Spring 2020 in Rome during the covid-19 pandemic

Around this time in May 2020, I was returning from Rome to Finland after a very unusual spring during which the covid-19 pandemic threw the world into chaos. I was then working on a research project as part of a team at the Finnish Institute in Rome. When the pandemic began, our team decided to stay in Rome rather than interrupt our work and fly back to Finland. Memories of that extraordinary spring came vividly back to me when I was once again at the Institute in February, reading the diary entries our group had made in the institute’s guestbook (photos of the guestbook entries at the end of the article). I’d like to share some of my experiences from the spring five years ago.

Our research team (photo: Mikko Itälahti)

In addition to myself, the team led by the institute’s director, Arja Karivieri, included Ville Kukkonen, Taneli Puputti, Maria Solin, Riikka Vuoksenmaa, and Anna Vuolanto. We arrived at Villa Lante, where the institute is situated, at the end of January with the intention of spending the entire spring in Rome working on a research project about the late antique and early medieval Ostia. Work began as planned, and we each started drafting our articles on Ostia.

We managed to visit Ostia once before the pandemic began

Enjoying a picnic at Villa Doria Pamphilj park

In February, life at the Institute went on as usual. We worked on our research and enjoyed our time in sunny Rome. At the end of February, our team traveled to a tourism fair in Florence to promote the Ostia exhibition that was open at the Vapriikki Museum in Tampere. We had already heard news of a new virus that had been detected in Europe. During the fair weekend, we started receiving reports of cases in Northern Italy. Despite this, we spent a pleasant weekend in Florence, visiting local sights alongside the fair.

Queuing to enter the Palazzo Pitti in Florence

It soon became clear that the new virus was developing into a full-blown epidemic. In early March, public events began to be canceled in Rome, and other precautionary measures were taken. We weren’t yet too worried and continued working at the institute, spending time in the city and eating out as usual. However, some residents at the institute decided to end their stay and return home at this point.

Our disappointment at hearing that Filippo Coarelli’s lecture was canceled
(photo: Taneli Puputti)

By the second week of March, it was evident that the pandemic was serious. In Northern Italy, the virus had spread widely, and movement restrictions were imposed in those regions. More and more airlines began canceling flights to and from Italy. My boyfriend still dared to fly to Rome for a visit on Monday, March 9, but on the same day we learned that his return flight with Finnair had been canceled. Luckily, he managed to book another return flight with a different airline later that week. We were able to explore Rome together for a couple of days before places—even churches—began closing their doors due to the pandemic.

On Tuesday, March 10, bars were still open in Rome

Our team was urged to return to Finland, but after careful consideration, we decided to stay in Rome. Anna’s husband Mikko and their son Vilho also stayed with us at Villa Lante, as their family had planned to live in Rome from March to May. The institute’s director Arja and the caretaker Giovanni along with their spouses also lived at Villa Lante. Intern Magda Hukari remained at the institute’s dormitory on Via Falda and visited Villa Lante from time to time.

We often cooked meals together

Looking back, staying in Rome might have been a reckless choice since we didn’t know how bad the situation could get. However, many of us had sublet our apartments in Finland for the spring, and returning to Finland wasn’t too appealing. We had prepared to spend the whole spring in Rome, and there was still meaningful work to do with our research at the institute. We also felt it was better to stay together at Villa Lante during the lockdown than being isolated alone in Finland.

The team hard at work

Italy imposed numerous restrictions to contain the pandemic, which affected everyday life. One could only leave home for valid reasons—like going to the store, doctor, or pharmacy—and had to carry a paper form with personal information and the reason for going out. Early in the pandemic, three of our team went shopping together to buy groceries for the whole group, but police stopped them at Piazza Garibaldi and informed them that only one person at a time could go to the grocery store. Since we were so many at Villa Lante, it was impossible for one person to carry all the groceries, so we took turns and staggered our shopping trips.

