Many of the walls in Pompeii were painted with frescos. The city must have employed an army of artists, most of them with talent. I really enjoyed the one above. I wanted to add little comic book bubbles above the heads of the two sitting figures:
Marcus: Maybe we should evacuate? Vesuvius is acting very angry this morning.
Gaius: Nah. Forget Vesuvius. Let’s just sit by the beach, drink more wine, and watch this weird dude with a stick. Carpe Diem.
No Flash…
Preserving Ruins at Pompeii (including the famous franken-vessel).
Thyself and thy belongings
Are not thine own so proper as to waste
Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.
Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues.
Did not go forth of us, ‘twere all alike
As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch’d
But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends
The smallest scruple of her excellence
But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines
Herself the glory of a creditor,
Both thanks and use.
Measure for Measure – Shakespeare
A tour guide in Pompeii explains things like natural disasters, poor emergency preparedness, leadership complacency and societal excess. Luckily we don’t have to worry about these problems today.
A street in Pompeii. Most of the walls are basalt. And creeping around in the background, Vesuvius.
Recycling container in Pompeii
The last surviving gladiator, a pine cone…
Plaque outside the Pompeii sports complex. It says the stadium was built for “perpetual use.” This seems a bit presumptuous.