Lara Anniboletti (Perugia, 1973) gradu-ated in Archeology and received her Ph.D. from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” with her research focused on Pompeian themes (domestic religion, private architec-ture, city walls). In addition to continuing her scientific research, she organizes events, the promotion and dissemination of cultural heritage, and her slogan is “archeology is a

science to be enhanced with humanity”. She is currently a mem-ber of the Technical Secretariat of Pompeii as the Manager of the Archaeological Park’s Communications Office.lara.anniboletti@beniculturali.it.

that no one ever told you...

79 STORIES ABOUT POMPEII

Lara Anniboletti

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L. ANNIBOLETTI 79 STORIES ABOUT POMPEII ISBN 978-88-913-1654-7

“Pompeii. a 2000-year old city frozen in time one famous day during the late summer of 79 AD, is full of monuments that have ignited the passion of ancient art experts for over 200 years, but also that of travellers, fascinated by the uniqueness of this city in a country already unparalleled historically in the rest of the world.

But this is not all that Pompeii offers.First and foremost, it is a city full of stories about people from

thousands of years ago who worked, loved, played, ate, were politicians, traders, hated each other, and stole from each other ...

This book contains 79 unusual stories that reveal the magic of the pulsating life and interesting facts that made up the daily life of the inhabitants who lived there. At times, it was a long way off from the habits of our time and at other times, it was surprisingly similar – they are stories that transport us to a distant world, a world that otherwise would have been lost forever.

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79 STORIES ABOUT POMPEIIthat no one ever told you...

«L’ERMA» di BRETSCHNEIDER

LARA ANNIBOLETTI

Lara Anniboletti79 stories about Pompeiithat no one ever told you...

«L’ERMA» di BRETSCHNEIDER

Editorial DirectorRoberto Marcucci

EditorsElena MontaniMaurizio PintoDario Scianetti

Editorial secretaryAlessia Francescangeli

Graphic design, layout, image processingMaurizio Pinto

CoverMaurizio Pinto

© Copyright 2018 «L’ERMA» di BRETSCHNEIDERVia Cassiodoro, 11 - 00193 Rome

www.lerma.it - lerma@lerma.it

All rights reserved. Reproduction of the texts and illustrations is strictly prohibited without the Author’s written permission.

si ringrazial’Ing. Giuseppe Barbella per l’elaborazione grafica della mappa.

Lara Anniboletti

79 stories about Pompeii. That no one ever told you ... / Lara Anniboletti - Roma : «L’ERMA» di BRETSCHNEIDER, 148 p. : ill.; 24 cm. -

ISBN 978-88-913-1654-7 (paperback)ISBN 978-88-913-1655-4 (pdf)

CDD 930.10240544

1. Pompei

“For Jacopo and Greta”

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Introduction by Massimo Osanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 9

1. What was Vesuvius like before the eruption? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 112. What happened afterwards? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 12 3. A strange news story from ancient times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 13 4. Domenico Fontana’s cover-up of Pompeii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 145. Strange coincidences at Pompeii: August 24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 15 6. The earthquake of 62AD: a “photo” of the time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 167. Who were the victims of the eruption that destroyed Pompeii? . . . . . . . » 178. Lover’s gossip on the walls of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 199. The Amphitheater of Pompeii: were there really fights between animals and beasts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 20

10. Pompeii during an election campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 21 11. Clashes between Pompeiian and Nucerian Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 2312. A Pompeiian banker: Lucius Caecilius Jucundus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 2513. A clever entrepreneur: the perfumer of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 27 14. Let’s have lunch at the thermopolium of Lucius Vetutius Placidus! . . . . . . » 2815. Profane love at Pompeii... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 3016. After work... let’s all go to the baths! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 32 17. Gladiators at Pompeii: morituri te salutant? (We, who are about to die, salute you?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 34 18. Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 3619. Mensa Ponderaria and Public Washrooms in the Forum of Pompeii: signs of civilization!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 3820. The lanista of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 4021. “Pleasure baths” at Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 42 22. The Large Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 4323. A Sator Square: were there Christians at Pompeii? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 45 24. Pompeii: «Vine Leaves are back, Human Life is back!» . . . . . . . . . . . . » 4625. Today, December 17th at Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 4826. Isis: the crying goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 5027. The jeweled matron and the gladiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 51

