After safely arriving in Sorrento by train from Vienna, the first order of business was to visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Taking the Circumvesuviana train, getting there only takes about half an hour, and it is a pleasant enough journey assuming you watch your belongings and don't run into any pickpockets. Luckily, I managed to avoid any incidents and was able to focus my attention on the city of Pompeii.
A brief history: Pompeii was an ancient Roman city that was destroyed and buried under tons of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. When the city was discovered more than a thousand years later, it was found to be well-preserved because of the lack of air and moisture underneath the ash.
When I passed through the main gates into Pompeii, I was in awe. It was absolutely astounding to think I was standing on the same streets that someone else had used thousands of years earlier, and it's almost exactly the same now as it was then. Not only that, but walking around without a personal tour guide or an audio guide, I let my imagination run wild - and I could draw parallels between modern-day homes and the homes of Pompeii. For example, some of the buildings had L-shaped or U-shaped countertops that were used for serving food. Interior designers today still use the same design for kitchen countertops!
Another mind-boggling similarity is the water system - we currently use a system of pipes to run water to various parts of our houses, and those are connected to a larger system that services many houses. Pompeii had an aqueduct system that provided water to street fountains, baths, homes, and businesses.
All this made me wonder - what else has not changed that much over time? Or another way of looking at it - how much of our lives has been influenced by the ancients? We're creatures of habit, but are the habits that deeply ingrained?
Comments
Also, to answer your question, I guess good engineering is always good engineering? :P
As for the engineering - I guess you're right!