Plans and Streetscapes of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Pompeii

At the time of the eruption in AD 79, Pompeii was a bustling town covering approximately 160 acres, with an estimated population between 15,000 and 20,000 people. Within its walls, Pompeii was divided into blocks intersected by straight, well-constructed streets paved with stone. The layout of the roads and buildings reflected Greek urban planning influences, featuring a regular geometric grid. There were three main streets: two running east-west, crossed at right angles by a third running north-south. These streets led to four main gates.

The town was fortified with defensive walls and included twelve watchtowers for security. All other streets branched off from these main thoroughfares, forming a grid pattern. The blocks were often occupied by multi-storey residential complexes or rows of adjoining houses. Street widths varied between 2.4 and 4.5 meters, and all streets were paved.

Pompeii had a range of public amenities, including three bathhouses, an exercise ground, an amphitheatre, two theatres, and a large forum. There was also a palaestra (wrestling school). Numerous temples and public shrines indicate an active religious life.

Pompeii was a vibrant commercial and manufacturing centre, with workshops and small businesses distributed throughout the town. The excavated city gives the impression of a lively community where people of different social classes worked side-by-side, enjoying relative peace and political stability.

Most streets featured raised footpaths and strategically placed stepping stones, allowing pedestrians to cross without stepping into wet or refuse-filled roads. Evidence of wheeled traffic is visible in the form of ruts in the paving stones, aligned with the stepping stones to facilitate crossing. Many fountains provided communal water supplies and were usually located at street intersections.

Approximately three-quarters of Pompeii has been excavated to date.

Herculaneum 

Herculaneum was a comparatively smaller walled town located on the coast, featuring a range of elegant public buildings alongside private houses that reflected a wide range of social classes. Some archaeologists estimate its population to have been about one-third that of Pompeii, while others suggest a population of 4,000 to 5,000 based on the seating capacity of its theatre.

The town’s layout also shows Greek influences, with two main streets running east-west; sone of these streets are notably wide with others were narrower than those in Pompeii. Herculaneum had fewer minor streets compared to Pompeii.

Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum may not have been as commercially active; evidence suggests that fishing was likely a major industry. The town shows less evidence of wheeled traffic and commercial trading. There are no stepping stones in the streets, but sophisticated storm drains connect to an extensive underground sewer system.

Public facilities in Herculaneum were grand, and private residences ranged from large, elegant houses and villas to smaller workshop homes. The full extent of the external walls remains unknown, as much of the town is still unexcavated. However, it is known that Herculaneum had a sea wall.

To date, only about 30% of Herculaneum has been excavated.