People queued outside the store with safe distances
and only a few were let in at a time

At the time, the virus’s transmission methods weren’t fully understood, and there was little testing. We didn’t have a clear idea of what to do if someone showed symptoms. In mid-March, I started feeling unwell. We decided I should isolate from the others for a while. I moved temporarily to a research fellow’s room with a private bathroom and a kitchenette (the fellow had returned to Finland). Food was delivered to my door in plastic bags, and the others chatted with me from a safe distance. One seminar was even held with the others on the terrace below my window while I commented from behind the window. About a week later, we concluded that it was a false alarm, and I was able to rejoin the group.

I took part in a terrace seminar from the window of my room

Most of our days were spent in ordinary routines. We did as much research as possible with the available materials, cooked together, celebrated birthdays, sat in the sun on the terrace, and watched movies and TV shows in the library. We ordered so much pizza that one delivery guy became a familiar face, greeting us cheerfully at the gate with pizza boxes in his arms. We were sad to tell him in May that we were flying home and would no longer order pizza from him.

We made tiramisu for Riikka’s birthday

Regular walks were banned, but walking a dog or jogging near your home was allowed. Once, while out running, the police stopped me outside Villa Lante, surprised that I was jogging there on Gianicolo Hill. It took some time to convince them I actually lived in Villa Lante, a Renaissance villa. Later, I dared to run all the way down to the Tiber River. One day, I encountered a police patrol around a river bend and quickly turned back, sprinting through Trastevere’s alleys to get back to the institute.

Running along the deserted riverbanks

To ease our homesickness and to get a break from Italian food, we ordered treats from Fazer, a Finnish food company. It took several weeks for the shipment to arrive, but eventually two large boxes full of chocolate, candy, licorice, cookies, muesli, and crispbread were delivered to the institute's gate. It was one of the highlights of the spring!

Treats from Fazer

Even in the middle of a pandemic, we celebrated Easter and May Day. On Easter, we cooked and ate together on the director’s terrace. The institute treated us to traditional colomba cakes. We also hunted for chocolate eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny in the library.

Easter meal (photo: Arja Karivieri)

We prepared for May Day by making Finnish sima (mead) and limoncello. At our celebration, we “capped” a statue of Amos Anderson on the Villa Lante loggia instead of the traditional Herman Liikanen statue, since we couldn’t leave the premises due to restrictions. Rumor has it some residents still snuck out towards the Acqua Paola fountain in the dead of night.

Ville placing a student cap on Amos

May Day treats made together

In May, restrictions in Italy eased somewhat. I could now legally run all the way to the Colosseum and witness the empty streets of central Rome. Restaurants, bars, and cafes were allowed to serve takeout. We picked up pizzas from Trastevere’s Ai Marmi and enjoyed drinks outside the San Calisto bar.

In Piazza San Calisto

The pandemic disrupted our research, but we reviewed our article drafts in the final seminar in the second week of May. With the seminar the team’s stay at the institute was coming to an end. Return flights from Rome to Finland were scarce, and our first (and second?) bookings were quickly canceled. Eventually, we found Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt—where we would have to spend the night—and from there to Helsinki the next day. The return trip became a whole adventure in itself.

Final seminar approaching...

Farewell dinner on the director’s terrace

On Friday, May 15, we celebrated the end of our work period with a shared meal on the director’s terrace and said our goodbyes to the institute. On Saturday afternoon, we left Villa Lante for Fiumicino Airport. The airport was quiet, and we got through security smoothly. At the gate, passengers were screened with a thermometer, and unexpectedly, Anna was found to have a fever. The rest of us had already boarded the plane when we were informed she couldn’t fly. Anna had to return to the institute and she flew to Finland about a week later. Her husband Mikko and son Vilho traveled with the rest of the group to Frankfurt and from there to Helsinki.

Our hopeful team at Fiumicino Airport

We had booked rooms at an airport hotel in Frankfurt for our overnight layover. But upon arrival, we were told we couldn’t leave the international terminal area. So we had to sleep on the terminal benches with only the belongings we had in our carry-ons. Thankfully, we found food and drinks at one kiosk that was open.

