Taylor Family Vacation - May 20, 1998

	Exploring Pompeii #1
Click on the small picture to see a larger one.	May 20, 1998
Click on the small picture to see a larger one.	Home Page Daily Log

	We took a special one-day excursion to Pompeii. Linda and I took more pictures this day than any day so far. It is an amazing place. Here is Michael walking up the main road into Pompeii. This is the original road as built by the Romans.
	This gives you an idea of the width of streets in Pompeii. The stone slabs permit people to cross the street without stepping into puddles when it rains. The spaces between are for chariot and wagon wheels to pass.
	This is the remains of the Forum area, where large, richly decorated halls led to the Temple of Jupiter. This city of 22,000 inhabitants, was buried in over 30 feet of volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Excavations began in 1748.
	In the distance, through this city gate, we can see the faint image of Mt. Vesuvius. The weight of volcanic ash crushed roofs and many walls. A Roman captain observed the eruption from sea, and recorded many details about the event.
	Michael and Sara get a close up view of one Pompeii citizen that didn't make it out of the city. Buried by the ash, his skeleton and body form were preserved, excavated, and put on display. They estimate about 2000 people died.
	The architectural details of the houses are interesting to observe. Many homes had sliding doors at the entrance, that operated along the slots you can see here.
	Many of the homes had plumbing, with water pipes such as these Michael is pointing to. These pipes are made of lead, a common plumbing material used by Romans and a (unknown at that time) source of poisoning.