Large Vineyard in Pompeii

Yesterday we visited Pompeii. We saw the once buried city so well preserved. As a kid, I grew up hearing the story of Pompeii and it was truly special to see it for the first time. My article focuses on the large vineyard excavated by the University of Maryland. Unfortunately, areas that have been excavated in 1966 and 1968 were damaged due to truck passage and modern vegetation. But there were some areas still untouched and covered by the original volcanic fill. Here, archeologist were able to study and examine undisturbed cavities left by the roots and stakes of the vineyard.

They were able to map out the general planting patterns of the vineyard. They were able to study the original contours of the surface and found depressions for water. One thing they found was that the depressions were much deeper than they originally though.

Cavities of the plants and stakes were emptied and made cast of them. They found a wider range in diameter of root cavities meaning the small ones were probably cuttings set previously to replace the dead vines. Footpaths were discovered due to the perfectly preserved root and post holes on both sides of the paths. Also a few coins were found on the path. A person must have accidentally dropped them while walking along the path.

Root cavities of trees were found frequently around the vineyard. It was traditional the plant trees around the edges of the vineyard. But not too many so it wouldn’t block the sunlight. However, in this vineyard, they found a more tree root cavities than what was recommended at the time. This article had not yet identified the types of trees yet but it also was written in 1973.

In and around these cavities, they discovered carbonized roots and fruit. One odd thing is that they found a carbonized olive at the vineyard. It is not common to have olive trees in modern vineyards. But archeologist think that the olive tree might have been one of the trees the grape vines may have wedded. Vines were “trained” on a frame or post of some sort. One method that was very popular in Pompeii was were they wedded the vines to the trees. This kind of training was best suitable for areas with rich soil and hot, dry climates. A perfect description of Pompeii. They said that the volcanic area had extremely fertile soil. It was quite porous which allowed rainfall to infiltrate and pass through it.

In general, the Romans believed that the vines did better on hill slopes. It produced a higher quality wine. But vines on flatter ground level produced a larger quantity of wine and therefore is more profitable. At the vineyard, the land had a slight slope which allowed light rains to absorb easily but drain away from buildings during heavy rains.

A number of bones were discovered at the vineyard. Some were thought to be animals fleeing from the eruption. They found dogs, cats, wild boars, and horses. But some of the bones had marks from tools. This suggest that these were once meals. This gave archeologist an inside look to their diet.

In conclusion, the discovery of this vineyard gives insights on how the Romans used the ancient land and general layouts of vineyards during that time.

Photo taken by Madison