Pompeii: a newly discovered city

A journey exploring the old and great Roman Art…

 

The old city of Pompeii is among the most famous and most visited archeological sites of the world. In the excavation area some parts of the forums, some great houses, interesting temples and magnificent thermal baths are preserved.The most appealing thing are certainly the famous villas, where is still possibile to enjoy some beautiful paintings.

The eruption of a long-dormant volcano.

On August 24, 79 CE, Mont Vesuvius suddenly erupted. Many prosperous towns around the Bay of Naples, among them the famous Pompeii, were buried in single day. This catastrophe covered all the magnificent heritage of this cities. When researchers first explored the buried sites in the 18th century, the ruins had been undisturbed for about 1700 years.

Thanks to the ruins, we have been able to make a reconstruction of the art and the lifestyle of the roman people during the Late Republic and Early Empire. But the Romans were not the only people to settle at Pompeii, also Etruscans, Oscans and Samnities left their trace in this city.These civilizations made Pompeii a prosperous and rich town, expanding the original settlement and giving a great shape to the city center.

The population had grown between 10.000 and 20.000 when, in February 62 C.E., a violent earthquake accompanied by a new eruption shook the city, causing a big damage. But the end for the cities and citizens arrived because of the castastrophic eruption in 79 C.E…

THE MOSAIC

The art of mosaics became one of the most typical and fortunate of the Roman world. The mosaics made with small pieces of egual dimension taken from coloured stones and marbles (opus tessellatum), and put in a bed of concrete were already known in the greek world after Alexander's conquests.

The mosaic, or at least, its painted part, was seen as a carpet inserted in the middle of the floor, and the name that was given to this central pannel was the ''emblem''. It could also be put in front of a door or on the walls.

In Pompeii it was tought that the floor was a unitary space that had to be enterely covered by a mosaic. It would look like a carpet. This formula is particularly visible in the Samnities houses built in Pompeii and Ercolano during the Second century. C.E.

The small pieces could be of different dimensions, and more they were small more the painting was precise, especially in polychrome mosaics. Naturally the mosaic cost varied on basis of the cards dimension. The smaller pieces were only used in rich houses, where as the larger ones were used in gardens and shops less luxurious than the first, but not less important.

THE FOUR STYLES OF ROMAN PAINTING

In the various villas of the city of Pompeii it is possible to find some great pictures that belong to different periods and styles, for this reason the art-historian August Mau made a schematic division. He defined the first, the second, the third and the fourth style.

The first style begins about the III century CE and ended about the beginning of I century. It's also called 'structural style' because it looks like the walls made in 'opus quadratum' or made of marble sheets.

The second style began to diffuse at the beginning of the First century and it ends in the II century. This type of wall decoration is also called 'architectonic' because it depicts buildings of which it gives a perspective vision.

These realizations are reproduced pictorially and not with the use of plaster.

The third style spreaded over from 20's until 50's D.C. It's also defined 'ornamental', because it occupates the surface both vertically and horizontally through the use of vegetable and architectural elements. At the center of these elements splendid illustrated panels and decorative motifs are realized.

The fourth style developed around the second half of the first century. It's also named 'fantastic style' because it emphasizes the architectural of the second style and it exalts the decorative one of the third style.

CREATED BY:Giusy Gerli

Emanuele SiricaSara Casillo

Martina Aquino