Virtual Field Trip: Pompeii
WHW
Focus: What can be learned about life in Roman times from the ruins of Pompeii?
Pompeii and the other ancient cities along the Bay of Naples which were destroyed by the eruption of
Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE continue to spark our imagination just as they did when they were dug up in the
eighteenth century. The excavation of so many well-preserved examples of the ancient Greco-Roman
civilization helped inspire the Enlightenment and sparked an interest throughout the Western world in
ancient art and design, classical philosophy, and literature.
In this lesson, you will take a virtual field trip to the ruins of Pompeii to learn about everyday life, art and
culture in ancient Roman times, then display your knowledge by answering a series of questions and
creating a travel brochure.
Assignment
Step I: To be completed for homework (http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Pompeii/baths/baths.html)
To help bring this ancient society to life, take a look at the ruins of Pompeii with a video tour of the Forum
Baths, This series of Quicktime videos, explains the institution of the Roman bath and leads one through
the different stages of the bathing process. Use the links on the floor plan of the Baths to move from the
Entrance to the Apodyterium (a-poe-die-tare-ee-um) or dressing room, the Palaestra (pal-eye-stra) or
exercise courtyard, the Calidarium (cal-i-dar-ee-um) or hot room, the Tepidarium (teh-pi-dar-ee-um) or
warm room, and the Frigidarium (fri-geh-dar-ee-um) or cold room.
On this tour, you will begin to learn how archaeologists interpret architectural and design details to
reconstruct the patterns of life that shaped Pompeian society, and thus gain a foundation for their own
explorations in the ancient city.
Answer the questions below pertaining for each room.
Area 1: The Entrance
1. What area is the bath located near?
2. What modern day locations can the baths be compared to?
3. Were the women and men separated?
Area 2: The Apodyterium
1. What is the main use of the Apodyterium?
2. What was built on the walls?
3. What was step 1 in the bath process?
Area 3: The Palaestra
1. What is the main use of the Palaestra?
2. Why was this location the second phase of the Bath process?
Area 4: The Calidarium
1. What was held in the large basin?
2. What else was located at the other side of the Calidarium?
3. What does the whole in the floor provide evidence for?
4. What do the walls function as?
5. What can be said about the temperature of the room?
6. What is in the ceiling?
Area 5: The Tepidarium
1. What is the main use of the Tepidarium?
2. What is one interpretation for the use of the niches?
3. What was the room intended to be?
4. What can be seen on the ceilings?
Area 6: The Frigidarium
1. What is the temperature of the Frigidarium?
2. What is the shape of the room?
3. Why was having a constant flow of water important?
4. About how deep was the pool?
5. How is a Roman bath different from a Turkish bath?
Step II:
Next, you will be divided into study groups for a virtual field trip to Pompeii. Each group will be given a
particular aspect of daily life to study. Links are provided below for exploring the Forum area, the city's
main shopping district, and a selection of Roman homes. You may do additional research by referring to
the links below.
The Pompeii Forum Project: includes an extensive archive of images of the Forum area, 360-degree virtual
reality scenes from different parts of the city, images of selected sites, and a "walking" tour of Pompeii's
streets.
Perseus Project: includes a variety of Pompeii images with brief captions, which are accessible by typing
"Pompeii" into the search engine on the Perseus Project homepage. Click the "Thumbnail" button on the
search results page to view the image collection.
A detailed map of Pompeii, which labels most of the sites students will visit, is available through a link on
on the Bellum Catilinae website. Click the "Conjectural Map of Pompeii" link at the bottom of this page to
view an indexed map.
The Forum
Pompeii Map with Panoramic Images: click "Forum Map" and use the links to access 360-degree
views of the Basilica (lower left), the Temple of Apollo (mid-left), the area between the Temple of
Jupiter and the Macellum (top), and the Forum itself (center), along with other sites in this area.
View of the Forum taken from overhead
(http://pompeii.virginia.edu/local/pVII_7-9_bal_wj.jpg)
Temple of Apollo, another view
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0111)
The Macellum (ma-sell-um), the city's meat market
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0115)
The Macellum, wall paintings within the building
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0116)
Sanctuary of the Genius of Augustus image map, which allows one to move through this shrine to
the emperor's "genius" or life spirit
(http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jjd5t/mike/photo2/agustus.html)
Sanctuary of the Genius of Augustus, another view
(http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/pompeii/
local/pVII_9_109-112sw1.jpg)
Sanctuary of the Genius of Augustus, views of the altar
(http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/pompeii/sgamap.html)
Shopping District
Pompeii Map with Panoramic Images: click "Pompeii Map" and use the links on the map to access
views along the Via dell'Abbondanza.
