es- over the desolate streets- over theamphitheater itself- far and wide- with many a mighty splash in the agitated sea- fell thatawful shower., (Bulwer-Lytton 1).The remains of about 2,000 victims out of a population of 20,000 have been found inexcavations. Some of them were trapped and killed in their homes. Others died as theyfled. Archaeologists have found the shells (molds) of the bodies preserved in the hardenedash. By pouring plaster into the shells, they can make copies of the victims, even to theexpressions of agony on their faces.Pompeii was not forgotten. Peasants in the area searched for hidden treasure andthey made tunnels. In the 1500s workers digging a tunnel to change the course of theSarno river discovered parts of a temple and the forum, but no one paid much attention. In1748, a farmer discovered a wall and the authorities in Italy began a series of excavations.After 1860, Giuseppe Fiorelli served as director of the excavations. He directed the firstuncovering of the whole city block by block. The Italian government has provided fundingmoney for this project. After many years of work, we can now walk in Pompeii asPompeians did.After standing in line for quite a while and paying for a ticket, the touristexperiences what are about to live are quite unique. When walking in Pompeii, you canclose your eyes and feel the magic of the city, because it seems like the time has not goneby. Visitors can see the buildings as they stood 2,000 years ago. They can walk in and outof houses and up and down narrow streets, see the Temple of Jupiter, which was anancient ruin at the time of the eruption, or sit in a tepidarium (part of a Roman publicbath). Tourists can also visit the Antiquarium and see the casts of some of the bodies,houseware, the remains of food such as carbonized loaves of bread, eggs and other thingsthat also date back to ancient Rome.The center of public life is called the Forum, and it played a fundamental role ...
