POMPEII HISTORY

POMPEII WAS AN ANCIENT CITY NEAR NAPLES IN ITALIAN REGION OF COMPANIA NEAR NAPLES.  POMPEII WAS DESTROYED AND BURIED UNDER 6 M OF ASH DURING MT VESUVIUS IN 79 A.D.

THE TOWN WAS FOUNDED IN 6TH CENTURY.  IT WAS CAPTURED BY ROMANS IN 80 B.C. DURING DESTRUCTION IT HAD 20,000 FOLKS WITH COMPLEX WATER SYSTEM AND AMPHITHEATER.  THE ERUPTION WAS A DISASTER FOR THE TOWN.  THE SITE WAS LOST FOR 1500 YEARS UNTIL DISCOVERY IN 1600.  THE OBJECTS THAT LAY BENEATH THE CITY HAVE BEEN PRESERVED FOR 1000'S OF YEARS BECAUSE OF LACK OF AIR MOISTURE.  THESE ARTIFACTS ALLOWED DETAILED INFORMATION REGARDING LIFE OF THE CITY WHEN ROMANS TOOK OVER.  THE PEOPLE  WHO DIED HERE WERE WELL PRESERVED AS THE ASH LAYERS PRESERVED THEM.

FOR 250 YEARS POMPEII HAS BEEN A BIG TOURIST DESTINATION FOR ITALY.  THEY HAVE 25 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR.  POMPEII IS TRANSLATED IN LATIN AS "5" - PERHAPS 5 HAMLETS.  IT COVERS A BOUT 163 ACRES AND WAS A MAJOR CITY.  

THERE WERE OLDER PARTS OF POMPEII THAT HAD OTHER EXPOSED LAYERS THAT HAD BEEN COVERED DURING OTHER ASH EXPLOSIONS. MANY FOLKS ARE EMPLOYED IN THE TOURISM BUSINESS.  THE RUINS ARE EASILY ACCESSED.  ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND LAVA BELOW THE CITY WITH BITS OF ANIMAL BONE,  POTTERY SHERDS AND PLANTS.  BY C 14 DATING THE OLDEST LAYERS DATE FROM 8TH CENTURY B.C.  IT WAS USED AS A SAFER PORT BY GREEK PHOENICIANS, GREEK SAILORS.  ACCORDING TO STRABO, ETRUSCANS CAPTURED EXCAVATIONS.  POMPEII WAS FIRST CAPTURED BY THE GREEK COLONY IN 525 B.C.

THEY BUILT SEVERAL TEMPLES FOR JUPITER AND APOLLO THAT WERE DESTROYED BY VOLCANIC ERUPTION.  SOME MOSAIC PORTRAITS HAVE BEEN PRESERVED.  WINE JARS HAVE BEEN FOUND BEARING THE WORLD'S  EARLIEST  BLEND.  DURING THE EARLY PERIOD OF 89 B.C POMPEII WAS ANNEXED TO ROMAN REPUBLIC.  THEY BUILT A LARGE AMPHITHEATRE AND HAD MANY EROTIC DECORS IN THEIR ART AND SCULPTURE.  THE AREA HAS A GOOD FERTILITY OF THE SOIL WITH MUCH ASH.  THE TOWN ASKS FOLKS TO VISIT HERCULANEUM AND ITALIAL AS WELL.

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HOUSE TYPES IN CALIFORNIA

THESE NATIVES INSULATED THEIR REDWOOD POLE HOUSES WITH CONICAL EARTH BANKED FOR AROUND THE THE WALL.  THEY BANKED EARTH EXTERIORS AS SWEAT HOUSES OR ASSEMBLY LODGES.

THE MONARCHE AND YOKUTS, POMO AND MODOC, PATWIN MIWOK BUILT EXCAVATED PIT HOUSES FOR WINTER SHELTERS.  GROUPS IN WARMER CLIMATES CLIMATES ERECTED CONICAL WIKIUPS OF GRASS AND REEDS.

THE MONARCHS WHO LIVED IN THE 2000' IN ELEVATION ALONG THE SIERRA MADRES MADE PINE POLE TIPIS ABOUT 10' IN DIAMETER.

