Midway (CVB 41) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 108 text:

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Page 107 text:

In -lately s|)k ' n(lor Mofiit esuvii-.s lias lool.etl down tliroui:h the ages upon Pompei which was buried under 25 feet of ashes. The ruins began to be exca- vated in 1748. FOUiVDED by the Oscans, Pompei look cm (inik characteristics as early as the sixth century B. C. long before an earthquake heavily damaged the city in 63 A. D. Built on an elliptical plan, the original city was encircled by a wall with eight towered gates placed at regular intervals. Taking sixteen years of hand labor to restore, tlie city was again struck by disaster, taking the lives of 2(1.0(10 jieople. Mount esuvius erupted and buried the ancient city under a thick sea of ashes in 79 A. D. A visit to Pompei shows the ri cxhunird from its ashes after a lapse of 1900 years. The streets are paved aiul bordered with sidewalks, (lanked in turn with dwellings and shops. Tracks worn into the streets show the passage of many heavy carts throughout the city. The homes, in their oldest and most simple form, consisted of an atrium (inner courtyard: surrounded by a rec- tangle of masonry containing a ntunber of rooms. At a later date, rooms towards the facade were transformed into shops. Today we can still see many hotels, stables, restaur, nts. bars and shops, each with characteristic furnishings and in.scriptions, indicating that Pompei was first and foremost a connnercial center. Pompei now sleeps placidly amid silent fields of green grass anil grazing sheep.

Page 109 text:

The stately entrance to many functions in its day, the Arch of the Fornni stands today, defvin the elements and Mount Vesuvius. Buih in the Samnite Period, the graceful Temple of Apollo was surrounded by a 48- column portico. The remaining columns still stand in their original positions.