Spending the night at Frankfurt Airport was
(hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime experience

After a poor night’s sleep, we continued our journey to Helsinki on Sunday afternoon. The entire trip from Rome had been full of uncertainty—would the flights be canceled at the last minute, would we be stopped somewhere, or would something else unexpected happen? With all the different restrictions in place in Italy and Germany, it was hard to keep track. It wasn’t until the Helsinki-bound plane took off that we could finally breathe a sigh of relief, knowing we were heading home.

Happily back in Helsinki!

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Guestbook entries from the research group (click images to enlarge):

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Finnish Conference on Classical Studies 2025

The Finnish Conference on Classical Studies was held at the University of Turku on January 23–24. The program included presentations, posters, and discussions on current topics. The program can be found on the conference website (only in Finnish). Over 70 researchers from all over Finland participated, and one of the highlights of the conference was meeting both old acquaintances and new people. In addition to the official program, we were treated to an excellent conference dinner, and we gathered at the bar Proffan kellari multiple times to catch up with each other.

Finnish Conference on Classical Studies

The conference was organized by the Department of Classics at the University of Turku. I was also involved in planning and organizing the conference. It was an interesting and educational experience to see how such an event is organized, from brainstorming ideas to handling the practical tasks during the conference days. Planning for the conference started over a year ago. Along the way, we had to consider various tasks such as communications, conference invitations, speaker selections, the program, coffee breaks, the dinner menu, conference materials, and many other small details.

A large group of students from our department also assisted with compiling conference materials, registering participants, and performing various tasks during the panel sessions. Their contribution was crucial to the success of the conference. A special mention to Anna-Elina, who delighted us with beautiful music during the conference dinner.

Conference dinner

In addition to the organizational tasks, I also gave a presentation at the conference titled “Phallic Drawings on the Walls of Pompeii.” I will write a separate blog post later about the content of my presentation.

My presentation on phallic drawings

The conference proceeded mostly according to plan, and apart from some minor technical challenges, there were no significant mishaps. Based on the feedback I heard, participants were satisfied with both the content and the organization of the conference. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed all the encounters and the interesting presentations throughout the event. Conferences are among the most enjoyable parts of a researcher’s job.

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Guest Lectures and Webinars

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a researcher is getting to share your research topic with interested listeners. Besides an academic audience, many others are also keen to hear about ancient history and past cultures, and researchers are often invited as guest speakers to various events. Over the past winter and spring, I have received unusually many invitations to give guest lectures and speak in webinars.

This past week, I visited Turun klassillinen lukio (upper secondary school) and their ancient history course to talk about Pompeian graffiti. Reija, whose Latin courses I attended during my own high school years, has invited me many times to lecture for her students. I spoke with them about what graffiti are, how and where they were made in antiquity, who made them, and the types of subjects written on walls as graffiti. The students asked smart questions, and we had a great discussion about ancient graffiti. I always enjoy such visits as this.

Lecturing at Turun klassillinen lukio
(photo: Reija Pentti-Tuomisto)

Earlier in the spring, on the eve of May Day, I had the opportunity to lecture at a meeting of the history club at Auralan kansalaisopisto (Aurala Adult Education Centre) in Turku. The topic of the lecture were the many forms of insults in ancient Rome. I talked about the rhetorical theories on invective and the various sources in which insults can be found, such as Roman comedy, political speeches, satirical poetry, and graffiti. The audience was very knowledgeable and asked some difficult questions. The discussion continued for a long time after the lecture over coffee. It was a pleasant way to begin May Day celebrations.

