Food on the Menu
Tourism Trouble
Eruption 1
Eruption 2
Technology Transforms
Technology Transforms
Evidence Please
100
This salty fermented fish sauce was widely used to flavour Roman food.
Garum
100
What is this an example of?
Graffiti
100
Why was Herculaneum largely spared from the initial pumice and ash fall?
The north wind pushed the ash and pumice towards Pompeii.
100
Which city was struck first by the pyroclastic surges?
Herculaneum
Remember that your pyroclastic surges were made up of fast-moving super-heated gases, ash and rock and could reach up to 400°C
100
What technology has allowed researchers to virtually read the carbonised scrolls from Herculaneum without physically unrolling them?
CT scanning combined with artificial intelligence/machine learning.
100
What has Ground-Penetrating Radar revealed at Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Hidden buildings and streets beneath volcanic deposits without the need for excavation.
100
Who wrote this: A cloud was rising from a mountain . . . Its appearance can be best expressed by comparing it to an umbrella pine, for carried up to a very great height as if on a tree-trunk, it began to spread out into various branches.
Pliny the Younger
200
This establishment sold ready-cooked food and drinks to people who did not prepare all their meals at home.
thermopolium
200
Identify one positive and one negative impact of tourism.
Positive: tourism raises revenue and public interesy/education/awareness.
Negative: it causes overcrowding, wear, vandalism or theft.
200
What happened to wooden structures at Herculaneum when the pyroclastic surges struck?
It was carbonised and preserved whereas the wood In Pompeii was ignited and not preserved.
200
According to Haraldur Sigurdsson, how many main stages were there in the eruption of Vesuvius?
Two (Plinian & Palean Phases)
200
What technology was used to come to these conclusions?
X-rays and CT scans
Source: 2016
200
What is the name of the four-legged robot used at Pompeii to collect data about structural and safety issues?
200
Who wrote this: Furthermore, there is another type of choice fluid, called garum, produced from the guts of fish and anything else which would have been discarded, steeped in salt – in other words it is the fermentation of decaying matter
Pliny the Elder
300
What was discovered at the Bakery of Modestus, Pompeii?
81 loaves of bread were recovered, still on the oven where they had been placed 79 AD.
300
What daily visitor limit has been introduced at Pompeii to reduce the impact of overtourism?
20,000 visitors per day.
Zuchtriegel argued that reducing the pressure created by very large crowds was necessary to protect both visitors and Pompeii's fragile archaeological remains.
300
Which site preserves more upper storeys of buildings?
Herculaneum because the weight of the debris in Pompeii caused roofs to collapse.
300
What archaeological evidence at Herculaneum suggests that inhabitants were attempting to escape when the destructive phase began?
The large number of skeletons found in the boatsheds on the shoreline.
300
What could vitrified brain matter reveal about the eruption at Herculaneum?
It provides evidence of the extremely high temperatures experienced by the victims.
Vitrified = glass like substance
300
What did Sara Bisel’s scientific analysis of Herculaneum skeletons reveal about diet?
The inhabitants ate a diet high in seafood and vegetables. Low zinc levels revealed that they consumed very little red meat.
300
Who wrote this: The traditional interpretation that Pompeians had excellent teeth was challenged by evidence of tooth decay, gum disease and dental wear.
Estelle Lazer
400
List one type of exotic food that Dr Steven Ellis discovered at thermopoliums in Pompeii.
Sea urchins, dormice and giraffe
400
How is Pompeii attempting to reduce pressure on the most heavily visited areas without simply preventing people from visiting?
By redirecting tourists to alternative routes, lesser-known parts of Pompeii and other archaeological sites in the surrounding area.
Strategies include:
1. Developing thematic routes
2. Reducing the focus on a small number of "must-see" buildings
3. Encouraging guides to take visitors to less crowded areas
400
Which historian states that the wind blew the ash and lapilli (volcanic rock) towards Pompeii and Stabiae causing roofs to collapse and people to suffocate.
Pliny the Younger
400
Approximately how deeply were Pompeii and Herculaneum buried by the end of the eruption?
Pompeii was buried by about 5 metres, while Herculaneum was buried by up to 23 metres.
400
What has ELIO X-ray fluorescence scanning revealed about wall paintings at Herculaneum?
It revealed elements and pigments hidden beneath dirt and ash that could no longer be clearly seen.
400
How many letters from a Herculaneum scroll were read by winners of the Vesuvius Challenge?
Approximately 2,000 letters.
3D Scan of the text using CT scan.
AI then detected the inked regions.
400
Who wrote this: Pompeian wine could be dangerous because it might cause a headache lasting until noon the following day.
Pliny the Elder
500
Where was this mosaic found?
House of the Faun, Pompeii
500
Identify two ways Pompeii has responded to the problems caused by tourism.
1. Improving Surveillance
2. Great Pompeii Project - restored and reopened large areas of the site and improved access.
3. Ticket revenue can now be retained by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, providing funds that can support management and conservation.
500
What do the skeletons in the Herculaneum boatsheds suggest about the victims’ deaths?
They died suddenly from intense heat and gases.
500
What evidence in Source E demonstrates the force of the eruption at Herculaneum?
The roof had been ripped off the building, flipped upside down by the “brute force of the eruption,” despite containing massive wooden beams up to 7 metres long.
500
What did Haraldur Sigurdsson’s study of ash layers and comparisons with Mount St Helens reveal about the deaths at Pompeii?
He concluded that many victims from Pompeii died from asphyxiation during the 4th stafe of the eruption.
500
How does the Portyl augmented reality app contribute to our understanding of Pompeii?
It allows visitors to explore and experience Pompeii as it appeared in 79 AD, using digital reconstruction to bring ancient spaces back to life while combining archaeological research and technology.
500
Who wrote this: Our picture of Pompeii has changed over the years according to the questions people have chosen to ask of the evidence
Alison E. Cooley