Pompeii is a slice in time. The city is exactly the way it was on the day in 79 AD when it was buried. Historians can study how the people lived and the quality of the life on that day. The people of Pompeii lived pretty well and the houses and stores show us this. The art painted on the walls of the houses is bright and clear, the villas that the rich lived in are still nice, and the stores that lined the streets can be seen. The streets are still laid out as they were.
This is an example of why archaeological sites are important. An archaeological site is a location where human activities once took place and left some form of material evidence behind. It can also be a place where human activity occurred and material remains were deposited. For example: the lost city of Pompeii. Archaeological sites should be preserved so they can be properly studied by today’s archaeologists or saved for future archaeologists.
Since archaeology is, after all, a destructive process, some sites should be preserved simply because they are unique. By having these entire archaeologist sites kept preserved, we can learn about how all humans have certain things in common and share a sense of unity. The life stories of people who lived long ago help us learn about our common heritage as human beings.
Studying past cultures helps us understand how our own culture. Pompeii holds significant historical importance. As it was preserved under layers of volcanic materials, it has frozen a point in time which historians today can gather information from. Pompeii serves to fill in important information on the history of Rome such as the condition of the civilians, the general lifestyle, religion and art.
