Pompeii - Urban Form And Streetscapes

1. POMPEII & HERCULANEUM THE URBAN PLAN

5. The Sarno river gave Pompeii the role of sea port for the adjacent hinterland Nola lay on the main NS road access. The Nola gate decreased in important with less need for defence Nuceria , also on the NS road axis drew its wealth from the river plain and southern regions of Campania Via Sabiae was the steepest street running from NW to SE Stabiae was an important shipbuilding town The old City or “Aldstat” Streets were generally narrow, varying between 2.4,3.6 or 4.5 metres wide . At its widest the main street was 8.5 metres wide The area covered approximately 66 hectares, only 2/3 of which have been excavated Pompeii was accessed by seven gates, five of which led to other towns.Streets were laid out on a grid, the main axial road( decumanii) crossed by minor roads ( cardini) creating blocks called insulae about 35x90 metres No commercial, or residential zoning exists and land use was not exclusively urban

7. The Porta Marina gate was originally gate to the sea . There were two arches one for pedestrians and the other one for pack animals.

8. Vesuvian Gate

9. Porta de Nola

10. Porta Marina

11. Necropolis outside Porta Nocera

13. VIA DELL’ ABBONDANZA Elevated sidewalks Street paving Street ruts Crosswalks Street width Street curve

16. Streets varied in width, reflecting the relative volume of pedestrian and wheeled traffic

17. Innocents Abroad- Mark Twain

18. STREET FOUNTAINS At many of the street intersection , public fountains, with sculptured headstones over rectangular stone troughs, provided water for the inhabitants. These were fed by lead pipes running beneath the sidewalks from two huge cisterns, one at the Vesuvius Gate( high up in the town) and the other near the Forum Baths. The water to these cisterns was via an aquaduct which fed Neopolis and MisenumSo far 42 public fountains have been excavated at Pompeii and 3 at Herculaneum

19. The location of fountains may be significant in that they could indicate neighborhoods groupings. The decoration of the fountains could also indicate the status of both the neighborhood in comparison to other neighborhoods, and the status of the patron of the fountain. One of the best-know examples of fountains at Pompeii lies at the juncture of the forum and the beginning of one of the main thoroughfares, the Via Dell’Abbondanza. The basin of the fountain is unusual in that it is carved from limestone rather than lesser quality stone, and in addition has a fine sculpture of the goddess Fortuna/Concordia with the spigot still visible.

20. Standpipes- a high vertical pipe or reservoir that is used to secure a uniform pressure in a water-supply system

21. Sculptured head, and potruding pipe.

22. Via Stabiae

24. Public Shrine The manner in which intersections received varying degrees of emphasis by the concentration in them of elements that might be called "urban furniture," i.e., fountains, shrines, arches, standpipes, these features and the manner in which the elements along the Strada Stabiana inflected pedestrian traffic toward the forum are discussed by William Westfall and Mark Schimmenti in the report of The Forum Project .

26. Factors influencing the Urban form of Pompeii Cultural Religious, Social artistic Geographica l Port, River Fertility climate Economic Service center for exchange Of goods From port and hinterland Political Public and Private spaces Central role Of the forum Historical Influences Oscan Greek Etruscan Roman Urban form

27. HERCULANEUM

33. AERIAL VIEW- HERCULANEUM