tile wrote:
>I doubt a normal slave would know greek
>and how to write and to read.
The majority of 'normal run of the mill slaves' wouldn't.
But a Greek slave would speak Greek:) and many of them were literate
and a premium slave (secretary, accountant, teacher, overseer, etc) to
own for the rich to work in their inner circle.
Plus the Greek slave market was just behind the Basilica Julia in the
Roman Forum, a very prime location.
Literate slaves ran rich households including the Emperor's.
Plus when your employer has your life & death or is able to make your
life a living hell or to grand you your freedom in the palm of his/her
hand...you tend to be a very good worker:).
The Pedagogium (~81-96AD) was a school for Imperial slaves on the slope
of the Palatine Hill. The graffiti found there shows these slaves were
literate plus the famous 'Alexamenos Graffito' was in Greek.
Also in the Museo Nazionale Romano there are quite a few funeral
inscriptions of these Imperial slaves, who were personal secretaries,
accountants, etc and I recall one was even a party planner for Imperial
ceremonies.
So putting an Imperial slave overseeing the Emperor's property isn't
that far of a stretch.
Someone has to be in charge of the workmen doing the repairs,
inspecting, paying them, buying supplies, accounting for all the money,
etc.
Plus an empty villa is just asking to be robbed of things like doors,
windows, fixtures, vandalism esp to the wall paintings, etc by the
locals (Camora:).
Also it was the archaeologists & historians who believe this graffito
was written by a Greek slave, I assume because it's a single name as a
slave would have and in Greek.
>up to the middle age.. writing and reading
>were left to priests.- the emperor Karolus
>magnus could hardly sign with his name
You're comparing Imperial Rome to the middle of the 'Dark Ages'?
There's alot of written wall graffiti in Pompeii that was written by
just the common people also painted wall signs of election candidates,
Amphitheater events, etc aimed at them. Also in taverns and brothels all
frequented by commoners.
Roman soldier's graffito is also found in different locations in the
Empire, one I recall on the Palatine in a guardshack about Nero.
I don't know what the literacy rate was among the male lower classes
but I think it is higher than you believe?
>most of the victims in Pompei were of
>people that tried to steal or take things
>away from houses.
I doubt it very much although one likely candidate was found recently
outside of Pompeii with *just* a silver dinner set.
Of the just over 1000 bodies discovered (5% of the population) did any
of them have a bag full of looted items?
Any looters probably left Pompeii before the final death blow came plus
the roofs were collapsing quite a while before that.
It really wasn't a bad call to stay, if it wasn't for the then unknown
pyroclastic surge cloud they would have survived by just staying outside
and on top of the falling pumice stone and ash.
Pumice stone is mostly air and it even floats but it was the very small
percentage of falling Lithics (pulverized black rock) that was
dangerous.
But they just tied a pillow (Pliny) or something over their heads to
avoid these stones.
A noted Volcanologist believes that even those who fled at the very
beginning might not have made it.
I assume because in fleeing away from Vesuvius they were staying within
the fallout (laborous walking on top of the pumice & ash, breathing-in
ash & gases and not getting far enough away).
>the eruption was not sudden.. and lasted
>a few days people had all the time to
>escape.
Actually the eruption was sudden, like BANG! But I know what you mean
:-).
But you are wrong on the timeline.
The volcano erupts just before lunch and the fatal Pompeii surge cloud
kills everyone at breakfast time the next day.
>IN Ercolano it was different.. there was a
>sudden poisonous cloud.. that killed many
>people.
They had sunny skies and a starlight night but then around 1am the next
day their intense surge cloud killed them within a heartbeat. Regards,
Walter
..And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...
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