Stabiae (modern Castellammare di Stabia) was an ancient Roman resort town and port located on the coast of the Bay of Naples, Italy. It is most famous for being one of the three major cities, along with Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Unlike the commercial hubs of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Stabiae was primarily a luxury residential area for the Roman elite. It is the location where Pliny the Elder, the Roman naval commander and naturalist, died while attempting to rescue friends during the 79 AD eruption. The site features the largest concentration of well-preserved, "otium" (leisure) villas in the Mediterranean, some exceeding 20,000 square meters.
Map of excavations at Stabiae The Roman author and admiral Pliny the Elder recorded that the town was rebuilt after the Social Wars and became a popular resort for wealthy Romans. He reported that there were several miles of luxury villas built along the edge of the headland, all enjoying panoramic views out over the bay. The villas that can be visited today come from the time between the destruction of Stabiae by Sulla in 89 BC and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. In 1759 Karl Weber identified and described part of the city near the Villa San Marco which extended over about 45,000 m2. He found five paved streets intersecting at right angles, the forum, a temple on a podium, a gymnasium, tabernae with arcades, pavements and small private houses.
Plan of part of the town of Stabiae, (Villa San Marco top right) Publisher: Napoli : Tipografia dell'Academia reale delle scienze
#RomanSiteSaturday
#Pliny the Elder, shown here in a portrait by Bollinger.
Pliny goes on the beach between #Stabiae and Pompeii in 79 AD during the eruption of Vesuvius, in a vain attempt to rescue some of the inhabitants at #Pompeii.
See Alt. For more details.
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