Timeless Pompeii: Digging into Ancient Rome: Part 4

Pompeii died a horrible death. But Pompeii lives!
It speaks to us through it's architecture and ageless engineering. The colors of it's murals  captivate us 2000 years later. And it's unbelievably beautiful stone work tests our ability to apprehend their skill.

ARCHITECTURE

Much of Pompeii is composed of public spaces and is predominated by forums: this is where Romans come for justice, government and commerce. Here you find markets, basilicas, and temples.
Just like in Rome itself, Pompeii also has it's theaters, baths and brothels (more on that later ;-). Romans are an energetic lot whether they live in Rome itself or any of it's provinces. And at the end of the day, just like you an I, they retreat to the peace of their home.
Romans are famous for their Paristyle gardens and inward looking villas. Calm and serenity issues from this style of home. There are several examples in Pompeii.
Most if not all living spaces possess no windows. Instead the opening of the room faces the inside of the villa, toward the garden. I know what you are thinking "eeewww, dark and gloomy" Ah, not so at all.

PAINTINGS AND MURALS

The finest examples of Roman paintings are found in Pompeii. Don't miss the opportunity to sample the beauty in the various structures! Its difficult to do any justice to them here.

As I mentioned above, the rooms were not dark. The various rooms, especially the entertaining spaces, were decorated with floor to ceiling murals of the most astonishing compositions. And the colors! Vibrant! Powerful! Passionate!
Lighting in a dark room in Roman times is accomplished with candles or oil lamps as you would expect. The flickering light has a completely different effect on the murals than electric light of today. Imagine sitting by a fire and reading a picture book. The flickering light and shadow plays across the page, teasing your perception.
That's how it is in a Roman dinner room or lounge. Odors wafting around and gentle sounds from the garden complete the picture. Drab, gloomy? In our minds maybe but never in a Roman villa....more to come!

Timeless Pompeii: Digging into Ancient Rome: Part 5

Anyone up for a bit? What?

This post is dedicated specifically to the brothels of Pompeii. I am a little at a loss to explain the (prurient?) interest in the subject. To me it seems that the Roman's had a more grounded understanding of sex. To them it was just sex. Certainly a way to let off steam, a way to keep the masses "relaxed" and most certainly keep the soldiers of the legion a little less rambunctious.

The Roman's were likewise much less inhibited about the biological process. There were signs like this posted in all areas where the services of the brothel could be...acquired. I remember this painting and others that left people speechless when they first laid eyes on it. I think as a nation we have always been a bit sexually impaired.

Its funny how we left Europe to escape oppression and intolerance but when we stumble into something like this we turn all puritanical! To this day Americans are beset with a host of idiosyncratic behaviors that Europe has mostly cast off. While Europe has embraced nudity and sex, Americans are encumbered by the sexual mores of the old English Puritans and the workaholic ethics of  Calvin and Luther.

While the above photo could be shocking to some visitors, the next one was surprising to some for its "celebration" of manhood. Yes, that's a pair of scales with which the man is weighing himself. One thing can be grasped with certainty from this picture: in Roman times men were just as preoccupied with their member as they are today, and, of course, just as immature.

Need more counter-weight?

Most of the pictures you have seen here are mine. A very few of them I have pulled off the net. There is a series of 4 or 5 though that I pulled off the net because I am so perplexed by their significance.

The average Roman brothel is a pretty small affair. The Italians were a pretty squat people, bad ass to be sure, but squat. They didn't need allot of room. Rooms and average structures were fairly small. This is a typical room in a brothel. It looks bare but the walls would have been painted, much like the art you see here in other pictures. The Roman equivalent of Playboy magazine.

Could use a duvet

So, here we are, in the room where the deed is done. Naturally we are all curious about how the other half lived or...fornicated. But why on earth would people want to do this then hang it on the Internet with the caption "Cindy in a brothel!!!!"

I suppose there could be some humor in it but why do we immediately think "hey, honey, sit on the bed and let me take your pic!" Haven't we spent centuries proving that this "function" doesn't define a woman's worth.

It seems damned odd to me. But maybe its just me.

We done here?

How Do I Look?

DON"T even. think. it!