Accession Number
1980/1.176

Title
Foro civile. Pompei

Artist(s)
Italian

Object Creation Date
circa 1860

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
10 7/16 in. x 14 15/16 in. ( 26.5 cm x 37.9 cm )

Credit Line
Transfer from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Subject matter

This photograph represents the forum of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, now in ruins. Pompeii, along with its neighbor Herculaneum, was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, which buried and thereby preserved the two cities in ash, pumice, and dirt. Since their rediscovery in the eighteenth century, Pompeii and Herculaneum have become major sites of conservation, tourism, as well as plunder. In the left middle ground of the photograph, a single male figure stands amid the stony remains of columns and pavement. The dark silhouette of Mount Vesuvius looms in the distance. 

Physical Description
Photograph of Roman ruins. Rows of columns surround some tiles. A man observes the ruins. 

Eva Caston 2017

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Pompeii
Ruins
columns
columns (architectural elements)
forums (open spaces)
males
ruins
standing
tourism
travel photography