, statues, and other artifacts were also looted. The Pompeii eruption in 471 AD – 473 AD and 512 AD further buried the remains. Later in 1592, architect Domenico Fontana discovered ancient walls adorned with paintings and inscriptions while digging an underground aqueduct. In 1748, Spanish architect Roque Joaquin de Alcubierre found remains at the site. An inscription was discovered a few years later in 1763, which led to the identification of the city being Pompeii.

Over the years, several excavations were carried out and significant discoveries were made including the existence of voids in the ash layers containing human remains. Giuseppe Fiorelli, who found the remains, injected plaster into them to recreate the body forms – a technique used even today. The only difference is that plaster has been replaced by clear resin to avoid further deterioration of the bones. The city was divided into different areas and blocks, houses were numbered, and all the information and findings were documented.

1920 - 2021

In the 1920s, the excavation process became more organized and systematic. Architect Amedeo Maiuri discovered large areas south of Via dell’Abbondanza consisting bakeries, fulleries, factories, other shops as well as wall inscriptions depicting elections and gladiator combats. However, they were neither properly documented nor carefully preserved for reconstruction. Further excavations were eventually put on hold because the administration wanted to focus more on the conservation of the Pompeii ruins rather than discovering newer areas, buildings, or valuables.

In 2016, Pink Floyd’s guitarist David Gilmour performed live at the amphitheater. It is the first performance to take place in front of an audience since 79 AD.

Archaeologists found remains of harnessed horses in the Villa of the Mysteries in 2018. A couple of years later, a thermopolium, terracotta pots, a bronze drinking bowl, a snack bar, frescoes, remnants of meals, ceramic jars, cooking stews, and more were excavated.

2020, Eric Pohler from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, in collaboration with the Pompeii Bibliography and Mapping Project, is carrying out excavations in Pompeii.

In 2021, a bronze ceremonial chariot and a painted tomb of a slave were uncovered during an excavation.

A site as expansive and historic as Pompeii needed to be preserved for which several conservation projects were undertaken. These projects aimed at minimizing the natural and man-made forces that were destroying it. Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompeii, the administrative body responsible for the conservation of the site controls all the funding and initiates projects to prevent further theft, manage tourists, restore frescoes and sculptures and other artifacts, reconstruct buildings, remove plants, etc. using modern technology.

A moratorium on excavations was declared in 1999 and it was decided that the funds would be used to preserve the Pompeii ruins to prevent further deterioration instead of excavating further. All houses were marked according to regions for proper identification. The bodies of the deceased were converted into casts. Iconic structures like the Forum, the Amphitheater, and the villas were restored to avoid further destruction and deterioration.

The Pompeii ruins were well-preserved for over 2,000 years since being buried under layers of volcanic ash, which prevented deterioration. However, after the excavations took place, all the objects and monuments were exposed to light, moisture, erosion, weathering, water damage, plants, animals, and other climatic changes as well as vandalism, tourism, theft, and war – all of which have caused damage to the historic site and created hurdles for archaeologists trying to preserve and conserve the ruins.

In 2010, the House of the Gladiators collapsed due to heavy rainfall and lack of proper drainage. Various bouts of unsystematic excavations also caused damage to several valuable objects, artifacts, and antiques. For example, a collection of bronze letters fixed on a wall were discovered. But they were retrieved in a disorganized manner without recording the original placement due to which it lost its historical meaning and significance.

Several such incidents have resulted in archaeologists worrying about conservation efforts. Even though the site receives funding for the same, Pompeii is so vast and expansive and has so many issues to solve that the funds seem inadequate leading to slow deterioration of the ruins.