Above: The Forum, with Vesuvius in the background. The forum was the centre of public life, and the oldest part of Pompei, built on the highest spot. Behind the forum was the Basilica - public administration buildings.
Above: Looking towards Vesuvius.
Above: Large Palestra - a gymnasium with swimming pool in the centre. Only 13 feet wide, Cicero complained that he needed a wider pool to avoid hurting his hands against the wall.
Above: The Anfiteatro (Amphitheatre) - used for gladitorial combat, and the oldest one of its kind in existence. The stone piers were separated into different sections for different social classes. A large cloth canopy provided shade.
Above and below: A tavern (thermopolium) in Via dell'Abbondanza which sold food and drink which had a counter opening on to the street. This one belonged to Asellina, and there is a depiction on the wall of foreign waitresses. The jars kept food and drinks hot.
Above and Below: The large theatre (2nd century BC) seated about 5 000 spectators.
Below: A huge floor mosaic in the House of the Faun depicting Alexander the Great in battle. The original is in the Museo Archaologico Nazionale in Naples. And it is magnificent! This was one of the largest houses in Pompei.
Below: A mosiac depicting a dog in the entrance to a house.
Below: Looking along via di Nola towards Porta di Nola, from the intersection with Via del Vesuvio/Via Stabiana
Below: The magnificent frescoes of the Villa of Mysteries, a large villa outside the ancient walls. It was built in the early 2nd century BC, and converted from an urban dwelling into an elegant country house. The frescoes are said to represent a bride's initiation into the Dionysian mysteries or a postulant's initiation to the Orphic mysteries. Some say the owner was a priestess of the Dionysian cult, then widespread in southern Italy. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine.
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