Pompeii: A Virtual Field Trip

 


By

Deanne F. Pescatore

Burlington Public Schools

 Burlington, Massachusetts

 

 

Introduction

 

            Get ready for some excitement because you are going to take a virtual field trip to Pompeii, once a flourishing Roman city that was doomed because it lay beneath the shadows of the mighty Mount Vesuvius.  You will enter a portal and see an animation of the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii and yet preserved it so that we now can get a glimpse of what life was like in an ancient Roman city.  You will learn what happened during the last days of Pompeii through the retelling of the story by an eyewitness. You will visit parts of the city uncovered and learn about the houses, art and entertainment of its inhabitants. You will make a brief stop in Herculaneum, a nearby town, and learn why many of its mysteries remain unlocked today. Perhaps you will be inspired to go on an archeological dig someday and help discover the mysteries of the past. Today you are going to join a committee which is made up of teachers, parents and students, to research possibilities for an educational field trip that your school will be sponsoring in June. You have been assigned to research the city of Pompeii, once part of the ancient Roman Empire and now in Italy, as a possible destination. Your input will be very important in the final decision making.

 

 

Task

 

            Your job is to make careful observations and gather information about Pompeii so that you can report back to the committee why this will be an important place to visit. You must convince the other committee members that students going to Pompeii will learn a lot and have fun doing so. To help you in your research, you will be provided with a handout with questions to guide you as you visit Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. Read and answer each question carefully using a complete sentence. You may need to refer to your answers when questioned by the committee at your next scheduled meeting.

 

 

Process

 

            Use the map of Italy below to locate the Naples – Vesuvius – Pompeii area indicated by the red rectangle. Then find Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii on the more detailed map of the Bay of  Naples. This will give you an idea of where your travel adventures will take place.

                                                                        Italy                            Bay of Naples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


To begin your field trip you will need to access the Internet. Your teacher will provide you with a handout to help you take your notes for your committee report. The questions have been divided into three sections (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3). Your teacher will explore the site with you so that you will become familiar with it. Look at the headings at the beginning of each set of questions.  These will  help you find your answers on the website.  Using the following site, you will gather your information and answer all of your questions in complete sentences. All answers should be recorded on the handout.

 

“Pompeii: Unraveling Ancient Mysteries” http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/pompeii/index.html

 

 

          PART 1:  Access “Pompeii: Unraveling Ancient Mysteries”, read the introduction and click on Enter at the bottom of the screen. Study your map and locate Vesuvius and click on it. Then click on each question on the screen to answer numbers 1 to 7 on the handout. 

 

What Did the Eruption Look Like?

 

  1. Who was Pliny?

 

 


  1. What happens during the plinian stage of a volcanic eruption?

 

 

  1. When did the eruption of Mount Vesuvius occur?

 

 

  1. What covered the town of Herculaneum?

 

 

Click on the Back button to continue your field trip.

 

 

What Kind of Volcano is Vesuvius?

 

  1. Since Vesuvius is a composite volcano, what two different types of eruptions can

      it produce?

 

 

Click on the Back button.

 

 

Why Is Vesuvius Located Where It Is?

 

  1. What two things can result when plates grind against one another?

1)

 

2)

 

  1. What is magma?

 

 

Click on the Back button. Using the menu bar at the top of the web page, click on “Misenum and Stabiae”.

 

 

An Eyewitness Account of the Eruption of Vesuvius

 

Read the four pages in this section carefully to answer questions 8 to 14.

 

  1. What did the historian Tacitus ask Pliny the Younger to do?

 

 


  1. When did the unusual cloud appear?

                                                                                                                            An Italian Pine Tree

  

  1.  What did the cloud look like?                                                                   

 

 

  1.  How were the ships in danger during the beginning stages of the eruption?

 

 

  1.  What was Stabiae?

 

 

  1.  How did Pliny the Younger think his uncle died?

 

 

  1.  How do scientists and historians think that Pliny the Elder died?

 

 

Click on the Back button.

 

PART 2:  Click on Pompeii using the menu bar at the top of the web page. Click on the various sections of the diagram to gather the information.

 

Amphitheater

 

  1.  Name four types of events that were held at the Amphitheater in Roman times.

 

 

1)

2)

3)

4)

 

Click on the Back button.

The Thermae Stabianae

 

  1. What English word do you know that may have come from the Latin word thermae?

 

 

  1. What does the Latin word thermae mean?

 

 

  1.   How many rooms did a Roman bath have and how did they differ?

 

 

Click on “here” to learn more about the baths.

