Visiting Pompeii was an amazing experience. We had the opportunity to take a guided tour and learn about all about the ancient city’s history and economy. (I was surprised by some of the aspects the town had before the Mt. Vesuvius eruption – for instance, they had their own version of fast food!) Our visit to Pompeii related to an article we read about the city’s economy and one of its main industries: agriculture.
The geography and landscape of Pompeii was important for this. Aside from its most major feature, Mt. Vesuvius, there were tree groves in the north and gardening plots in the south. Another area there is a large plain called Strabo, and the fertile soils there allowed them to produce grains and cereal products to sufficiently feed its own population (between 8,000 and 12,000 people).
There are a large number of villas in Pompeii, and they produced a lot of wine in the area. However, the wine they grew there wasn’t of a high quality, and they ended up importing wine from Sorrento as an alternative. Trade in Pompeii was important – it’s estimated that their economic territory was about twice as much as their political territory.
However, there are still new things being discovered (and disputed) about Pompeii. One topic that was up to debate in the article we read was the true number of villas in the ancient city. In some cases, alleged villa sites weren’t really villas. Some that were listed as such weren’t luxurious like typical villas during the time, and others were too badly damaged to tell. However, surveys are still being done in the area and more information will come to light.
Visiting Pompeii was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to our next stops on the trip: Orvieto and Rome!
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