Mount Vesuvius and Jupiter temple in Pompeii
Vesuvio
When the summit of the vulcano Mount Vesuvius is covered by low-lying clouds, visitors feel like being in a surreal outerworld. Rugged lava formations cover the crater area, while the hillside is only sparsely vegetated.
When the summit of the vulcano Mount Vesuvius is covered by low-lying clouds, visitors feel like being in a surreal outerworld. Rugged lava formations cover the crater area, while the hillside is only sparsely vegetated.
A dreamland, I wished there to be a bird and starting to fly with the wandering clouds. When the cloud cover suddenly opens, and a living twilight is shining through, then the roofs of the city Naples become visible. While the mount itself is still alive. Smoke is rising here and there. Like the breath of a sleeping giant.
The Vesuvio has a height of 1281 meters and is one of the most active volcanos in the world. After the eruption in 79 A. D., which destroyed ancient Pompeii and adjacent cities and settlings, outbreaks were documented in 472, 512, 1139, 1631, 1794, 1858, 1872, 1878, 1906, 1929 and for the last time until today in 1944.
Piece of lava from the Vesuvio National Park
Lava
Lava consists of erupted magma. Mount Vesuvius is a so called stratovolcano. In such volcanos, the magma is viscous, contains 55-60 % silicon and has a temperature between 700-900°C, which is relatively cold related to other lava types. The magma forms thick lava streams, flowing over short distances only.
Lava consists of erupted magma. Mount Vesuvius is a so called stratovolcano. In such volcanos, the magma is viscous, contains 55-60 % silicon and has a temperature between 700-900°C, which is relatively cold related to other lava types. The magma forms thick lava streams, flowing over short distances only.
Lava pioneers
Lava destroys life and the same time creates new landscapes, new growth, a new source for appropriately specialized forms of life. Lava from the Vesuvio buried former forest, field or hardwood habitats during its many eruptions under covers of burning stone, and thus created a mosaic of potentially new ecological zones.
Lava destroys life and the same time creates new landscapes, new growth, a new source for appropriately specialized forms of life. Lava from the Vesuvio buried former forest, field or hardwood habitats during its many eruptions under covers of burning stone, and thus created a mosaic of potentially new ecological zones.
Furthermore comparable stony covers were even created by the material being carried with several pyroclastic flows, which drowned the city Herculaneum and parts of the city Pompeii under meters thick layers of seething boulders. They formed similar new ecological conditions, also awaiting a correspondingly specialized colonization.
When the lava or seething boulders had hardened and cooled down, a barren desert landscape opened up. It required a new spark of life. All began with pioneers that were able to grow on a bare rocky underground, thus creating new biomass, being the most important basis for the growth of a vivid and more diverse new habitat.
When the lava or seething boulders had hardened and cooled down, a barren desert landscape opened up. It required a new spark of life. All began with pioneers that were able to grow on a bare rocky underground, thus creating new biomass, being the most important basis for the growth of a vivid and more diverse new habitat.
Remnants of lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum on a lava piece from the Vesuvio National park, which was collected in 2016
Lichens are very well suitable pioneers, symbiotic organisms, able to survive even on the most sparse undergrounds. Their shape is due to a fungus partner, the mycobiont, while their metabolism is based on green algae or cyanobacteria or even both, named phycobionts, receive their energy from photosynthetic activities.
A typical character of S. vesuvianum it the branched lichen body
Lava formations of Mount Vesuvius have a specific lichen as a pioneer organism. The lichen species Stereocaulon vesuvianum Pers. was in 1810 described as Stereocaulon botryosum subsp. vesuvianum Pers. from Mount Vesuvius.
According to diverse literature, it is considered endemic for the Vesuvio area. In contrary to that, a polish monograph about genus Stereocaulon presents data about a much wider distribution. According to the author M. Oset (The lichen genus Stereocaulon Schreb. Hoffm. in Poland – a taxonomic and ecological study, 2014) the lichen species has a circumpolar and cosmopolitan distribution and prefers granite and sandstone rocks.
Populations assigned to S. vesuvianum colonize lava flows, but also humus and mosses over rocks. The lichens produce stictic and norstictic acids and atranorin. They can be additionally associated with cyanobacteria.
Usually the phycobionts are represented by coccal green algae. According to M. Oset, S. vesuvianum is a "very variable species" with "several varieties". I do not know yet, whether it is in fact a cryptic group of very similar species.
My photos show remnants of Stereocaulon vesuvianum on a lava piece, collected in 2016 inside the Vesuvio National Park by a native colleague.
Witnesses of an ancient past
Survivors of a far away past. Seeing, what people saw thousands years ago, holding, what they had in their hands. Remnants as witnesses of an ancient past. Hidden somewhere or being buried, awaiting their glamorous resurrection. Uncovered by accident. Things as traces of a past life. Modified by the passage of time. Rusted, eroded, encrusted, but still the same thing than in its ancient times. It's an uplifting feeling, when holding a surviving memory in my hands.
This coin has no connection to Pompeii or its times, it is older and one of the very few real ancient remnants, which I possess.
Goddess Tanit on a Shekel coin from Carthage
Backside of an ancient coin from Carthage with a horse
My relic is a coin from the ancient Carthage, a Shekel, bought in a store for old coins. On one side the head of the goddess Tanit, on the backside a horse standing still with the head turned backwards, a palm tree on its left (very hardly visible) normally even a star on its right (in my coin invisible). Tanit, the punic goddess of fertility, the tutelary goddess of Carthage, mother of Baal.
