the three-dimensional effects,enhanced, for example by the woman on the balcony on the left. Apollo, Bachus andVenus appear in the main picture, in the upper zone above them is Leda with her swan,and small personifications of muses stand alone in the sides. The decoration stands outbecause of the blackground. From personal experience, I can say that after touring Pompeii, I was glad thatsuch a catastrophe preserved the city. If you enjoy art, it is a must see. BIBLIOGRAPHY:Giuntoli, Stefano, Art and History of Pompeii. (Erika Pauli for Studio Comunicare, trans.)Florence, Italy: Casa Editrice Bonechi, 1995.Kraus, Theodor, Pompeii and Herculaneum: The Living Cities of the Dead. ( RobertErich Wolf, trans.) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1975.Pompeii, World Book Online, http://www.worldbookonline.com/na/ar/fs/ar438760.htm,November 9, 1999.Pompeii undercovered, http://www.eliki.com/ancient/civilizations/pompeii/content.htmOctober 25, 1999. Pompeii is possibly the best-documented catastrophe in Antiquity. Because of it, weknow now how the Pompeians lived because they left behind an extensive legacy of art,including monuments, sculptures and paintings.Pompeii lay on a plateau of ancient lava near the Bay of Naples in western Italy ina region called Campania, less than 1.6 kilometers from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Withthe coast to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the East, Campania is a fertile plain,traversed by two major rivers and rich soil. However, in the early days, it was not aremarkable city. Scholars have not been able to identify Pompeiis original inhabitants.The first people to settle in this region were probably prehistoric hunters and fishers. By at least the eight century B.C., a group of Italic people known as the Oscans occupiedthe region; they most likely established Pompeii, although the exact date of its origin isunknown. The root of the word Pompeii would appear to be the Oscan word for thenumber five...
