Arts and Culture ( destination three: Italy )

 WHY HELLLOOO!! did you miss me? ;)  

You took a while to get here from China😕 but  Im glad you decided to join me to yet another journey!😆 

and luckily for you we're going to the most beautiful places on earth - ITALY!!!

you better get ready and buckle up because this one is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions!

 we're talking about Pompeii - an ancient Roman city!

Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy ,near the coast of the Bay of Naples.

After a devastating volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii was buried under ash and left us with sad but extraordinary archaeological views .

Although Vesuvius is well known to be a Volcano now, Vesuvius was considered to be just a common mountain during ancient times, and local people were completely unaware of the risk they were going to encounter.

 Before its main eruption, there had been earthquakes in the same area, however Romans keep on spending their lives there without paying much attention to nature warning signs. which ultimately lead to their demise .

A giant cloud of ash and gases released by Vesuvius in 79 AD took about 15 minutes to kill the inhabitants of Pompeii

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago was truly horrifying. 

When this volcano blew its top, ash, rock, and deadly gases rained down on Pompeii.

 Most people escaped, but about 2,000 people were killed. The city was soon covered by up to 20 feet of rock and ash.

and becuase of the fast cooling of lava, the poor citizens were quickly stoned after being burned by the magma 

( its so terrifying i cant believe people actually endured this).

the sad part was, the eruption was so quick that some didn't even realize it and ended up being stoned while they were doing their day to day routines.

thats why it got itself the nickname of "The Lost City of Pompeii" because it  remembers the tragical day in which the inhabitants died while enduring scorching lava and merciless violence.

 Pompeians seem to be forever stuck in a moment of their everyday life, giving us the chance to experience a common day in Roman Empire

lets just step aside for a moment and talk about something a bit more lighthearted 

i may have started of on the wrong foot 😅

aside from its terrible demise, Pompeii was actually  the favorite getaway for wealthy people of Rome!

 and they enjoyed spending their free time in Pompeii that they built their own Domus there! 

Domus is actually the Latin word for house! and its a structure designed for a family to live in!

only the wealthiest of Romans lived in a Domus ,such as Emperors and noblemen.

 These homes were very grand indeed, with marble pillars, statues, mosaics and wall paintings!

This ancient town resembled Rome itself!

 as it was provided of all of the main features of the Eternal city, such as the Forum, baths, markets, taverns and a great amphitheater where fights between brave men and wild animals were held!!

  

Now lets talk about their religion!

The residents of Pompeii not only worshipped  Roman gods ,but also participated in a number of foreign cults and worshipped foreign deities.!!

 The most popular were the mystery cults of Isis and Bacchus.

Roman and greek Gods are loads and i wont bore you with all of them, but the two most crucial in Roman religion were  Jupiter, and Minerva

Jupiter was a sky-god who Romans believed oversaw all aspects of life

 Minerva or commonly identified with the Greek Athena, was the goddess of handicrafts, the professions, the arts, and, war.

not much information was known about the Lost City of Pompeii, and you can also visit it anytime you like !

The ruins of Pompeii are open to the public any time! 

thats all i have for you in this journey! 

i hope you enjoyed travelling with me as much as i did! <3 

your travel guide - Masa :)