Pompeii began as a settlement of small fishing and agricultural communities. In 80BCE, it was incorporated into the Roman Empire when the Roman dictator Sulla settled about 5,000 Roman veterans and their families in the city. Local inhabitants were displaced, and the city was renamed Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum, indicating its status as a colony.
While Pompeii was not a particularly important town within the Roman empire, it had a population of 10-12,000 and many wealthy Romans built houses there. With easy access to the Mediterranean and proximity to Rome, Pompeii was a hub for trade throughout the empire.
On August 24, 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy erupted. By the end of the day, the Roman port city of Pompeii was covered by 20 feet of ash and rock. The city lay forgotten until the eighteenth century. Archaeological excavations began in 1748 and are still being done. Almost three quarters of the city has been uncovered and a number of buildings restored.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Technology (OMSI) in Portland had a special exhibit on Pompeii which included more than200 items on loan from the Naples National Archaeological Museum. Shown below are some of the Roman tools which were on display in this exhibit.
With easy access to the Mediterranean and proximity to Rome, Pompeii was a hub for trade throughout the empire. Exports from Pompeii included garum (a fish sauce produced from fish guts), olive oils, wines, and millstones cut from volcanic rock. The city imported lamps from northern Italy, pottery from Gaul, and oil and wines from Spain, Sicily, and Crete. As a trading and mercantile center, the merchants of Pompeii used weights and measures.
According to the Museum display:
“Because they were so easy to use, steelyard balances were the most commonly used scales in Pompeii. Goods were suspended from a hook on one side of a fulcrum, while weights were added to a plate on the opposite side, until both sides balanced.”
In addition to the balance scale, some of the merchants in Pompeii used a statera which had a sliding weight on a crossbar marked with a scale.
More Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome: Paintings and Mosaics in Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Glass Vessels from Pompeii (Photo Diary)
Ancient Rome: Sculpture in Pompeii
Ancient Rome: Erotic Images in Pompeii (Photo Diary)
Ancient Rome: Jewelry (Photo Diary)
Ancient Rome: Pompeii's Amphitheater
Ancient Rome: The Houses of Pompeii