sources from Pompeii & Herculaneum for everyday life HEALTH

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sources from Pompeii Herculaneum for
everyday lifeHEALTH
Water Supply Sanitation Lifestyle Archaeological
finds
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Archaeological Finds
Archealogical finds encompassed body remains
found both in Pompeii and Herculaneum Estelle
Lazer and Dr. Sarah Bisel are two archaeologists
who studied the body remains at both Pompeii and
Herculaneum Health finds through Body remains is
Keys to unlocking vital information in concerns
with victims health. Once-were inhabitants that
occupied both Pompeii and Herculaneum through the
remains of organic material, substance and
artefacts. It reveals that diet and activity
both, leisure and competition was associated to
both towns implying general health was adequate
given this period of eruption on AD 79 and
prior.
Dr. E. Lazer
Dr. S. Bisel
Plaster casts
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Dr. Sara Bisel 1982 - 88

• Is a Classic archaeologist and anthropologist
  contributed to unlocking information about body
  remains in Herculaneum. She explained with
  exposure came quick deterioration
• Bisel revealed in her findings that a lack of
  children's bones was a cause of low fertility
  rates or they decayed quick due to being smaller.
• Her dental studies found that teeth in body
  remains were quite good due to a high seafood
  diet which incorporated calcium, however gum
  disease was present depicting from worn teeth,
  coming from the possibility of grindstone in the
  bread they ate.
• Bones that were studied is evident that lead
  poisoning possibly from the lead pipes caused
  death as well. Other uses of lead through her
  studies include medication e.g to treat bleeding,
  whiten skin, treatment of ulcers and wounds,
• Her studies stated that all bones accounted for
  levels of nourishment and was a good indicator
  for a good diet (height of bones)
• Consumption of animal protein while others had
  high levels of Strontium and other fluorides in
  their diets indicating diets of vegetable protein
  and seafood.
• Her examinations on body remains is significant
  for Pompeii and Herculaneum's inhabitants and
  their health.

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Estelle Lazer 1986 - 1994

• Lazers research included statistical studies
  based on skulls, hips, pelivs, legs, arm bones to
  established the makeup of the population.
• Through techniques of forensic medicine, physical
  anthropology used to determine sex, age of death
  height signs of disease and population affinities
  of the victims
• Her work in Sydney 31st of October 1994 was the
  cast of a body from an early exhibition from
  Pompeii. the Lady of Oplontis was studied
  alongside a multidisciplinary team of
  radiologist, anatomist and forensic dentist.
• Her studies indicated that 11 of examined bodies
  showed Hormonal disease, HFI
• Her studies also indicated that main cause of
  death was asphyxiation or thermal shock
• Lazer also examined work at house of Menander
• Through her studies, a supportive connection
  through citizens has revealed information in
  regards to health.

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The Lady of Oplontis

• X ray was performed on 31st October 1994 in
  Sydney, was the first ever analysis of the victim
  of the eruption.
• A cast was made from transparent epoxy resin for
  the purpose of visual inspection and associated
  artefacts including a gold bracelet on the arm of
  the victim.
• No signs of dental or medical intervention. All
  teeth were erupted and roots were complete.
• A healed fracture could be observed in the left
  radius, consistent with having fallen on an
  outstretched hand.
• Studies shown that the bone had healed with some
  irregularity and slight arthritic change

X-ray of Oplontis
Pelvic scan of Oplontis
Head scan of Oplontis
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Plaster Casts

• Using the method developed by Giuseppe Fiorelli
  from 1863, plaster was poured into cavities at
  pressure forming statue like moulds of the dead
  body positions. Posers oif the cast reveal manner
  of death and time taken.
• Photographer Peter Baxter took 41 complete casts
  revealing half of frozen impositions consistent
  of the puglistic pose from exposure to extremely
  high temperatures at time of death.
• Transparent epoxy resin cast now replaces normal
  plaster for this produce to examine in further
  detail the archeaological evidence for enhanced
  source study.
• Plaster casts encompasses intricate information
  to reveal about the health of Pompeii and
  Herculaneums inhabitants.

Plaster casts
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Citizen Lifestyle
Citizen lifestyle of Pompeii and Herculaneum
encompassed sport, Food and dining. Citizens
would produce and eat their own food including
olives, wine, garum, grapes, peaches, wheat,
barley, and live stock including lamb, fish,
scallops and cockle. Produce was sold in markets
and also exported. People would exercise and
compete at the Palaestra Due to diet and sport,
it has played a major importance of health of
Pompeii and Herculaneum's inhabitants
Palaestras
Organic Remains
Food Dining
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Food Dining

• 200 public eating and drinking places have been
  identified in Pompeii. A Thermopolium was a
  common place for a snack. It had marble cover
  counter in a large dolia holding hot food and
  drinks for self serving
• Bars and taverns well also located and identified
  but were clustered near entrance gates and
  amphitheatres for regular business. Many
  Pompeiians were heavy drinkers due to graffiti
  inscribing cheers! we drink like wineskins
• Bakeries were also common. 30 bakeries have been
  located in Pompeii and ovens and carbonized bread
  still stands today.
• Most had 3 meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and
  dinner accompanied by copious amounts of wine and
  desert either sweet (cake) or savoury (pickled
  onions)
• Rich would cook their own food on a tripod heated
  with fire and the poor would either pay local
  people who owned ovens to food it for them.
• At dinner parties people would eat lying down and
  be arranged in hierarchical order at the table.
• Cookbook by Apicus with 500 recipes revealed that
  Romans liked their food sweet and spicy
• On the basis of food, it is believed that the
  citizens had a high balanced deit with the
  natural resources that were available during the
  time overall effecting their good health.