Roman masks
I even made new things looking old, exposed Roman masks from a souvenir market in Pompeii Scavi to dust and erosion. Only pretended witnesses of the ancient.
I even made new things looking old, exposed Roman masks from a souvenir market in Pompeii Scavi to dust and erosion. Only pretended witnesses of the ancient.
Opening their grinning distorted faces out of the dark shades of my settings. Memories of the dramas and tragedies of the Roman past, covered by dust, but defending their human roles in an incredibly persistent aliveness.
Tiny mask of clay
The Comedy of the genus atellana fabula was typical for theaters in the area of ancient Campania, main characters were Maccus, the stupid, Bucco, the cheeky and Manducus, the unmindful with shrewdness.
And there was Pappus, the old stingy and salacious. They spoke a rough language. Actors were usually only males, but since the first century BC, also indications for actresses are known.
Eruption of the Vesuvio in 79 A. D.
On 24 August 79, a late summer day, at about 1 pm in the afternoon, the Vesuvio unexpectedly began to erupt. A column of smoke, shaped like a pine tree, rose into the sky.
On 24 August 79, a late summer day, at about 1 pm in the afternoon, the Vesuvio unexpectedly began to erupt. A column of smoke, shaped like a pine tree, rose into the sky.
And subsequently pumic stone rained down on the ancient city Pompeii. With each hour, the covering of Pumic stones on streets and buildings grew of about 15 centimeters. At about 7 pm, roofs began to collapse.
In the morning of 25 August, the eruption column broke down, and pyroclastic streams fell down towards the neighboring city Herculaneum and later also towards Pompeii. They did not overrun Pompeii, thus unlike Herculaneum, but their heat of about 800°C and the corresponding toxic gases killed whomever had stayed in the city.
Many people had already fled until that moment, those, who hesitated, died. Pompeii was subsequently entirely covered by meter thick layers of ash.
Jupiter temple on the forum of Pompeii
Pompeii city architecture
The architecture of Pompeii consists of all kinds of daily life buildings that we also find in modern cities. Center is the forum with its Jupiter temple. Main Street is Via dell' Abbondanza, beginning at the forum and leading to the Casa del Foro Boario, close to the amphitheater of Pompeii.
The architecture of Pompeii consists of all kinds of daily life buildings that we also find in modern cities. Center is the forum with its Jupiter temple. Main Street is Via dell' Abbondanza, beginning at the forum and leading to the Casa del Foro Boario, close to the amphitheater of Pompeii.
Adjacent to the main street, different temples, lupanars, bakeries, thermal baths, thermopolia and laundries could be found. The city had several main entrance gates: Porta Nocera, Porta di Stabia, Porta Marina, Porta di Ercolano and Porta del Vesuvio. A big part of ancient Pompeii is still unexcavated.
My video of Pompeii under clouds
Garden of the Fugitives
Survival in the face of death, a few seconds extended into eternity, the last effort, frozen. Motions, which never achieved their goals.
Survival in the face of death, a few seconds extended into eternity, the last effort, frozen. Motions, which never achieved their goals.
One last look at the people in the immediate vicinity, may be a last touch of a loved person. Intimate moments as witnesses to a lost culture.
Group of people, who died in Pompeii, garden of the fugitives
Plaster molds with remnants of a couple
The garden of the fugitives contains the remnants of a group of people, protected by a box of glass. Three families gathered under a roof, hoping thus being protected from the rain of ashes and pulmic stones.
Their goal was reaching Porta Nocera, but they died before under their roof, and thus within only a few seconds, struck down by a heat shock, caused by the pyroclastic streams nearby.
Their bodies remained almost in their last motions, although heat additionally influences the muscles of dying bodies and thus modifies their body postures slightly artificially. But still, their last moments and last motions are fixed for an eternity.
May be a slave, two children hand in hand, a couple with a small girl and a seemingly old man, who desperately tried to get on his legs again.
Man seemingly supporting himself with his arms
Their biological bodies decayed within the two thousand years of being buried. But cavities of their former body postures persisted around their skeletons.
They were filled up with plaster by archaeologists, according to a procedure, which was developed by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863.
The plaster brought their clothes, their faces and their last body postures back into a such far away future, which could never be even part of these poor people's ability of imagination.
Cities of the Dead
The ancient Romans generally used to burry their dead outside of their city walls.
The ancient Romans generally used to burry their dead outside of their city walls.
In the area of Porta di Ercolano, extended over a distance of about 250 meters, the Via dei Sepolcri represents one of the impressive grave streets of Pompeii, being located around the former most important Western access to the city.
Burial houses show a diversity of stiles and indicated a well developed individualism and even a need for recognition beyond death.
Ancient burial ground in Pompeii
The typical location of ancient Roman graveyards outside the city is interpreted as result of negative experiences with dead bodies.
Besides an odor nuisance of decaying deads, when freely laying around, it was well known that unburied human bodies favored the spread of diseases.
Microorganisms were still unknown, thus these phenomena were explained mystically, for example by lemur activities, the ghosts of people, who died without having living relatives, or even due to a revenge of the gods for the lack of piety.
Mausoleums in Pompeii
Not everybody had the privilege to be buried in a eccentric mausoleum. Poor people landed in a pauper's cemetery, named puticuli, nothing else than hollows to rot.
City Sorrento with Montechiaro and Mount Vesuvius in the background
All copyrights Stefan F. Wirth, Berlin, 21 January 2020
