Foundation of Pompeii

[gilius]

Apparently, Herculaneum and Naples were founded by the Greeks, but Pompeii was either founded by the natives or Etruscans with a Samnite phase then a Roman phase? There was clearly Hellenistic incluence (theatres, Alexander mosaic), but no actual Greek occupation; how true is this...? Apparently, the complete wall circuit was in place by 600BC (built by the Natives or Etruscans); does anyone know how large the area is within the walls of the old Roman town?

[Ursus]

http://www.unrv.com/book-review/fires-of-vesuvius.php

 

Chapter one recounts Pompeii's colorful history. Archaeological traces point to a past stretching as far back as the sixth century BCE, when Oscans, Greeks and Etruscans competed for power in the region of Campagnia. From there it fell under Samnite influence, before finally coming into the Roman orbit in the early third century BCE. It participated in the Social War in 91 BCE, and afterwards officially became a Roman colony under Sulla, who dedicated it to his patron god Venus. After the eruption, it passed into history. It became a tourist attraction to European dignitaries in the 18th century. Allied bombs damaged parts of the city in 1943, and surprisingly some of what modern tourists see has been reconstructed from wartime rubble.