The Wonders of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Our Classics department spent the beginning of October half term exploring the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Sixteen girls from years 11, 12 and 13 accompanied by Mrs Fryer, Miss Fforde and Ms Gray saw some amazing sights, visiting the beautiful National Archaeological Museum in Naples, where they saw artefacts rescued and restored from the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and then travelling to the ‘lost city’ of Herculaneum itself, which was ‘fascinating and rather scary’.

The next day, it was on to Mount Vesuvius, where the group trekked up to the very top crater, where there were stunning views of the Bay of Naples and in the afternoon, they visited the ruined city of Pompeii, which they found very beautiful and on an even larger scale than Herculaneum. Life in this rich and prosperous city was dramatically and brusquely interrupted in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius erupted and totally buried it.

The girls were full of enthusiasm for the trip, saying:  ‘We saw wonders such as the Stabian Baths, the House of the Tragic Poet (with the ‘Cave Canem’ floor mosaic) and the Roman Forum, and we even got to visit the house of our Cambridge Latin Course hero, Caecilius. We felt very accomplished at the end of our visit where we ended up reciting our Literature in the theatre!’

Find out more about studying A-level Classical Civilisation at Sheffield High School for Girls.