Pompeii's Influence In Campania

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Strategically located on top of a hill at the end of the Sarno River, Pompeii was a very attractive location to many settlers in Campania. Various ethnic groups showed great interest in settling in the area, including the Greeks, Etruscans, Samnites, and the Romans. As a result, what started off as a small agricultural community eventually transformed into a major urban hub wielding significant influence in Campania. Through rich archaeological and literary evidence excavated in Pompeii, scholars have been able to trace back Pompeii’s development from an agricultural settlement into an urban center, which occurred over a span of 700 years. Pompeii’s early history is humble: archaeologists date Pompeii back to the prehistoric times as a small…show more content…
As the Roman Empire started expanding into Campania around the 4th century BC, they came into conflict with the Samnites and challenged their dominance in the region. After a series of three “Samnite Wars” spanning from 343 BC to 290 BC, Rome took control over all of Campania, turning Pompeii into an “allied city” of Rome . Under Roman rule, Pompeii quickly developed into an urban center, and an abundance of new building projects began to take place. In fact, many of the building foundations seen in Pompeii today date back to the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, during which the Romans had control over Pompeii . The Forum, the city center, went through a series of remarkable changes. The Forum’s floor was newly paved, and a colonnade was added to the central area of the Forum. The Temple of Jupiter was also erected at the end of the Forum’s central area as well . Other than the erection of new public structures, evidence of prosperity brought by Pompeii’s urban development is also apparent in the increased variety of consumed goods. A greater range of pottery, such as amphorae from Tunisia and vessels from the Greek island of Kos, has been excavated in Pompeii, along with coins that came from Egypt . Evidence suggests that Pompeians also began to enjoy a more varied diet. They first consumed fowls and olives around this period, as well as various spices and fruits including chickpeas, walnuts, pine nuts, and dates. Most importantly, the analysis of rubbish deposits reveals that food processing no longer occurred at the home, and consumers began to purchase pre-prepared crops and fish . It is clear that by 100 BC, Pompeii had fully become a flourishing urban city, and Pompeians enjoyed a higher quality of life as a result. Despite such improvements, however, Pompeians were dissatisfied with strict Roman rule and the heavy taxes they imposed. Thus, in the
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