Pompeii, Life and Death in a Roman Town
Pompeii, Life and Death in a Roman Town is a great documentary about how rich and poor live in and around Pompeii. The focus is on the cellar that was found in Oplontis, a town between Pompeii and Herculaneum. There were several artifacts found with those in the cellar and we can get a glimpse into what the people thought were valuable enough to take with them as they fled from the erupting Vesuvius.
When Cambridge Professor Mary Beard went into the sewers, I was fascinated. It’s absolutely amazing that, because Herculaneum was covered in volcanic ash, its sewers were covered and the feces was still there. Archaeologists recovered 70 garbage bags full of shit that helps them know what the people ate.
I also learned, which I didn’t know before, that on one of the frescoes from a bar, one patron called the other a cocksucker. It’s amusing to know that cocksucker was used nearly 2000 years ago. Another says that, “Apolonaris had a good shit here.” I’m glad he did.
It is impossible to imagine what fear, terror, and feelings of helplessness these people must have went through on that fateful day. These people, however, have left behind rich archaeological evidence that we can learn from and realize that they weren’t so different from ourselves.
Revisiting Pompeii makes me want to return. I think Pompeii needs more than a one day trip there. Sure, Paul and I spent the entire day there, but we still want to go back because there is still so much to see and learn. I guess the archaeologist in me never got enough of it when we were there.
Yeah, I pirated it. Get over it. There’s no way of knowing if the show will ever make it to the USA and the BBC still has some great shows we never get to see.