Lecturing at Aurala kansalaisopisto

In January this year, I participated in a webinar hosted by Villa Lanten Ystävät (Friends of Villa Lante association), which also focused on Pompeian graffiti. This was a refreshingly different event because it was conducted as an interview. We discussed the topic together with researcher Elina Pyy, whom I met a few years ago at the Finnish Institute in Rome, i.e. at Villa Lante. We had prepared some questions in advance, but during the webinar, the conversation flowed smoothly from one topic to another. Elina is an excellent interviewer, and it was nice to be a guest at a familiar association's webinar.

Webinar hosted by Villa Lanten Ystävät
(photo: Laura Nissin)

In March, I received an invitation to participate in another webinar. This webinar series is titled Kieli on avain (Language is the Key) and it's produced by the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku. It features interviews with the department's researchers, students, and alumni. I was interviewed together with another PhD researcher from our department, Maria Jokela. The theme of the webinar, stereotypes, is common to both of our research topics. We talked about what stereotypes are, how various stereotypes are visible in historical sources, and what role stereotypes play in people's thinking. This was an exciting experience, especially since the webinar was filmed in the university's studio and broadcast live on the university's YouTube channel. The recording of the webinar can be viewed at this link (in Finnish).

"Kieli on avain" webinar
(screenshot from the university's YouTube channel)

It is nice to see that such a broad audience is interested in my research. Such experiences are very encouraging and motivate me to keep working on my research.

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Teaching Martial's Poems

This spring, I faced a new challenge. I had promised to teach a course on Martial's poems as part of the curriculum of the Classics Department at the University of Turku. I've taught Latin and other topics related to antiquity for many years, but I hadn't previously taught this type of course. Both the content of the course and its target group were new to me. While I'm familiar with Martial's texts because I've studied them for my dissertation, I hadn't taught them in a university course before this. Additionally, teaching a course for both major and minor students in Latin is different in its requirements compared to, say, high school or adult education courses, which I have the most experience with.

Teaching Martial

The goal of such a course is usually to familiarize oneself with the works of one ancient author or a specific genre of ancient texts. As an undergraduate student, I remember taking courses on Cicero, Horace, Homer, epigraphy, and Latin at the old Royal Academy of Turku. When planning my course on Martial, I recalled what the courses I took as a student were like and what worked best pedagogically. I also received a lot of good practical tips from other teachers in our department, which I applied in my course. However, I decided not to directly imitate others' teaching but rather to conduct my course based on my own expertise and experience as a teacher.

I had quite a bit of freedom in planning the content and assignments for the course. Initially, I considered what I most wanted the students to learn about Martial's poetry. One of my primary goals was to highlight the versatility of and variation in Martial's poems, including the range of subjects, varied poetic meters, the language of the poems, and their arrangement in Martial's books. For the course text I chose the first book of epigrams by Martial, which we read from the beginning. This book provides a good overview of Martial's poems in my opinion.

Reading commentaries and preparing lectures.
A quote from the collection Carmina Priapea
as context for Martial's poem 1.35, where Martial defends
his obscene poems referring, among other things, to the god Priapus.

One of the biggest challenges in planning the course was assessing how much I could demand from students in a four-credit course. I tried to recall my own days as an undergraduate and the workload of the courses I took. My course on Martial consisted of 12 lectures (each lasting 90 minutes), in addition to which students submitted about every other week a small assignment on the poems for the next lecture. The course also included an essay, in which students reflected, based on the poems read in the course and one article, on topics such as Martial's life and works, the characteristics of Martial's poems, and the comprehensibility of the poems for a modern reader. Additionally, the course included midterm and final exams, in which students had to analyse the content and grammar of the poems covered in the course.

Martial's poems are in many ways a very gratifying material to teach. The poems are usually short, easy to read in terms of language and structure, and each poem usually deals with a clear topic. Teaching progressed conveniently from poem to poem, and it was easy to discuss the characteristics of each poem. We translated the poems together and analysed their language, poetic meters, and content. I particularly aimed to highlight the cultural context of the poems, such as references to other authors, mythology, Roman history, and everyday phenomena in ancient Rome. I used a lot of additional material to contextualize the poems, such as excerpts from other ancient authors, inscriptions, graffiti from Pompeii, Roman artifacts and art, as well as later artists' interpretations of the themes of the poems.