 

 

  1. The Roman baths were one of the earliest examples of what modern convenience in homes today?

 

 

  1. What two things did the boiler of the Roman baths heat?

 

1)

 

2)

 

 

Click on “Pompeii” on the menu bar at the top of this page.

 


Forum

 

  1. What was the forum of any large Roman city?

 

 

  1. What could be found near the forum?

 

 

Click on the Back button.

 

House of the Faun

 

Read the information on this page, click on the doorway and answer the following question.

 

 

  1. By looking at the size of the doors of a house in Pompeii, what could you tell about its inhabitants?

 

 

Click on doors. The Tuscan Atrium page is not up.  Read the page and answer question #24.

 

  1. What was the purpose of the Tuscan Atrium in the House of the Faun?

 

 

Click on areas. Click on the various rooms of the house plan to answer the following questions. Information about each room will appear at the bottom of the screen.

 

  1. How is the Larger Peristyle like and different from an atrium.

 

 

  1. How did the family use the larger and Smaller Peristyles?

 

 

  1. How did the Triclinium, a formal dining room, differ from dining rooms today?

 

 

  1. What were several uses of the Smaller Rooms in the House of the Faun?

 

 

Click on the Smaller Atrium and Tuscan Atrium on the house plan diagram to answer the next three questions.

 

  1. What is an atrium?

 

 

  1. What special use did the pools in an atrium have for the people of Pompeii?

 

 

  1. What event in 62 A.D. made this special use of the pools necessary?

 

 

PART 3:  Click on Pompeii and then on Art Gallery at the bottom of the screen. Use the Back button each time to get you to the page with the six samples of art.

 

Art Gallery

 

 

  1. Where did the people of Pompeii display their art?

 

 

  1. What special kind of carving appears on the front of the Altar of Vespasianus?

 

 

  1. What is a fresco?

 

 

  1. What one word describes The Painting of Man and Woman, which is probably a portrait.

 

 

  1. Cave Canem is an example of a mosaic.  What are mosaics?

 

 

  1. How was the Bust sculpture made?

 

 

  1. The Geometric Street Sign is a tessellation.  What is a tessellation?

 

 

Click on the Back button. Click on “Herculaneum” using the menu bar at the top of the web page.

 

  1. Where was Herculaneum and what was its main industry?

 

 

  1. Why is it very difficult to excavate Herculaneum?

 

 

Now that your questions are completed, use the following site to see a quick pictorial view of Pompeii from 79 A.D. to the present. Click on Filmato “Flash”. Use the handout provided by your teacher to follow the Italian text.

 

            “ Il Portale di Pompei”                                                               

            http://pompei.starnetwork.it

 

 

 

Conclusion

 


           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that your tour is complete, you will do a follow-up activity to bring to your next meeting of the field trip planning committee. This will help demonstrate how visiting Pompeii was a meaningful and enjoyable trip for you. Choose one of the following options. At the end of the suggestions, you will find a numbered list of information sources.

 

1)      Make a geometric mosaic. (Use information source #1 and click on Pompeii to House of the Faun to Art Gallery to Geometric Street Design. Click on Pattern 1 and Pattern 2 and print them out in order to make your own geometric street sign pattern.)

 

2)      Describe the four types of volcanic eruptions and how they got their names. (Use the homepage for information source #2.)

 

3)      Create a time line for the events of Pompeii from 62 A.D. to the present. (Use the home page for information source #1 and click on time line.)

 

4)      Write an eye witness description of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D. (Use the eyewitness description of Pliny as a  reference in information source #1 and click on Misenum and Stabiae.)

 

5)      As an important resident of ancient Pompeii, describe your home in detail. You may wish to include a drawing of a floor plan. (Use information source #1 and click on Pompeii and then on the House of the Faun. As you click on each room of the house, descriptive information will appear at the bottom of the screen.)

 

6)      Read a book on Pompeii or Herculaneum and write a brief book report. (Use the home page for information source #1 and click on list of books or find your own book, written for children, in the school or public library.)

 

 

Information Sources for Activities:

 

1)      “Pompeii: Unraveling Ancient Mysteries”

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/pompeii/index.html

 

2)      “Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius”       

      http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vesuvius/deatype.html

 

 

 

Credits

 

 

 

Special thanks to the following sites for maps and images of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.

 

            “Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius”

            http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vesuvius/deatype.html

 

            “Il Portale Nazionale”

http://pompei.starnetwork.it/centerhomeit.htm

 

“Pompei Virtual Tour”

http://www.thecolefamily.com/italy/pompeii/index.html

 

“Virtual Field Trip to Vesuvius”

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/geology/8361/2000/angela/home.htm

 

                            “World is Round”

http://www.worldisround.com

 

“Coasterquest”

http://www.coasterquest.com