Eruption/Sources
The main force killing residents of Herculaneum following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD
What are pyroclastic surges?
Name of the shallow rectangular basin that collected rainwater in a household
What is an impluviium?
Name of the market that sold meat and fish (located in the forum)
What is the Macellum?
Examples of the official state religion, imperial cult and mystery and foreign cults
What is public religion?
Two major conservation projects associated with the restoration of Pompeii and Herculaneum
What is the Great Pompeii Project and the Herculaneum Conservation Project?
Names given to the major and minor roads in the two towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum
What is the Decumanus and Cardos?
Name of the daily ritual carried out by clients and patrons
What is salutatio?
Archaeological evidence that supports the existence of maritime trade in Herculaneum
What are fishing lines and hooks, boathouses, amphorae?
The name of the guardian spirits worshipped during private religion. Their household shrines were often decorated with snakes, dancing and wine.
Who are the Lares?
A significant but contradictory achievement gained in 1997 that aimed to protect Pompeii and Herculaneum
What is World Heritage status?
Name given to the second phase of the eruption
What is the Pelean phase?
The four main types of housing in Pompeii and Herculaneum
What are insula, atrium, atrium peristyle and villas?
Identify the leading garum producer in Pompeii
Who is Aulus Umbricious Scaurus?
Mystery cult affiliated with wine, fertility and transformation showcasing the how Roman religion was shaped by foreign influences. Evidence for this cult can be found in the Villa of Mysteries.
Who was Dionysus/Baccus?
Name of the skeletal remains who were made from epoxy resin. CT scans found the victim to have a tooth abscess, a healed fracture in the left arm and was in a classic boxers pose as response to suffering extreme heat.
Who is the Lady of Oplontis?
Name given to the first settlers in Pompeii
Who were the Estruscans?
The main functions of a Vesuvius household
What are domestic, commercial, religious and cultural spaces?
Names given to the politicians who made up the executive arm of the government (quattuorviri)
Who are the duiviri and aediles?
Name of the house which identifies great examples of Greek and Egyptian influence
What is the House of the Faun?
The region which freshly excavated revealed an inscription suggesting a later date for the erutption of Vesuvius.
What is Regio V?
Name of the historian who proclaimed “Herculaneum appears less a bustling commercial centre than a carefully planned town of substantial houses, reflecting its role as a wealthy seaside resort rather than an economic powerhouse”.
Who is Andrew Wallace-Hadril?
Name of one major female archaeologist who has examined the skeletal remains of the victims in modern times
Who is Sara Bisel, Estelle Lazer?
Name of the powerful local patron of Herculaneum
Who was Marcus Nonius Balbus?
Name given to the protective figure who was often represented as votive hand in bronze and symbolised ancestor worship
Who is Mani Pantee?
Technology that has allowed researchers to read the Herculaneum scrolls without physically unwrapping them - a process known as digital unrolling.
What is Xray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT)