There hardly is a person out there who hasn’t heard about the ancient city of Pompeii, and its tragic end with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. As a result, the whole city was buried under 13 to 20 ft of volcanic ash and pumice. Since the beginning of excavations, archeologists haven’t stopped finding new discoveries and parts of the ancient Roman city. And recently, they uncovered two more villas people can see through a virtual tour.
Pompeii: A Glimpse of Life in Ancient Times
The history of the city of Pompeii is full of political changes, lavish lifestyle, and preserved autonomy. The volcanic ash contributed to preserving the majority of the remains, which helps archeologists get a unique snapshot of Roman life. At places, life at Pompeii is literally frozen at the moment the volcano erupted and buried everything. Despite much of the scientific evidence lost in the early excavations, it’s clear that this was a wealthy town with beautiful public buildings, luxurious private houses, and intricate works of art.
The Two Homes in Regio V
The newly excavated sites were in Regio V, and they represent two modest private residencies. They were most probably inhabited by middle-class families, with one of the villas having a large garden. Archeologists were even able to pinpoint the outlines of the flowerbeds and made casts of plant roots so paleobotanists could identify the type of plant life in the area at the time. They called it “House With the Garden.” Aside from the garden, they also found 11 victims who probably stayed there for shelter while the men were looking for a means of escape.
Across the street is the second excavated villa named “House of Orion.” Its name is derived from the two front mosaics that depict the story of the huntsman Orion in Greek mythology. Archeologists think that the owner of the home was particularly infatuated with this myth because two of the rooms also had different scenes of the myth depicted on the walls.
The virtual tour is available online.