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Pompeii and Herculaneum Assessment Task “Examine the importance of leisure and entertainment in Pompeii and Herculaneum” The people of Pompeii and Herculaneum may be seen as barbaric, pleasure and luxury seekers. And there is a great expanse of evidence that proves this. Primary sources such as reliefs, sculptures, mosaics, inscriptions and buildings have provided a valuable insight to the extensive range of leisure and entertainment activities that the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum took part in. The barbaric or violent nature of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum can be seen in activities such as gladiatorial games, especially gladiatorial battles and cockfighting. The pleasure seeking activities include prostitution and bathing. The activities that paint a picture of the people enjoying luxuries include theatrical performances and bathing. Barbaric, pleasure and luxurious seeking attitudes are all intermingling aspects that majority of people involved themselves in. The obvious fact, that they enjoyed and participated in this abundance of activities, signifies the importance of leisure and entertainment in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The people of Pompeii and Herculaneum are often described as barbaric and violent. One activity that persuades the barbaric nature and was of great importance to these people was the most popular form of entertainment, the gladiatorial games. Held in the great amphitheatre, in Pompeii, they featured combats between pairs of gladiators as well as animals. Women, city authorities, distinguished guests and the elite regularly attended the performances. Gladiators were usually prisoners of war, slaves, freemen or criminals condemned to death. Infamy was attached to gladiators as they made their living performing in public, and the brutality and hunger for killing that they were equipped with. In 1766-67 was a major archaeological find of gladiatorial equipment such as, helmets, greaves and weapons. This is supporting evidence the existence of battles, fighting and barbaric acts among the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. They used weapons to attack, injure and/or kill others to provide entertainment to an audience, this obviously proves the aggressive attitudes that people of Pompeii and Herculaneum possessed. Graffiti is the main source of evidence. There is a great number of painted inscriptions advertising the games and praising the victorious. From these sources we can learn what types of games were provided and who provided them. Paintings of gladiatorial games were prevalent in private homes. Animal fighting was also of great interest to the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Cockfighting was the most popular form of animal fighting. It involved opponent roosters positioned against each other in a fight until the death. An astonishing mosaic, refer to source 2, uncovered in a ruined house in Pompeii, depicts two roosters attacking each other. This provides supporting evidence of the popular amusement. Although still found in some cultures today, cockfighting is seen as a cruel sport and presents, once again, the vicious nature of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This extensive evidence of gladiatorial games explains the importance placed on leisure and entertainment activities in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The people of Pompeii and Herculaneum also placed a great deal of importance on pleasurable activities such as bathing and prostitution. Bathing was a particularly important aspect of everyday life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Most notable baths in Pompeii are the Stabian Baths (refer to source 1). They are the largest and oldest, dating back to the 4th century BC. Users could perform physical exercise, play sport, indulge in a range in therapies (massages), stroll in gardens, listen to music, read in the library, conduct business and receive invitations, in and around the bathing room complex. Men and women had separate sections. Men would exercise or swim then go into a heated room, followed by a cool bath or pool. Many people spent most of their afternoons in the baths executing these various activities, thus this implicates the importance of this leisure activity of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In Herculaneum the most notable bathing complex is the Suburban baths. These baths are linked to more sexual and pleasurable forms of activity. The multiple examples of pornographic graffiti that line the walls of the rooms would have simulated men to carry out sexual activity at the baths. The graffiti features detailed positions and actions, although there is yet to be direct evidence what the function of these pictures were, they most likely indicated the services of prostitutes or showed different positions that were acceptable. Another way the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum can be seen as pleasure seekers is by way of prostitution. Women worked as prostitutes in brothels, taverns, inns, or public or private baths. They either walked the streets or stopped and stood outside