Pompeii discovery of a ceremonial chariot and thorough bred horses

In the last few days most European media channels have reported the fascinating discoveries made in Pompeii the last few weeks. A ceremonial chariot, which was ready probably to take a newly wedded couple on a parade, has been excavated in the villa of Civita Giuliana, in the outskirts of Pompeii.

This villa was a very large and sumptuous house, where perhaps the wealthy family of the Mummii lived. The ceremonial chariot, which in Latin was called 'Pilentum' was made of wood with large metal wheels and metal panels on the side and the seats. This is the very first chariot to be found in Italy, a few years ago two chariots were found in Greece but they weren't as decorated as this example. The chariot is slowly being freed of all volcanic material which encloses it and it appears to be perfectly intact. It is painted a turquoise colour and on the sides there are decorations which are almost as clear as the day they were carved. One for example shows two figures embracing in a clearly erotic pose.

The wealthy Mummii family resided in Rome and until recently nobody had realized that they owned a villa also in Pompei. The word 'Mummia' has been found scratched on a wall of the house and this graffito seems to have been made by a child. Archaeologists say Mummia would indicate a girl, a young girl belonging to the Mummii family.

In the same area of the villa some frescoes have also appeared as a consequence of the restoration. One striking detail is a white flower painted on a black background.

Archaeologists have also unearthed the petrified remains of three harnessed horses and saddles in the room which would have been the stable. The size of the skeletons seems to indicate that these were large horses, probably used by very important people. The remains of the saddles show bronze decorations and the shape of the saddles themselves is very interesting - it has four corner humps which ensure stability for the rider. The horses were saddled and ready for mounting but on that fateful day the owners never had the time to escape the violence of Vesuvius. .

Detail from a fresco in Pompei, Villa di Civita Giuliana

The fateful eruption took place on 24th October 79 a.d. and it has been calculated that about 10% of Pompeii inhabitants died, a smaller percentage that had been previously thought. Most people managed to escape and those who died did so for suffocation. There had been rumbles coming from Vesuvius on a few occasions since 62 a.d. but scientists say the volcano had been dormant during the previous 800 years.

Pliny the Younger, was the Roman historian who witnessed the eruption from a distance and wrote about it in a letter to Tacitus, who was another historian. Pliny was in Miseno, which is a coastal town at about 35 km from Pompeii. He described seeing a huge pillar of smoke rising up and in the shape of a pine tree. His uncle, who was Pliny the Elder, actually died in the eruption because he was a praefect in charge of the naval fleet at Misenum. He bravely commanded a small flotilla of boats which went to the rescue of Pompei but after rescuing many he succumbed to the fumes and died.

The Amalfi Coast

Pompeii is easily reached via a train journey from Salerno if you are staying on the Amalfi Coast. Amalfi itself is utterly charming and quaint - I love the huge staircase leading up to the church of St Andrea from the tiny square. The difference in scale between the small town and the large cathedral is a clue to the Medieval origins of the town and the wealth that the Amalfitani people gained over time from their maritime trade. Amalfi with Pisa, Genoa and Venice were the maritime republics who dominated Mediterranean trade with the Middle East over many centuries.

Tourists usually visit Sorrento, Positano, Maiori, Minori and Ravello, which are all beautiful beyond words. Not many know however that the oldest town on the Amalfi coast is Scala, which is up on the mountain and offers wonderful views from 600 metres high, just like Ravello. Scala has a typical medieval structure with six 'contrade' (ancient districts), each with its own church. Nowadays it has 1,500 inhabitants but in the Middle Ages Scala had many more and no less than 130 churches!

View of the Amalfi Coast from Scala