Examples of practitioners of ancient medicine as
background to Martial's poem 1.30 which deals with a doctor.

Although I've been studying Martial's poems for my dissertation for several years, I haven't had to delve into their language, structure, and content as thoroughly as when teaching this course. When conducting research, I mostly read the poems in translations, and I mainly focus on the satirical and stereotypical characters in them. In-depth analysis of individual poems often takes a back seat. However, during this course, I had to carefully consider the grammatical structures, word choices, stylistic features, intertextual relationships between different poems, the relationship of individual poems to Martial's larger body of work, events in Martial's life, historical context, and much more. The old truth docendo discimus or "by teaching, we learn" holds true indeed. During this spring, I've learned a lot about both Martial's poems and teaching a university course.

Here are a few examples of poems covered in the course:

You read him, you ask for him, and here he is:
Martial, known the world over
for his witty little books of epigrams.
Devoted reader, the glory you have given
him while he lives and feels
comes to few poets in their graves.

(Mart. 1.1)

Martial often portrays himself as modest and downplays the significance of his poems, but in this introductory poem, he presents himself as a world-famous poet. The poetic genre of Martial's poems was epigram, which generally refers to short and witty little poems. Usually, the point of the poem is revealed right at the end, as in this poem:

Gemellus is a-wooing Maronilla.
He is eager and insistent, begs her, gives her presents.
Is she such a beauty? On the contrary, she couldn’t be uglier.
So what is so desirable about her, so attractive? Her cough.

(Mart. 1.10)

Gemellus seeks to marry the ugly and sick Maronilla in hopes of inheriting her fortune. Martial often comments on such everyday phenomena and ridiculous characters in his poems. Sometimes he borrowed the subjects of his poems from mythology or historical events, as in this poem:

When virtuous Arria was handing her Paetus
the sword she had drawn from her own flesh, she said:
“I swear the wound I have dealt does not hurt,
but the wound you will deal, Paetus, that hurts me.”

(Mart. 1.13)

In this poem, Martial refers to events during the reign of emperor Claudius who reigned AD 41–54. Aulus Caecina Paetus had been sentenced to suicide for his involvement in a conspiracy against the emperor. According to the story, he did not dare to stab himself to death, so his wife Arria showed him how it's done. Emperor Claudius is also mentioned in this poem:

Tell me, what folly is this? You devour mushrooms on your own,
Caecilianus, before the eyes of the invited multitude.
What fate shall I call down upon you to match
so big a belly and so big an appetite?
May you eat such a mushroom as Claudius ate.

(Mart. 1.20)

The character of Caecilianus is a stingy host who indulges in mushrooms at dinner while his guests watch. Mushrooms were a delicacy even in ancient times. Martial wishes Caecilianus death referring to Claudius, who, according to ancient historians, was murdered with poisoned mushrooms. Dinners are also the subject of the following poem, albeit from a completely different perspective:

You never invite anybody, Cotta,
unless you have bathed with him;
only the baths give you a guest.
I used to wonder why you had never asked me to dinner.
Now I know that you didn’t like me in the nude.

(Mart. 1.23)

Cotta is a voyeur who searches the baths for dinner guests based on which men's appearance pleases him. Such satirical characters were usually fictional in Martial's poems, but the poems reflect real phenomena and characters of Roman everyday life such as drunkards, adulterers, legacy-hunters, and parvenus. Sexual perversions were also a common theme for Martial, as in this poem:

Lesbia, when you turn your tricks, you don’t hide them;

the doors are always open and unguarded.
A spectator gives you more pleasure than a lover 

and you have no use for joys concealed.
A prostitute, on the other hand,
drives witnesses away with curtain and bolt
and rarely does a chink gape in Summemmius’ brothel.
Learn modesty from Chione or Ias, if from nobody else.
Even dirty whores take cover in tombs.
Do you find my strictures too harsh?
I am not telling you not to get fucked,
Lesbia, only not to get caught.

