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(Name Omitted)

Hsci 1714

(Professor Omitted)1 April 2014

Historicity ofPompeii

Even wors deemed fictional can !e made more interestin" or relata!le w#en set in

realistic conte$ts% &et in a c'lt'rally ric# time o!ert Harris*Pompeii#as well researc#ed well

nown #istory to live 'p to% +sin" co'rse material as well as readin"s on oman str'ct'res s'c#

as a,'ed'cts and !at#s concl'sions can !e made a!o't #ow well-researc#ed t#e tec#nolo"ical

and arc#itect'ral aspects of t#e !oo were% .#ro'"# analysis ofPompeii!y o!ert Harris as well

as co'rse readin"s on t#e tec#nolo"y of t#e oman empire one can see t#at t#e depiction of

water systems and #ydra'lics is m'c# closer to fact t#an fiction%

One ey feat're of oman arc#itect're and a main foc's of t#e !oo is t#e a,'ed'ct%

Attili's spends most of t#e !oo worin" on fi$in" a pro!lem wit# t#e A,'a A"'sta w#ic#

!rin"s 's to many sit'ations dealin" wit# t#e str'ct're of t#is system% /nPompeii Harris depicts

Attili's walin" t#ro'"# t#e 'nder"ro'nd t'nnels of t#e a,'ed'ct% .#e t'nnel was only wide

eno'"# for one man at a time (Harris 137)% He "oes on to e$emplify t#is% !efore lon"

Attili's5 #ad scraped #is el!ows raw a"ainst t#e walls of t#e t'nnel (Harris 136)% Accordin" to

A% .revor Hod"e*s a,'ed'ct cross sections t#is is an acc'rate depiction of t#e t'nnels% All of t#e

a,'ed'ct t'nnels drawn #ave a widt# !etween 0%4 meters and one meter (Hod"e 8-7)% .#is

really only leaves room for one avera"e si9ed man to wor%Pompeii"ives no dimensional

meas'rements nor s#o'ld it !ein" a story rat#er t#an a report !'t conte$t cl'es s'c# as t#e

,'otes a!ove allow ded'ction of an implied widt#% :it# re"ards to t#e dimensions of t#ese

a,'ed'cts Harris does mae one n'merical claim a!o't t#e dimensions of t#e A,'a A"'sta%

;rom t#e "ro'nd t#ere is .#ree feet of eart# t#en two of masonry and t#en si$ of not#in" from

t#e t'nnel roof to t#e floor (Harris 13

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as part of t#e entire a,'ed'ct str'ct're% /n =armelo >% ?alacrino*s Constructing the Ancient

World: Architectural Techniques of the Greeks and Romans,t#e dept# of a different a,'ed'ct is

cited% :#ile not t#e same a,'ed'ct t#is "ives 's a "eneral comparison on w#ic# to @'d"e t#e

acc'racy of Harris* n'm!er% A >ree a,'ed'ct t#at !e"an in t#e town of i"ini #ad a ma$im'm

dept# of 8%4 meters (?alacrino 184)% .#is n'm!er converts to 21 feet for comparison to t#e 11

feet dept#% .#e 21 feet is clearly m'c# deeper almost twice as deep !'t t#is is t#e ma$im'm

dept# of t#is partic'lar a,'ed'ct% Ass'min" t#e avera"e is a !it smaller t#is >ree a,'ed'ct

co'ld #ave !een ,'ite close to t#e 11 foot dept# of t#e A,'a A"'sta as depicted !y Harris% .#ere

is still a lar"e difference so t#is co'ld !e classified as a piece t#at is more #istorically acc'rate

t#an not !'t not perfectly acc'rate% .#is !rin"s 's to anot#er lar"e part of oman tec#nolo"yB

t#e !at#%

/nPompeii Ampliat's is a former slave w#o is tryin" to "ain control of t#e city t#ro'"#

"eneral 'nder#andedness% .#e a,'ari's !efore Attili's was loyal to Ampliat's w#o too a liin"

to #is power over t#is man% /n Ampliat's* attempts to win over Attili's #e !rin"s #im to a

!ea'tif'l !at#in" area (Harris 10

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was an indispensa!le part of daily life for all omans w#atever t#eir social class (?it#en 126)%

:#ile primarily and ori"inally 'sed for social and #y"enic means Nero*s rise led to t#e creation

of more e$trava"ant !at#in" areas% .#e incl'sion of !at#s into t#e story s#ows Harris* nowled"e

of !at#s and #ow important t#ey were to oman c'lt're as ?it#en stresses% :it# re"ard to

identity one co'ld simply !e neit#er oman nor omanised wit#o't !at#in" (?it#en 127)%

Pompeii*s depiction of !at#s and t#eir importance capt'res a ey element of oman c'lt're

s#owin" t#at Harris #ad #istorical nowled"e to !ase #is fiction on%C'rin" t#is time and c'lt're of #eavy emp#asis on water mana"ement systems one ey

element was t#e cistern% +sed to store rainwater for f't're 'se t#e cistern was an inval'a!le tool

for t#e oman empire% One note a!o't t#e typical cistern of t#e time as noted !y ?alacrino is

t#at t#ey were massive% A water tan is referenced t#at co'ld #old more t#an 60000 c'!ic

meters (?alacrino 186)% Harris capt'res t#is massive nat're of t#ese cisterns% :#at an

e$traordinary constr'ction it was t#is 'nder"ro'nd va'lt wit# its pillars eac# ten times #i"#er

t#an a manD (Harris 166)% Ass'min" t#is cr'de estimation to !e acc'rate t#e 60000 c'!ic

meter vol'me of t#e cistern mentioned in ?alacrino*s wor wo'ld !e rivaled if t#e cistern from

Pompeii#ad a lar"er !ase t#an #ei"#t% Earlier inPompeii a cistern is !ein" investi"ated !y

Attili's and =ora$% :#en ased t#e capacity of t#e cistern Attili's respondsB .wo #'ndred and

ei"#ty ,'inariae (Harris

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and are definin" of t#e c'lt're of t#e oman empire% A,'ed'cts !at#s and cisterns were t#ree of

t#e most important 'ses of t#e "rowin" a!ility to mana"e and 'se water and t#e oman empire

'sed all of t#ese #eavily% Harris taes t#ese elements of t#e #istory of t#e empire*s tec#nolo"ical

development and implements t#em into #is story wit# #istorical acc'racy% .#e recorded si9es of

t#ese well-researc#ed systems were acc'rate w#en compared to Harris* descriptions of t#em%

&mall details were incl'ded s'c# as t#e o'tdated 'nits of capacity 'sed in t#e oman empire in

t#e time t#at indicate a well-researc#ed #istory of t#is area and time% CespitePompeii*s story

!ein" fictional t#e tec#nolo"ically #istorical details were acc'rate%

Works Cited

Harris o!ert%Pompeii: A Novel% New ForB andom Ho'se 200% Constructing the Ancient World: Architectural Techniques of the Greeksand Romans% os An"eles =alif%B I% Pa'l >etty ?'se'm 2010% 134-168% Print%

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?it#en &teven I% and &'e ?it#en% G'ildin" ivers and .ain" at#s% Thirst: Water and

Po/er in the Ancient World% =am!rid"e ?ass%B Harvard +niversity Press 2012% 123-14% Print%