A Rich Man's House
Pompeii, Naples Italy
We visited a rich man's private home in Pompeii :-) Our tour guide must have mentioned an idea as to who or what kind of person owed this house but I can't remember. {I should have been taking notes, eh?}
This home is representative of the tendency towards sumptuousness in the Imperial Age. Some reconstructions have been done in order to show what the original structure and design might have been. Walls were intricately painted, the richer the brighter. Homes did not have rugs, they have however, mosaics. Again, the richer, the more detailed and bigger these mosaics are. Each home have their own altar reserved for sacred service to their gods. Genius and Lares were the household gods that are believed to observe and protect, as well as influence the happenings of the household.
In this home were found carefully packed belongings, ready for transport - silver and gold utensils - together with human remains. It is inferred that these people were busy packing the rich man's possessions while the wrath of Vesuvius were suffocating their city. No wonder so many died! Sadly, it is not a thing of the past. Many humans today exhibit the same in the face of calamity and at the expense of their lives. Makes us evaluate our priorities, eh?
I guess they succeeded: The treasured possessions are in perfect shape and very valuable indeed. They are well preserved in the Naples National Archaeological Museum for our amazement. (If there is ever a next time, I would want to visit this museum.) But what about their lives? I guess they too, unfortunately, are on display as objects of astonishment. Morbid, don't you think?
Even plant roots made well preserved cavities that made it possible to recreate the manicured gardens. These indoor gardens are truly delightful and refreshing. Oh! the life of the rich...
Next: Where are all the marbles? | Pompeii Amphitheater
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thanks for more photos :D I don't think its morbid, might just be me tho ;) it is a sign that people were more interested in material things and didn't think the town was going to be destroyed
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