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Pompeii

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Pompeii , ancient city of S Italy, a port near Naples and at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius . Possibly an old Oscan settlement, it was a Samnite city for centuries before it passed under Roman rule at the time of Lucius Cornelius Sulla (1st cent. BC). Pompeii was not only a flourishing port but a prosperous and cosmopolitan resort with many villas. An earthquake in AD 63 did much damage, and an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 (which was described by Pliny the Younger) buried Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and Stabiae, under cinders and ashes that preserved the ruins of the city with magnificent completeness—down to the fresh colors of the wall paintings.

The long-forgotten site of the city was rediscovered in 1748 and has been sporadically excavated since that time. The habits and manners of life in Roman times have been revealed in great detail at Pompeii by the plan of the streets and footpaths, the statue-decorated public buildings, and the simple shops and homes of the artisans. The houses and villas have yielded rare and beautiful examples of Roman art. Among the most famous are the house of the Vetti, the villa of the Mysteries, and, in the suburbs of Pompeii, the villa of the Boscoreale.

Bibliography: See A. W. Van Buren, A Companion to the Study of Pompeii and Herculaneum (1933); M. Brion, Pompeii and Herculaneum (tr. 1960); A. Maiuri, Pompeian Wall Paintings (1960); D. Taylor, Pompeii and Vesuvius (1969); M. Grant, Cities of Vesuvius (1971); W. Jongman, The Economy and Society of Pompeii (1988); P. Zanker, Pompeii: Public and Private Life (tr. 1999); J. Berry, The Complete Pompeii (2007); M. Beard, The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found (2009); E. de Albentis, Secrets of Pompeii: Everyday Life in Ancient Rome (2009).

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Pompeii

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Copyright

Pompeii An ancient city in western Italy, south-east of Naples. The life of the city came to an abrupt end following an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, as described by Pliny the Younger (and in which his uncle, the Elder Pliny, perished). The city lay buried for centuries beneath several metres of volcanic ash until excavations of the site began in 1748. The well-preserved remains of the city include not only buildings and mosaics but wall-paintings, furniture, graffiti, and the personal possessions of the inhabitants, providing an unusually vivid insight into the life, art, and architecture of the period.

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Pompeii

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Pompeii Ancient Roman city in se Italy, buried by a pyroclastic volcanic eruption in ad 79. Pompeii was founded in the 8th century bc, and ruled by Greeks, Etruscans and others before conquered by Rome in 89 bc. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden and violent that c.2000 people were killed and the city was covered in volcanic ash, preserving ordinary houses intact until excavation began in the 18th century.

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Pompeii

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Pompeii, Campania/Italy Originally an Etruscan town, it fell to the Samnites in the 5th century bc and then to the Romans. It was destroyed by an eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79. The name probably comes from the Oscan pompe ‘five’, itself from the Indo‐European penke, a reference to the fact that it was formed from five settlements.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Pompeii." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Pompeii." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Pompeii.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Pompeii." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Pompeii.html

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Pompeii

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Pompeii an ancient city in western Italy, south-east of Naples. The city was buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 ad in which Pliny the Elder was killed; excavations of the site began in 1748, revealing well-preserved remains of buildings, mosaics, furniture, and the personal possessions of the city's inhabitants.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pompeii." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pompeii." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Pompeii.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pompeii." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Pompeii.html

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Pompeii

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Pompeii •Agnus Dei, clayey, Pompeii

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Pompeii and circumstance: what was hiding in the ruins.(Familiar faces: gay... Magazine article from: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine); 9/30/2003
	"A DAY IN POMPEII" RECOUNTS FATAL ERUPTION OF MT. VESUVIUS Magazine article from: USA TODAY; 6/1/2008
	POMPEII; The ruins of this port town bring ancient Rome to life.(TRAVEL) Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 1/11/2004