II.6 The Great Palaestra

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades)

Location

Pompeii
Pompeii (Pleiades)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region II

Insula

Insula VII

Keywords

• porticoes
• palaestra

Garden Description

Colonnaded porticoes encircled the palaestra on the south, west and north. A large swimming pool (34.55 m x 22.25 m) was located in the center. Casts made of tree cavities planted eight meters apart in two rows around the north, west and south sides of the enclosed area indicated that these were plane trees, just under one hundred years old.

Pleiades ID

456321707

TGN ID

7004658

Dates

Excavated 1814 to 1816, 1933, and 1935 to 1939.

Bibliography

• Jashemski, W. 1979. Gardens of Pompeii, vol.I, pp.160-161 and fig. 246 on p.161 (worldcat)
• Jashemski, W. 1993. Gardens of Pompeii, vol.II, p.92 (worldcat)
• Maiuri, A. 1939. Notizie degli scavi di antichità, pp.193-195 and pl.9 (plan shows only a part of the root cavities found).(worldcat)

Contributor

Wilhelmina Jashemski (https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=326514&p=2193250)

Publication date

21 Apr 2021