Table of contents

28. A walk along Via dell’Abbondanza on a Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 52 29. Cave canem (Beware of the dog)!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 5430. Priestess Eumachia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 5531. Inside Salvius’ Caupona (tavern): gambling in Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . » 5632. The last war of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 57 33. The last baked goods from Modesto’s bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 5834. Castellum Aquae in Pompeii: the story of Marcus Attilius Primus . . . . . . .» 6035. A normal working day in Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 6236. The guard at Porta Ercolano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 6337. The fullonica (fullery) of L. Veranius Hypsaeus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 6538. Naevoleia Tyche and Munatius Faustus: a Pompeiian love story . . . . . . . » 66 39. Pompeii and peplum-movies (sword-and-sandal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 68 40. What was there to eat in Pompeii? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 7041. Empress Poppaea Sabina at Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 7242. Selling shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 74 43. House of the Sarno Lararium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 75 44. Aulus Umbricius Scaurus: garum manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 77 45. Why did Pompeii need a smaller theater? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 79 46. Numerius Popidius Celsinus and Isis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 81 47. “I wouldn’t sell my husband for all the gold in the world” . . . . . . . . . . . . » 82 48. A day at the Macellum (market) of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 83 49. A Pompeiian column in Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 8550. The textile workshop of Marcus Vecilius Verecundus . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 86 51. The ship Europa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 87 52. Women in Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 8853. Was Pulcinella at the Theater of Pompeii? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 90 54. Where did Pompeiian children go to school? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 91 55. Ancient VIPs at Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 93 56. What did the Pompeiians look like? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 95 57. Giuseppe Garibaldi in Pompeii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 97 58. The tomb of Caius Vestorius Priscus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 99 59. Publius Cornelius Faventinus, the tonsor (barber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 101 60. Why were Pompeiian house given names? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 103 61. Two stories told in graffiti: one of Successus, Iris and Severus and the other of Novellia Primigenia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 10562. Fashionable Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 106 63. Arria Marcella, a heroine from the Romantic era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 108 64. Pompeiian fortifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 109

65. Pistrina (bakeries) in Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 110 66. Asellina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 11267. Water fountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 11468. Julia Felix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 115 69. Scribbles, drawings and caricatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 11670. Doctors in Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 118 71. Marcus Nonius Campanus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 120 72. At the House of Quintus Poppaeus Secundus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 12173. Of love, death, and other nonsense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 12374. Marcus Epidius Sabinus, juris doctor (doctor of law) . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 12575. The House of Casca Longus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .» 126 76. The House of the Vettii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 12877. Marcus Epidius Hymenaeus, the Moralist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 12978. Pious, modest, frugal, and chaste... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 13079. “Quota hora est?” What time is it? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » 131

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ForewordNow a highly sought after modern travel destination, since the 18th century, the Gulf of Naples and its antiquities have been one of the favorite choices of artists, intellectuals, and scholars fascinated by the extraordinary mix of nature and his-tory, recognizing the art of the land and finding nostalgia in a lost paradise. Even today, Pompeii, with its lifestyle and settlements interrupted by the eruption in 79 AD and then again with this “second life” that began with excavations in 1748, does not cease to fascinate, intrigue, attract and inspire travelers, artists and ever-increasing numbers of tourists (this year alone more than 3,000,000 people have visited).

Lara Anniboletti’s book is part of the fertile grove of publications dedicated to Pompeii, intended to tell Pompeii’s story and inform people about the city who, inspired by the direct testimony of a way of life from 2000 years ago that is here so remarkably perceptible, come to Pompeii to feed their imagination and feelings, along with their intellect. It is a book that can be placed in the category of exceptional “one of a kind” guides such as Amedeo Maiuri’s “Pompei ed Er-colano tra case ed abitanti” written in 1958 with the declared intention that “in those houses that were ‘still warm with humanity’, an archaeologist could find their favorite type of place, bending over to read the thousands of hidden signs, a scholar committed to giving a spark of life back to the rooms and characters...”

The encounter between archaeological knowledge and literary creativity was what brought about these 79 stories about Pompeii, anecdotes and curiosities that have come about during 200 years of digging, fragments of the life of people from the time that the imagination then animates, returning them to their historical dimension. Pompeii resurfaces from the oblivion of centuries and on its streets, you can meet Caecilius Jucundus, the banker, and Julia Felix, the cunning matron. The barber Faventinus was shaving his morning beard and an unlucky patron at Salvius’s workshop was the victim of swindling while gambling at dice, while the smells from Modesto’s bakery fill the air once more, just as the cries of the town crier, the voices of merchants in the Forum, and the noise of the horses’ hoofs on the streets.

The balance that mixes science with fun in these stories is capable of trans-porting the reader into a communicative sphere in which the didactic intent is almost imperceptible, even though it underlies the entire narrative. It is a sig-nificant starting point for a much needed sharing of archaeological information, adapted to the demands of an ever-growing and hard to please audience.

