Pompeii on 79 AD: the natural landscape. A new approach for visiting an archaeological site.

When visiting an archaeological site, the integration of archaeology, history and geology can allow a different or more complete interpretation to the finds. Therefore a new approach to archaeological sites is proposed: a reconstruction of natural scenery as a new key of reading. The reconstruction of the natural scenery of the Pompeian territory in AD 79 is the example shown. Pompeii was built on a hill made of lava from Vesuvius, therefore more elevated in respect of the surrounding plain. The coastline, roughly parallel to the present-day one, was stretched about 1 km southwest of the Sea Gate. Two gentle hills represented older coastlines, and between them, to the south of the mouth of the Sarno River, there were limited marshy areas, linked to last segment of the river. Towards the east Pompeii was surrounded by cultivated fields that, with the so-called Rustics Villas, fitted well within the socioeconomic framework of the city, before the eruption. The water supply was ensured by an artificial canal discovered north of Pompeii. But this supply system was dangerous for the city that was hit by two floods that caused severe damage, including collapsed housing as shown by the geological analysis carried out in the archaeological excavation in the archaic city.