Dining arrangements
Mosaic of food resources
Local Thermopolium
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Palaestras
The Palaestra was the place for exercise and
encompassed physical facilities to achieve
health. The importance of sport can be gauged by
the size of the main Palaestra. The large
Palaestra in Pompeii was 107 by 141 metre
rectangle, The Herculaneum palaestra was 110
metres and a depth of 70. Palaestra had
activities including athletics, wrestling,
javelin and discus throwing which meant the
colonnaded room was large enough for such
activities. Both Palaestra in both towns had
pools. The Herculaneum pool were shaped like a
cross, 50metres in length and cross arm was 30
U.E. Paoli, Vita Romana in Carpasso pp 35
states that it was like a majestic columned
cella, or in a portion of a templeall was
spacious and imposing. Both Palaestra's featured
statues of young men and the ideal body. Through
evidence the palaestra played a vital role within
the health of citizens in everyday life.
Bronze Runner, house of the Papyri
Palaestra
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Organic Remains
Archaeological evidence suggests that the
inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum had a well
balanced and highly Nutritious diet. Towns grew
most of the produce and was available to
purchase. Many organic material were carbonized
including dates, figs, prunes, almonds,
chestnuts, olives, myrtle berry and whole loaves
of bread. 3 sources of food remains were
examined waste from food preparation, waste from
latrines and remains of burnt sacrificial
offerings found in the garden. Such remains
included olive stones, peach stones, fish bones,
sheep, pig and cattle bones Through the findings
is bases a theory how citizens ate a wide variety
of food and also held many occupations that its
prime focus was for produce and edible resources.
Farming was a primary occupation This illustrates
that organic material gives insight of the health
of Pompeii and Herculaneum's inhabitants
Carbonized bread
Carbonized Pomegranate
Carbonized nuts
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Water Supply

• Water supply was a main necessity in citizen life
  of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
• Citizens accessed water from numerous points
  within the town including
• water fountains, fulleries Public/Private
  Latrines and sewerage systems.
• Water came from the Mountain Aquaduct into water
  tower at highest point,
• then gravity fed into pipes that served the towns
  water for pubic and private
• use.
• Level of sanitation was high, water availability
  and cleanliness contributed to the factor

fountains
baths
latrines
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Public Private Latrines
Public latrines
Public latrines/toilets or foricae (top left)
were provided publicly at the Forum and the
Palaestra. Toilets were continually flushed then
waste would travel in underground pipes and
sewerage systems out to the river (Pompeii) or
the ocean (Herculaneum) Private toilets were
commonly found in houses (both bottom left, Villa
Oplonti). They were flushed with either hand or
continual with piped aquaducts to house. toilets
often near kitchen sharing same pipeline. Toilets
up to six seaters Cantranella and Jacobelli state
The latrines annexed to the thermal baths in
Pompeii a certain aesthetic quality. These
photographs of latrines illustrates how human
excrement was deposited depicting high levels of
sanitation
Private latrines (middle bottom)
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Drinking Fountains
fountains were a main source of drinking water.
There are public fountains in the streets of
both towns. Pompeii has 42 excavated fountains
and Herculaneum only has revealed 3. Water flowed
out through decorative spout as revealed in
picture (bottom right). And travel through
pipeline underground. The House of Octavius
Quartio extensively featured all range of
waterworks including spouting jets, gushing
waterfalls, channels, pools and
nymphaeums. Fountains were either accompanied
with mosaics, engravings or decorative carvings
to ornament the feature With numerous drinking
fountains located, it illustrates how citizens
access to water was copious in order to maintain
their good lifestyle of health.
Private fountain, Herculaneum
Public fountain, Pompeii
Fresco in fountain
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Visiting the Baths in Pompeii Herculaneum
Visiting the baths or thermae was common in
Pompeii and Herculaneum. Usually opened around
midday Baths were a place for relaxation,
socializing leisure activities There were 5
stages that citizens followed in the baths Baths
found in Pompeii included Stabian bath (oldest),
the forum baths, central baths and Sarno Baths
while in Herculaneum there are Suburban Baths and
forum baths Private baths were uncommon but were
present featured in the house of Julia Felix who
ran a small private bath Citizens brought their
slaves to perform certain tasks including skin
scraping and carrying clothes Often baths were
decorated with elegant stucco work, mosaics and
graffiti with a marine theme (top right and
bottom left) Baths located in Pompeii and
Herculaneum demonstrate the cleanliness and
overall health of both towns
Decorative walls
Shelves in Apodyteruim
Floor mosaic
Apodyterium
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Relaxation, Socialising Leisure Activities

• People would play sport, indulge in a range of
  therapies such as massage, stroll in the gardens
  , listen to music, recite poetry and have sexual
  activity
• Multiple forms of pornographic graffiti would
  have simulated men to perform sexual activity at
  the baths
• A graffito describes Apelles, a waiter dining
  most pleasantly with Dexter and the slave of
  Caesar

An erotica scene within male baths
Roman game balls used for Harpatsum
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5 Stages of the Baths
The first stage of the bath began in the
changeroom (apodyterium) where clothes were kept
on shelves. The bather would then enter the hot
room (caldarium) a vaulted steamer to 40 degrees.
Then the bather would go into the sweating room
(Iaconium). Then the bather would travel into the
normal room (tepidarium ) which was used as a
transition space for adjusting temperatures. Then
the bather would finish off into a cold circular
bath (frigidarium) which would cool off the
remaining temperature and close up the open skin
pores.
An Apodyterium
A Heating system in the Thermae
A Frigidarium