The Role of Geographical Features in the Daily Life of Historical Pompeii

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Geographical features played a prominent role in the daily life of Pompeii. A geographical feature is a natural or manmade feature of an environment. For the city of Pompeii, the location was a key aspect of its daily life. In addition, the economic activity and industry was important in the everyday life of Pompeii’s citizens. Evidence also suggests entertainment played a large role in the life of the city’s population. Archaeological remains also stress the Roman influence of its streets and buildings. All these features contributed to the daily life in Pompeii.

A prominent feature that contributed heavily to the way of life in Pompeii was the cities geographical location. The city was situated on a bay and was surrounded by rivers. Seneca tells us that “the city is a pleasant bay ….. bounded by the shores of Surrantum and Stabiae.” This meant that a large amount of trade took place in Pompeii, not only from the sea but from inland as well. Pompeii was also close to Vesuvius, a volcanic mountain. Pliny the Elder writes of this in his Natural History, “Pompeii [with Vesuvius visible close at hand.” Previous volcanic activity in the region led to extremely fertile soil. This contributes heavily to Pompeii’s productive and successful agricultural lands. The geographical location of Pompeii was a prominent feature as it contributed heavily to the city’s economic, industrial, and social aspects.

The economic activity and industry are closely linked, and both played an important role in the everyday life of Pompeii’s citizens. Trade was a key aspect to the city’s economic activity. Strabo tells us that Pompeii was the port for Nuceria and Nola. Although archaeologists are yet to determine whether it was a sea port or a river p...

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...was nine regions with each separate insulae given a number. Each doorway within each insulae was also given a number. Under this system ‘the House of Julia Felix’ became II, 4, 2, that is, region II, insulae 4, doorway 2. Each of the ways in which Roman influence can be seen in Pompeii’s design and layout of its streets and buildings, contribute into making this a prominent geographical feature that greatly influenced daily life in Pompeii.

There are several prominent geographical features that played a major role in the daily life of Pompeii. The geographical location of Pompeii, its economic and industrial activity, entertainment and the Roman influence in the city’s architecture all convey different geographical features. These features contributed in shaping the way the city’s inhabitants went about their daily lives, and all had a profound impact on Pompeii

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