I'm back from a one-week cruise in the western mediterranean. The most impressive visit was walking in the ruins of Pompei. Besides the weight of history you can feel there, the details are very striking.
Frex, there are stone vats were wines were stored at the tavern ; they were made of heat-absorbing stone and wine was served warm, if not hot. It was too precious to be drunk pure, so it was diluted 2/3rd with water, and the customer chose between fresh or salt water (!!!) On order, honey and herbs could be added.
On main street, which had a drain under it and wasn't always full of shit, there are small white marble chips imbedded between slabs so they reflect under the moon and people can easily follow the street at night. Other streets have sidewalks one foot high, and slabs that high to cross the streets without having to walk ankle or knee-deep in refuse.
Private fountains were forbidden. There are a few though, and you could have them built if you bribed the aqua magister.
The whole city was cover by 15m of ash and stone in 24 hours. All roofs collapsed of course. It's about 0,7 square kilometer and housed 20.000 inhabitants when the cataclysm came.
Today the Vesuve is about 1300 m high ; it was about 2000 m high at that time. The whole mountaintop collapsed after the explosion. It's pretty impressive already. It hadn't erupted in nine centuries back in 79 AD and nobody had any idea it was a volcano.
As I took all of this in, I kept thinking in Gloranthan terms, of a son of Lodril waking after a long slumber, of Pliny going closer to see what was happening (typical PC reaction), of inserting moonstone chips in lunar cities' streets, etc.
Last but not least, read "Pompei" by Robert Harris : a must.
Hervé
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