- Oplontis
-
Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata * UNESCO World Heritage SiteCountry Italy Type Cultural Criteria iii, iv, v Reference 829 Region ** Europe and North America Coordinates 40°45′11″N 14°27′11″E / 40.753°N 14.453°ECoordinates: 40°45′11″N 14°27′11″E / 40.753°N 14.453°E Inscription history Inscription 1997 (21st Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCO
Oplontis and other cities affected by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The black cloud represents the general distribution of ash and cinder. Modern coast lines are shown.
Oplontis was a town near Pompeii, in the Roman Empire. On August 24, AD 79, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it under a deep layer of ash. It is today the location of the Villa Poppaea, the villa of the wife of Emperor Nero, which was excavated in the mid-20th century and is open to the public.
A second villa, the Villa of L. Crassius Tertius, was discovered in 1974, 250 metres east of the Villa of Poppaea, during the construction of a school. It was named following the finding of a bronze seal bearing Crassius' name.
The name "Oplontis" most likely refers to the baths in the area of Oncino, but today the name commonly covers the group of villas in the middle of the modern town of Torre Annunziata, also known as Torre Nunziata in the local Neapolitan dialect.
A large number of artifacts from Oplontis are preserved in the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
See also
External links
Categories:- Ancient cities
- Archaeological sites in Italy
- Campania
- Coastal cities and towns in Italy
- Cities and towns in Campania
- Destroyed cities
- Former populated places in Italy
- Pompeii (ancient city)
- Roman sites of Campania
- Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC
- Visitor attractions in Italy
- World Heritage Sites in Italy
- Campanian geography stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
