Pompeii is well-known as an Italian city that was largely destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year A.D. 79. Technological advances have enabled researchers to virtually reconstruct the area’s ruins including the 3-D representation of a luxurious estate owned by a banker from that era, Caecilius Iucundus.
A video tour of the residence, posted by Sweden’s Lund University which led the research, shows a large front entrance area where the owner likely greeted guests in the morning and where women and workers gathered in the afternoon.
Other features of the room are believed to have included a reservoir to store rainwater, a bust of the owner himself, and a money chest. Elsewhere in the house, according to the video, are an ornate office called a tabularium, a banquet hall for special guests, and a garden room for relaxation.
This research effort, called the Swedish Pompeii Project, began in the year 2000 and includes an examination of businesses and gardens in addition to luxurious homes in Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago.
