From 1 to 2016 (for some reason!)

Basic facts and figures with a link to an interactive quiz!

Let your PC do the converting! Enter an Arabic number (that's what we use today) or a Roman number, and click enter...

Wikipedia entry...

Explore the ruins of the forum with Google earth.

Aerial photo of the forum.

Taken from Google Earth.

With numbered key to buildings.

Acccurate modern reconstruction.

Drawing showing a possible reconstruction.

Photo from the same angle as drawing above. Note Vesuvius smoking away...

Follow this link, click Pompeii on the left-hand, red column; then choose Foro from the menu going across the centre.

Short, introductory description from the Official Website.

6-minute tour around the Pompeii Forum narrated by Prof. John Dobbins.

No.1 on the plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Description, plan and photos of the capitolium dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.
More links:
- quality photo
- atmospheric night-time photo
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- a reconstruction.
- the head of Jupiter found in the temple, presumably from his cult statue.
- official webpage.

No.2 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
The food market.
More links:
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- interactive plan.
- official webpage.

No.3 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Plan, description, reconstruction and photos of this religious building.
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- Detailed article on its architecture and history including photos and computer models.
- official webpage.

No.4 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Sometimes referred to as the Temple of Vespasian.
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- interactive plan includes more photos of the well-preserved altar depicting a sacrifice.
- official webpage.

No.5 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
More links:
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- dedicatory inscription of the building.
- interactive plan.
- official webpage.

No.7 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Three buildings: two offices and one council chamber.
More links:
- drawing.
- official webpage.

No.8 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Description, plans, photos...
More links:
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- reconstruction; older drawings may show, wrongly, the basilica as roofless.
- photo of tribunal, the raised podium (here fronted with columns) where judges sat and presided over law cases.
- wall-painting showing judges on a tribunal from the House of the Physician in Pompeii; now in the Archaeological Museum in Naples.
- How basilicas became churches.

No.9 on plan on p.51 of CLC Book 1.
Description, plan and photos of the temple.
More links:
- 3D model of today's ruins.
- reconstruction.
- official webpage.

Official webpage

The Arch of Germanicus is featured on the Stage 4 title-page.

Famous fresco from an unrecorded findspot in Pompeii showing exactly what the Romans wrote with.

From left to right: an identifying tag (sillybos) that would be attached to a scroll; a wax- tablet "book"; a double ink pot; a reed pen; and a papyrus scroll (volumen).
In the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Wax tablets, styli, ink wells, papyrus scrolls and scroll box on a wealthy Roman's desk in his tablinum.
Terrific reconstruction in the Vita Romanorum exhibiton, Spain 2011.

An excellent overview of the use made of papyrus, parchment and wax tablets.

Detailed explanations from Smith's famous Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. The text can be difficult to follow since it was written over 100 years ago, but the information remains good.

Start with this webpage about scrolls of paper (papyrus) and parchment; then click on to Scroll Box; Ink; Wax Tablets and the Stylus.

Great picture and description of tablet and stylus.

Beautiful example in the Roman Rhineland Museum in Cologne in Germany.

A well-known example since it still preserves the teacher's model writing (in Greek) and the student's attempt at copying it.

The first evidence of Roman Britain's slave-trade has been unearthed: a wax-tablet receipt for a young French girl bought for the equivalent price of a small sports car today.

The so-called "Sappho of Pompeii" is one of the most famous female portraits from Pompeii, thanks to the air of gracious refinement that surrounds this girl caught in a moment of meditation before putting pen to wax. Perhaps not a real-life portrait but a model of the affluent (note her gold hair-net and earrings) and cultured Roman woman. Found in 1760, find-spot unrecorded.

In Naples Archaeological Museum.

This portrait is thought to be of Paquius Proculus (or Terentius Nero) and his wife, since it comes from Paquius' house in Pompeii. He exhibits magisterial dignity with toga and scroll; she exhibits cultured femininity, with stylus and tablet.

In Naples Archaeological Museum.

Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry holds stylus and wax writing-tablet.
1st century-AD Roman wall-painting from Moregine near Pompeii; no permanent museum.

Introduction to the famous ink tablets found at Vindolanda, near Hadrian's Wall in England.

A closer look at the Vindolanda tablets, both wax and ink types, in more detail.

From Vindolanda in England.

This example hung from a desk-stand.

This shows how beautiful these simple objects could be...

More permanent writing was done on papyrus scrolls. These "volumes" formed the basis of personal and public libraries.
Here we see a recreation of an ancient library with shelves of scrolls which are tagged with their title-labels.
Photo from the film-set of "Alexander" with Anthony Hopkins as Ptolemy.

Famous fresco from Pompeii showing a mother holding a scroll listening to her boy reading from another.

In situ in the Villa of the Myseries in Pompeii.

Boy reading a scroll.

Wall painting from Pompeii area; in the Archaeological Museum in Naples.

A real Roman papyrus scroll; it's blackened and scorched from the volcanic ash that buried it in 79 AD. From the "Villa of the Papyri" at Herculaneum.

Twist and turn...

A detailed description of the production of scrolls.

An easy-to-read account on how the Romans delivered letters.

Open up the "Look Inside" feature to read the Introduction of this book ("Latin Letters" by Cecelia Luschnig). [Note: if you are not in the US Amazon will try to divert you to your own country's amazon store, which may not offer the 'look inside' feature. In this case try opening the link in a 'private browsing window' and/or inputting a US postcode.]

Curious about the development of the Latin alphabet? This page traces the development of letter forms from Phoenicia to the Roman world via clever animation.

The changing shape of Latin letters in the course of Roman history is vividly shown in this excellent article which has links to downloadable Latin fonts. Primarily for older surfers.

Romans also wrote on small thin sheets of lead - especially when they wished to curse someone! This website gives a detailed description of them...or jump straight to the photos.

See also Stage 22 in Book III.

Great article for older students analysing the level of literacy in Roman Britain based on finds of writing tablets and curse tablets. The findings - that literacy levels were lower than in other western Roman provinces is perhaps not too surprising, but check out the other conclusions and distribution maps.

Converts the day and month to the full written Roman version.

For the year, click AUC (ab urbe condita: "from the foundation of the city of Rome" - which was 753BC) to get the year as the Romans would have numbered it. So, 2006 AD would be 2759 AUC (or in Roman numerals MMDCCLIX).

Don't forget that MMVI (2006) you see (e.g. at end of TV progs) is an AD date, counting from the birth of Jesus, thus not a true ancient Roman date.

Wikipedia entry...