Massimo OsannaGeneral Director of Pompeii’s Archaeological Park

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city’s tourist guides. Anyone who has ever visited Pompeii has looked up at least once to admire it. But not everyone knows that, in the eyes of a Pompeian who looked towards the Temple of Jupiter, Mt. Vesuvius did not look like it does today. It was much more impressive and had the conical-shaped point of a real volcano! Ve-suvius’ current outline is the result of the terrible eruption that occurred at 1 pm on August 24th, 79 AD when the “lava plug” that was holding the top of the volcano closed was forced open by strong pressure from underlying gases. The violent ex-plosion projected a column of ashes, gas, and fragments of lava straight up into the air for more than 14 km above Vesuvius before falling to the ground, producing a downpour of volcanic material. Pompeii was buried under a thick coat of ash in some places up to 7 meters deep! This ash layer was the ultimate cause of the deaths of everyone who had stayed hidden inside their homes in the city instead of fleeing. They died from inhaling deadly fumes or were trapped by the collapse of buildings caused by the weight of the pumice and

frequent earthquakes. In the 44 hectares of land that have been excavated, the bodies of 1150 victims have been found, which, together with 258 others found in the sub-urbs, added up to a tragedy: in an estimat-ed population of about 20,000 inhabitants, the death toll was more than 15%!

1. What was Vesuvius like before the eruption?Vesuvius’ distinctive outline in the background of the Forum of Pompeii is the most common image found on the covers of the

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2. What happened afterwards?We all know what happened during the eruption of Vesuvius … but what about after? What was it like?

The eruption that destroyed Pom-peii and the other centers around Vesuvius came as a complete sur-prise to the ancient Pompeiians who had long ignored the volcanic nature of the mountain, famous for its lush vineyards. The disastrous earthquake of February 5, 62 AD, estimated at around 8.0 on the Richter Scale, and a series of aftershocks also measuring 3.0 to 5.0 in magnitude had shaken the area in the decades before the ca-tastrophe, but no one had linked the events with the presence of the volca-no or ever imagined the imminent dis-aster. Immediately after the eruption, the Roman Emperor Titus attempted to organize the first rescue efforts for the affected areas by sending an Impe-

rial commission to assess the damage and salvage as much as possible. Pri-vate citizens dug tunnels beneath the hardened lava and made holes into the walls of houses to retrieve precious objects, their loved ones’ bodies and whatever furnishings were still use-able. These activities continued until the following year when the Emperor visited the area and decided that any attempt to restore life to the buried cities was in vain. Pompeii remained a vague reference on Roman maps until the Middle Ages, when even the name was then forgotten. The area where the town had been became known as “City Hill” and from there, news oc-casionally circulated of random dis-coveries.

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3. A strange news story from ancient timesHave you ever wondered why today, 2000 years later, we are able to reconstruct with such journalistic precision the news story from the day of the eruption at Pompeii?

“He [Pliny the Elder] was in Miseno and, there, governed the fleet. It was just an hour after midday on August 24th when my mother pointed out to him a cloud that had just appeared of a size and shape that we had never seen before. [...] The cloud rose even higher and we did not know for sure which mountain it came from as we were looking on it from afar. It was only later that we discovered that the mountain was Mt. Vesuvius. Its shape was more like a pine tree than any other. As if starting from a huge trunk, the cloud swelled high into the sky, expanded and almost made branches. I believe that a vigorous blast of air, intact, pushed it upwards, then di-minished or even abandoned it, or maybe even that its own weight overwhelmed it and the cloud soon formalized into a large umbrella shape. At times, it glittered immaculately white and at times it seemed dirty, streaked with markings according to the prevalence of ash or earth that it had raised into the air.”

Pliny the Younger’s first letter

At that time, there were no newspapers or national newscasts. The eruption in 79 AD is without a doubt the most fa-mous volcanic eruption in history as a result of the accounts of the direct experience of a young patrician of the time, Pliny the Younger, which have survived and been passed on to us. 25 years after the incident, Pliny sent two letters to the famous historian Tacitus in which he recounted the catastrophe and described the death of his uncle, the famous naturalist Pliny the Elder. The latter gave his name to the term “Plinian eruption” which today is used to describe explosive volcanic activity similar to the Mt. Vesuvius eruption.

In order to go and observe the strange phenomenon that was happening and help the affected population, Pliny the Elder had set off in the direction of Pompeii from Capo Miseno, near Poz-zuoli, where he lived as commander of the Imperial fleet of Rome. Given that it was impossible to stay in the city, Pliny took refuge at the villa of his friend Pomponianus near Stabiae, where he spent the night. The next day, the group, protecting their heads from the falling pumice with pillows, tried to escape, but Pliny, poisoned by the gases, was struck with a sudden illness and was abandoned by his friends. His body would be found three days later.