SOME OF THEM HAD FIRES IN THEIR TIPIS OR ON THE OUTSIDE DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER.  THE YOKUTS MADE BRUSH HOUSES OF THATCHED ROOFS OF LEAFY BRANCHES.  THEY WERE ABOUT 20' IN DIAMETER.  THE POMO BUILT CONICAL EARTH LODGES ABOUT 60' IN DIAMETER CENTERED OVER EXCAVATED PITS 60' IN DIAMETER.

THE HUPA HAD PLANK CEDAR AND REDWOOD HOUSES IN 1920 ALONG THE RIVERS.
THEY HAD CIRCULAR ENTRANCES BARELY THE SIZE OF THE HUMAN BODY.  WE HAVE ENTERED SIMILAR ONES RECONSTRUCTED BY YUROK FOLKS IN THE PRAIRIE REDWOODS STATE PARK BY TRINIDAD.

THEIR WERE 34 BANDS OF POMO SPREAD IN FOUR COUNTIES..  THEY HAD HOKAN DIALECTS.

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POMO HONORING MONTH

FOR MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS SOME OF THE POMO MADE THEIR HOME IN WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE LAGUNA.  THEY HUNTED ELK, MOUNTAIN LION, DEER, AND SMALL BIRDS, AND COLLECTED OVER 400 ROOTS, SEEDS AND BERRIES FROM NATIVE PLANTS.  SEBASTOPOL IS HONORING MANY ARTISTS AND THEY HAVE VARIOUS PAINTINGS, WEAVINGS, BASKETS, EXHIBITS, AND ONE ACT PLAYS THIS YEAR IN OCTOBER. MANY POMO YOUTH ARE LEARNING HOW TO DANCE.

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THE ART OF BASKETRY

THROUGHOUT LIFE MANY TRIBES HERE WOVE INTRICATE BASKETS INCLUDING HATS .  IN A POMO LEGEND MARUNDA CREATED THE WORLD FOR PLANTS USED IN BASKETRY.  THEY ORIGINALLY HAD A LOT OF RAW MATERIALS AND THE WOMEN MADE BASKETS FOR ALL PURPOSES.  KUBURN IS THE TERM FOR RAW MATERIALS.  THE MEN MADE WILLOW BASKETS FOR THE INFANTS.

BASKET MAKING WAS SIMILAR IN MANY TRIBES. ALL TRIBES USED TURNING AND OR COILING.THEY WOVE BASKETS SEATED WITH ASPHALT UM OR PINE PITCH.  THEY EVEN USED BASKETS FOR CATCHING ANIMALS.  SOME EVEN MADE PRIZED GIFT BASKETS.

EVEN THE YOKUT NATIVES MADE DETAILED DECORATED BASKETS MADE FROM REDBUD, SEDGE, WILLOW AND QUAIL FEATHERS.  ALL TRIBES CONSIDERED TO BE SPIRITUAL.  THEY CONSIDERED THE BASKETS TO BE ALIVE.

IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEY USED GRASS STALKS AND REEDS USED FOR DESIGNING.  THE POMO ALSO USED REEDS IN THE NORTH MADE BASKETS FOR COLLECTING ROOTS, SEEDS, AND NUTS.  THEY MADE A PADDLE OF REDBUD AND WILLOW AND USED A BASKET TO COLLECT TARWEED, AN IMPORTANT SEED.  POMO MADSE LARGE TWINED BURDEN BASKETS ON THEIR BACKS TO COLLECT ACORNS AND SEEDS. 

THE WOMEN POUNDED ACORNS IN AN OAK DISH AND THEN THEY LEACHED THEM IN A LARGE BASIN IN THE SAND.  SOME WOMEN LEACHED THEM IN SHALLOW OAK MADE FROM TUBS.  SOME WOMEN USED LARGE WOVEN BASKETS WITH HEATED  STONES TO COOK MUSH.  MANY BASKETS WERE  BURNT FROM STONES.  THEY MADE FEATHERED BASKETS ALSO.

MOST NATIVES WOVE BASKETS FROM VARIOUS REEDS AND MANY FOLKS USED DIFFERENT TYPES OF BASKETS FOR GIFTS, CEREMONIES AND UTENSILS.

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