(Mart. 1.34)

The character of Lesbia in this poem is an exhibitionist who wants everyone to witness her sexual activities. The name Lesbia appears in many of Martial's erotic poems and is probably a reference to Martial's poetic precursor Catullus, who in his poems relates his unhappy love for a woman named Lesbia.

Martial also knew how to write on more serious topics such as the good life and friendship. In this poem, he praises his friend Decianus:

If one there be to be numbered with such rare friends

as old-time faith and ancient fame know of,

one steeped in the arts of Cecropian and Latin Minerva,

a good man, truly without guile;

if one there be that guards the right, admires virtue,

and asks nothing from the gods with secret lips;

if one there be that rests on the strength of a noble heart:

hang me if his name be not Decianus.

(Mart. 1.39)

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Translations of Martial's poems:

Martial. Epigrams, Volume I: Spectacles, Books 1-5. Edited and translated by D. R. Shackleton Bailey. Loeb Classical Library 94. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993.

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Research and Conference Trip: Rome – Ostia – Pompeii

My previous visit to Italy had been more than a year ago, so it was time to head back there in early November. I had several good reasons for my trip. I was going to participate in a conference on ancient identities, where I'd present a paper related to my research. In addition to this, I was going to visit a couple of archives to advance my research on Ostia and to explore two recently opened private houses in Pompeii that contained material that was of interest for my doctoral research. My trip was funded by Svenska Kulturfonden and the Finnish Institute in Rome. I'm thankful for their support.

I flew to Rome early on Monday morning on 6 November, and immediately headed to the BiASA archive at the Palazzo Venezia in the center of Rome, hoping to examine materials related to the late 19th century excavations in Ostia. I had confirmed in advance via email that the materials should be available. However, upon reaching the archive I was informed that the archive room I was looking for was only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I would have to come back the next day. Calculating that I would have time to return to the archive on Tuesday afternoon, I spent the rest of the day exploring the center of Rome and returned to my accommodation early to catch up on sleep.

A moment of reflection after my unsuccessful visit to the BiASA archive

I had arranged a visit to the archives in Ostia on Tuesday morning to study materials related to my research on the theater of Ostia. This visit went as planned. I had been to Ostia a couple of times before to read excavation reports from the early 20th century (previously in my blog: Searching for the Theatre of Ostia in the Archives). This time I mainly verified some details in the reports and supplemented my notes.

My visit to the archives of Ostia was more successful.
You can see me almost smiling.

I returned from Ostia in the afternoon and hurried back to the BiASA archive. However, this time I was told that the archive room I wanted to visit was only open until two o'clock on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it was already half-past two. The members of the staff tried to find a solution, and I was asked to wait for a moment. Soon, a person whom I understood to be the director of the archive arrived. She wanted to know what was going on and why I hadn't contacted her in advance. I tried to explain this with my poor Italian. After some discussion and animated gesturing and sighing, she reluctantly agreed to let me into the archive. Two very friendly archivists helped me find the material I was looking for, which turned out to be much more extensive than I had imagined. I examined some late 19th-century photographs and a watercolor painting of the theater of Ostia and realized it would be better to come back at a more suitable time.

At the BiASA archive in the tower of Palazzo Venezia

With Jasmin and Maria at the Porticus Octaviae

On Tuesday evening, I met my fellow researchers Maria and Jasmin, and we went for aperitifs and dinner. We had all come to Rome to participate in the Arachne IX conference entitled "Gender, Identities, and Social Structures in Greco-Roman Antiquity". The conference was organized by the Nordic Arachne network, founded by Finnish and Swedish researchers interested in ancient gender studies. Most participants were from Finland and Sweden, but there were researchers from many other countries including North America and Australia.

