Oplontis

Oplontis
LocationTorre Annunziata, Province of Naples, Campania, Italy
Coordinates40°45′25″N 14°27′11″E / 40.757°N 14.453°E / 40.757; 14.453
Site notes
ManagementSoprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei
WebsiteOplontis (in Italian)
Official nameArchaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata
TypeCultural
Criteriaiii, iv, v
Designated1997 (21st session)
Reference no.829
RegionEurope and North America

Oplontis is an ancient Roman archaeological site, located in the town of Torre Annunziata, south of Naples in the Campania region of southern Italy.[1] The excavated site comprises two Roman villas, the best-known of which is Villa A, the so-called Villa Poppaea.

Like the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Oplontis was buried in ash during the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.[2] However, the force of the eruption was even stronger than at these cities as not only roofs collapsed, but walls and columns were broken and pieces thrown sideways.[3]

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.
  1. ^ "Oplontis – AD 79 eruption". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  2. ^ "Oplontis". Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  3. ^ Oplontis: Villa A ("of Poppaea") at Torre Annunziata, Italy. John R. Clarke and Nayla K. Muntasser, c2014. p 771-