It ’s been closely 2000 years since the eructation of Mount Vesuvius decimated Pompeii in 79 C.E. , andarchaeologistsare still uncovering secrets about life in the ancient Roman metropolis . AsSmithsonianreports , they ’ve recently excavated two homes in Regio V , a 54 - acre area just north of thePompeii Archaeological Park — and you may see the findings for yourself in a virtual go published by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities .
The 7.5 - second video comprises droning footage of the menage and surrounding ruination , along with comment by car park manager Massimo Osanna that explains what exactly you ’re look at and what types of citizenry once lived there . Osanna ’s comment is in Italian , but you’re able to read the English translationhere .
The homes , both modest private residence that belike housed middle - class families , border the Vicolo dei Balconi , or “ Alley of the Balconies . ” The first is fitly named “ House With the Garden ” because excavators discovered that one of its larger rooms was , in fact , a garden . Excavators pinpointed the outlines of flower bed and even made casts of plant roots , which paleobotanists will use to seek to describe what grew there . In addition to the garden and vibrant paintings that sport authoritative ancient deities like Venus , Adonis , and Hercules , “ House With the Garden ” also preserve the remains of its occupants : 11victims , mostly adult female and shaver , who likely took protection within the home while the men searched for a means of outflow .
Across the street is “ House of Orion , ” distinguish for two mosaics that render the story of Orion , a huntsman inGreek mythologywhom thegodstransformed into the constellation that bear his name today .
“ The owner of the house must have been greatly draw to this myth , considering it features in two unlike rooms in which two dissimilar scenes of the myth are portray , ” Osanna says . “ It is a little house which has proved to be an over-the-top hoarded wealth chest of artistic production . "
To see what Pompeian houses would ’ve looked like before Mount Vesuvius had its fiery fit , check out this3D reconstruction .
[ h / tSmithsonian ]