the brothels. Sometimes prostitutes were used as after dinner entertainment and many hotel owners provided their guests with prostitutes. Prostitution was regarded as a business, and because ‘moral values were set by men’; it was seen as a normal part of everyday sex life. A large brothel has been excavated in Pompeii, the only one found to exclusively serve this purpose. Erotic paintings cover the walls of the 10 rooms, showing couples in various positions to simulate the men. Graffiti suggest a lot of the prostates were foreigners and were from lower classes. This acceptance of prostitution and sexual acts provides evidence to the idea that the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum thoroughly enjoyed pleasure activities and placed a huge importance on them. As well as seeking pleasure, the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum indulged themselves in a range of luxurious activities. Attending theatrical performances and food and dining activities were popular activities. Theatrical performances were often held for religious festivities, celebration of a monument of achievement. Evidence is seen in the two theatres at Pompeii and the outstanding theatre at Herculaneum. ‘The small covered Odeon’ in Pompeii, was architecturally thought and built to deliver the sound in perfect harmony. Roman writer, architect and engineer, Vitruvius, goes into detail about the acoustic and architectural perfection of the theatre, “The voice is a flowing breath of air...research of the rising of the voice”. Numerous theatrical motifs used in decoration of house and graffiti written about actors indicate a vast importance. Mime and pantomime were most popular with the majority of people, depending on short humorous plots, absurd actions and provocative gestures. Traditional tragedies and comedies were mostly seen by upper classes, unlike mimes and pantomimes they wore masks and wigs. The primary source, a mosaic of a theatre mask indicates the use of masks, whilst also providing further evidence of the importance of theatrical performances in everyday life to the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Another luxurious activity that the Pompeians and Herculanuems took in their stride was the indulgence in food and dining. Archaeological evidence tells us that they had a very varied diet, and it varied according to their wealth. Many foods have been preserved in the volcanic ash from Mt Vesuvius. Eggs, figs, bread and nuts have been found as well as animal bones of sheep, pigs, cows and seafood. A garden specialist archaeologist, Professor Wilhelmina Jashemski, discovered house that had places for cultivation of fruit and other food trees as well as grape vines (wine drinking was an important social activity). They had a favourite: FISH SAUCE!! (garum). It was thick, salty and made from as fermented mixture of small fish. Terracotta jars with painted labels have provided information of the much adored substance. Wealthier people would got to or hold parties and banquets with lavish amounts of food and drink. Such scenes are depicted on wall paintings found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The remarkable find of “small grilling vessels” indicate people were eating and running on the go(fast food). Another food and dining activity that marks the importance to Pomepeian and Herculanueam societies was the discovery of the Villa Murecine, first found in 1959. It appears to be an ‘inn’ or ‘hospitality centre’, catering for passing businessmen. The people obviously found an enormous amount of importance to the variety and quality of food and luxurious needs, as well as accommodating for their busy lifestyles. The people of Pompeii and Herculaneum have placed an enormous importance on leisure and entertainment activities. The barbaric nature of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum is explored through the popularity of gladiatorial games, gladiators and cockfighting. Evidence suggests they enjoyed pleasurable activities such as bathing and prostitution whilst indulging in luxuries such as attending the theatre and food and dining. The primary sources: mosaics, graffiti, inscriptions, statues, remnants and buildings help to build aspects, ideas and concepts of the extent that people of Pompeii and Herculaneum depended on leisure and entertainment activities. Bibliography Primary sources Gladiatorial archaeological finds: helmets and weapons found in 1766-67, in the gladiatorial barracks. Cockfighting Mosaic found in a house in Pompeii. A mosaic of a theatre mask found in Pompeii. All the other inscriptions, statues etc that have been interpreted to provide evidence Secondary sources Websites http://en.mosaic.cc/Pompeii.html http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Italy/Campania/Naples/Naples/photo625199.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_art_in_Pompeii_and_Herculaneum#Phalluses http://www.main-vision.com/richard/stbt.shtml http://www.carnaval.com/italy/pompeii/ http://archaeology.uakron.edu/pompeii_site/Topics/prostitution/pros_frameset.html http://www.pompeionline.net/pompeii/theatres.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius Books Ancient History- Pompeii and Herculaneum