POMPEII, prun-prey,'.. An ancient city of Campania, built at the mouth of the river Sarnns (Sarno), looking out on the Ray of Naples. It stood only a few miles from Mount Vesuvius. be tween Herculaneum and Stabile. It was founded as early as the sixth century n.c. by Oscars, who were later conquered by Samnites. The city fell under the power of Rome during the Samnite wars, n. c. 342-290. but retained autonomy in a measure. Under Sulla In.c. SO), it became a Roman colony, and later a favorite resort for wealthy Romans. ninny of whom. including Cicero and the Emperor Claudius, had villas in the sub urbs. It was also a place of considerable trade, and was the port town of Nola and other inland cities which studded the fertile valley of the Sarnns. Its population must have about 20,000. The city was mueli damaged by an earth quake which occurred on February 5, A.D. 63. In 79 occurred that terrific eruption of Vesuvius which, in one day, overwhelmed in irremediable ruin the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum. and Stabiae. In course of time a small village rose at or near the spot ; but the memory of Pompeii faded gradually. and for centuries its very site was unknown. The difficulty of its true position was increased in consequence of the changes produced by this fearful convulsion. which had hurled back the Servos from its an cient course. and raised the sea-beach to a con siderable height. so that the rediseovered city. to which merchantmen resorted of old, is now• a mile from the coast, and a considerable distance from the stream that in ancient times ran near its walls. For more than fifteen hundred years Pompeii lay undisturbed beneath heaps of ashes and cinders. In 1594-1600 an aqueduct for Torre Annunziata was tunneled under the ruins, but no substantial notice taken of them. It was not till 1748 that any excavations were made. These operations, begun by the Neapolitan Government, been continued till the present time (and recently with increased energy). and have been exceedingly productive of objects which interest the antiquarian and the classical scholar. The remains found are in a remarkably good state of preservation, owing to the fact that the city was destroyed not by lava, but by showers of ashes and cinders (lapilli), forming a light covering, which found their way into every nook. and, as it were, hermetieally sealed up the town. Only about 2000 of the inhabitants perished. Around the bodies of some of these the ashes (mixed with rain) settled into a compactness that preserved the character of the mold after the bodies them selves had turned to dust. hit() some of these molds liquid plaster has been poured by the excavators, and thus the form of the bodies pre served. Not only did most of the inhabitants suc ceed in escaping dta•ing the eruption, and in carry ing with them their movable valuables, but they returned after the eruption had ceased, tunneled down into and around the houses and public buildings ( the upper stories rose above the fallen ashes), and carried off almost everything of value, even to the extent of stripping movable slabs from the buildings. This explains why so few objects of great value have been discovered.
What has been found atTords us a remarkably realistic and complete picture of life in a small provincial city of Italy in the first century after Christ. Must of the movable objects discovered,
and a large number of the best executed wall paintings ( for example see Colored Plate accom panying article DECORATIVE ART) and floor mosaics, have been removed to the Royal Museum of Naples. Latel•, however, one house of a family of wealth (the 'house of the Vettii'l has been left, with all its equipments, as found. About one half of the city has already been excavated, and the circuit of the walls (about two miles) determined. Many years must elapse before the entire city can be laid bare. The most interesting discoveries recently have been those of the (unfinished) temple of Venus Pompeiana, and of the remains of a number of fugitives carrying much jewelry and other valuables, whose attempted flight in the direction of Stabile was blocked by the ruin of the bridge over the Sanms, or by the hack of boats. They took refuge in a wayside inn. and there perished. The entire countryside around Pompeii abounded in residences of the wealthy, and rich returns doubtless await the excavators there. A beginning has been made near Bos coreale, and the finding of a very valuable table service of silver at the bottom of a well in a villa is an indication of what may be expected elsewhere. The owner had thrown it there for safety when lie fled. and was unable to rescue it later.
Ponmonn.sruv. The best book on Pompeii is Mau. Pompeii: Its Life and Art, trans. by Kelsey New York, 2d ed., 1902). Other recent works of merit are: Overbeek-Mau, Porn prii, in seinen 61,1,4w/en, _Uteri hii mrrn and K nsq irerken (Leip zig, 18821: (human, Pompei, trans. by Simonds and Jourdain (London, 1900) ; Weiehardt, Pompei ror der ZerstOrung: Rcconstruetionen der Tempel and ihrer Umgebang (Leipzig, 1897). Consult also Huhn and .Jacobi, yrie chisehc Tempel in Pompeji (Heidelberg, 1890). For the discoveries near Boscoreale, see Heron de Le de Boseoreale, in Monuments Piot, vol. V. (Paris, 1899) ; Barnabei, Lm villa Pompeiana di I'. Ennui° Sinistore seoperta pres so Boscorcalc (Rome, 1801). The older works are in general not very trustworthy; among the most important for their illustrations are Ma zols. Les rubles dc Pompei (Paris, 1824-38) ; Roux and Barre, Herculaneum et Pompt'i (S vols., 1841) ; Nieolini, Le case cd i moult plena di Pompei (Naples. 1854-96) ; Heal Museo Borbonico (16 vols., ib.. 1324-57). On the paint ings, consult: Zahn, Die schansten Ornamentc and merkwiirdigsten Gemalde sus POmpci (Ber lin, 1828-59) ; Rochette, Choix dc psirfure.s de Pompei (Paris, 1844-53) ; D'Amelio, Pompci: dipinti murali (Naples, 1898 et seq.) ; and espe cially Helbig, Untersuchungen fiber die eampan isehe Mandmalcrci (Leipzig, 1873) ; id., Thand yemaldc der corn Vesav versehiitteten Statite Campanicns (ib., 1868) ; Man, Gcsehichte der deeoratiren Wandmalcrei ill Pompei (Berlin. 1882) ; Sogliano, "La casa dei Vetii in Pompeii," in ilonamenti antichi, vol. viii, (Milan, 1898). Important discussions are contained in Nissen, Pompejanische Studien (Leipzig, 1877), and Mau, Pompejanisehe Beitriille (Berlin, 18791. A full bibliography is given in Furchheins, Bibhografia. de Pompei, Ercoluno c Stabia (2d ed., Naples, 1891).