Wine reception at the Swedish Institute in Rome

Keynote lecture by Marjatta Nielsen at the Finnish Institute in Rome

The conference was mainly held at the Swedish Institute in Rome, but we also had the opportunity to visit the temporary facilities of the Finnish Institute in Rome. During the conference, we heard presentations on gender ideals, the status of women in antiquity, aging, professions, and ethnic identities among many other topics. I presented a paper on the Roman attitudes towards disreputable professions such as gladiators, actors, and prostitutes.

Me presenting my paper. Photo: Iida Huitula

After the conference on Friday, I took a train to Naples. I had planned to visit Pompeii to see two private houses that had recently been opened to the public after extensive restoration. These houses contain material relevant to my research. I was at the gates of Pompeii early on Saturday morning, rushing straight to my first destination, the so-called House of the Vettii. There I studied wall paintings and inscriptions likely related to prostitution conducted in the house. Similarly explicit paintings have been found only in a handful of Pompeian houses.

The peristyle garden of the House of the Vettii

The backroom decorated with explicit wall paintings,
perhaps a space for prostitutes to conduct their business.

A graffito advertising the services of a woman called Eutychis,
scratched on the wall of the entrance to the house.

Priapus, the god of fertility, painted on a wall near the entrance.

My second destination was the so-called House of the Silver Wedding, one of the largest private houses in Pompeii. It is also one of the few houses where numerous graffiti are still visible on the walls. Many of these are sexual insults and therefore important for my research. I knew the location of some inscriptions, but I had to search for others. A few enthusiastic custodians of the house helped me in my search. We found at least two phallic drawings.

The atrium of the House of the Silver Wedding

A graffito phallus on the wall of the peristyle.
The drawing is only a few centimeters wide.

This room that opens to the peristyle garden has
about a dozen graffiti still visible on the walls.

Calling someone a fellator

It was very enlightening to see these scribblings with my own eyes in their original environment. Many of them were written on the walls of a room located on one side of the large peristyle garden (see the photos above). This room was perhaps used as a dining room, which makes you wonder who wrote them in that particular place and why. As I explored the room, many passers-by stopped to stare curiously at me while I worked. I had conversations with some of them about the wall inscriptions, including a local archaeologist and an American couple.

The Forum Baths were open to the public again.
The photo is from the tepidarium, one of the warm rooms.

Many tourists visit Pompeii with guides whose expertise is not always impressive. During this visit, I heard one guide telling their clients that probably at least 10,000 people died when Pompeii was destroyed. Researchers usually estimate around 2,000 victims. Another guide claimed that the great brothel of Pompeii had thousands of graffiti on its walls. She may have exaggerated on purpose. Only some 120 inscriptions have been documented in the brothel. I also had to correct the archaeologist I met in the House of the Silver Wedding, who claimed that at least 90% of the inscriptions were obscene. Only a few hundred of the over 10,000 graffiti documented in Pompeii contain indecent language. Reality is sometimes less sensational than we would like to imagine.

For the first time I got to climb on top of one of the towers of the city wall.
The view is to the south towards the forum.

Before my trip I had applied for permission to access the storerooms of the Archaeological Museum of Naples to study wall inscriptions stored there. However, the museum never responded to my request, so I had to come up with other plans for Sunday. I took a bus to the western end of the Bay of Naples to visit the archaeological site of Baiae, which was a popular vacation spot for the Roman elite. There I saw the ruins of imperial-era baths, among which is the oldest surviving dome built by the Romans. The acoustics in this round room, later filled with water, were incredible. I also visited the archaeological museum located in a castle built on a hill by the bay in the late 15th century.

The archaeological area of Baiae consisting of multiple baths built on the slopes of a hill

The domed space probably originally served as a frigidarium, a cold bath.
The room has later become partly submerged due to seismic activity.

On Monday morning I returned to Rome by train, where I spent a few hours wandering around the city. In the evening I flew back to Finland satisfied with a successful conference and research trip.

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