Thermopolium, another view
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0126)
Thermopolium, another view showing a painted shrine to the lares (lare-eez) or guardian spirits of
the place
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0127)
Bakery, another view showing the oven
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0122)
Bakery, another view showing the millstones used to grind flour
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0138)
Street Scenes: thermopolium, bakery, latrines and sewers, street signs, and the stepping stone
crosswalks that let pedestrians avoid wading through the sewage that flowed through Pompeii's
streets
(http://www.archart.it/archart/italia/campania/
Pompei/Pompei%20-%20strade/index.html)
Homes
House of the Faun, named for a sculpture found in the impluvium
Impluvium, another view
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0145)
Garden
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0147)
More Images of the House of the Faun
(http://www.archart.it/archart/italia/campania/Pompei/
Pompei%20-%20Fauno/index.html)
More Images of the House of the Faun
(http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jjd5t/region-vi/
faun/faun-table1.html)
House of the Vettii (vet-tee-ee), named for the family of Vettius
Lararium, another view
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/
image?lookup=1999.04.0143)
More Images of the House of the Vettii
(http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jjd5t/region-vi/vettii/
vettii-table1.html)
Wall Paintings in the House of the Vettii
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0139)
More Wall Paintings
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0140)
More Wall Paintings
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1999.04.0142)
Step III:
Create a travel brochure using Microsoft Publisher that illustrates what a visitor would see while
exploring the ruins of Pompeii.
Step IV: (This must be done for homework and completed individually) Below are a set of questions to
guide your explorations of Pompeii. All must be answered and typed:
1. Visualize the site as it appeared two thousand years ago. What is missing from the scene (e.g., doors,
roofs, furniture, wall decorations, litter, animals, etc.)?
2. What sorts of people do you imagine coming to the site? What do you see them doing? How do they
interact?
3. Compare the site to a similar location in a modern-day city or town. What is our equivalent to this place?
How do we behave there? When and why do we go there? What similarities help us understand Pompeiian
society? What differences remind us that the ancient world is remote from the world of today?
4. Make a list of the most interesting features they notice on their field trip. These can be details explained
in the image captions (such as the stepping stones built into Pompeii's streets to allow pedestrians to avoid
the sewage that flowed there) or details that simply catch your eye.
5. Make a list of questions they would like to ask an expert on Pompeii. The immediate purpose should be
to help students identify significant aspects of the city and begin to formulate ways to investigate further.
Grading and Due Dates:
This assignment will count as a test grade! You will be graded on two parts: the discussion questions and
the brochure. Your discussion questions must be in full and complete sentences, grammatically correct,
and insightful.
Take a look at the brochure rubric to understand how you will be graded.
Brochure Rubric
CATEGORY (A) (B) (C) (D-F)
Attractiveness & The brochure has The brochure has The brochure has The brochure's
Organization attractive formatting, attractive adequate formatting, formatting and
is in point form and formatting, is in is in point form and is organization of
has very well point form and has somewhat organized. material are confusing
organized organized to the reader.
information. information. Information is not in
point form.
Content - Accuracy The brochure has all The brochure has The brochure has half The brochure has
of the required all of the required of the required little of the required
information and some information. information. information.
additional
information.
Writing – Mechanics: All of the writing is in Most of the writing Half of the writing is Much of the writing is
Spelling complete sentences. is in complete in complete not in complete
Sentence Form Capitalization, sentences. Most of sentences. Some of sentences. Much of
Grammar punctuation and the capitalization, the capitalization, the capitalization,
Punctuation spelling are correct punctuation and punctuation and punctuation and
Capitalization throughout the spelling are correct spelling are correct spelling is not correct
brochure. throughout the throughout the throughout the
brochure. brochure. brochure.
Graphics/Pictures More than two neatly Two neatly colored Two graphics are Less than two
colored graphics are graphics are included but do not graphics are used and
included and go well included and go always go well with may or may not go
with the text. well with the text. the text. Graphics with the text.
may or may not be Graphics may or may
colored or neat. not be colored or neat.
DUE:__________________________________________________________________________