In 1748, under the ruling of Charles III, the King of Naples, excavation attempts were put in place to dig up the mysterious site located southeast near the base of Mount Vesuvius. This was done in an attempt to increase the fame of Naples. However, it took a few years before it became clear that what lay beneath the rubble was in fact the ancient city of Pompeii. The remarkable finding, and the knowledge that this was indeed Pompeii, sparked great worldwide interest and definitely brought fame to King Charles's kingdom (Berry 2007: 10).
3. Different types of material to be interpreted and the possibilities of these findings.
After the discovery of Pompeii by King Charles's men, excavation interest in Pompeii took off. Since then excavation attempts have gone through phases of great activity and also phases of stagnation, due to various reasons. What follows below are references to the key materials found and documented at Pompeii from the time of King Charles, up until today (Berry 2007:12).
3.1 Buildings and Architecture.
A vast amount of buildings were discovered and its functions are interpreted by experts. These buildings are divided into two types, private and public. Public buildings are those used for religious purposes, such as the temple of Isis, temple of Apollo, temple of Jupiter, temple of Venus and the Doric temple, to name but a few. Also, a massive 157 x 38 meter area, called the Forum was discovered and believed to be the centre of public Pompeii, due to its political, religious and economical function. Other public buildings include a theatre and an amphitheatre, so assumed largely due to its design. Also, a building with a large open area, called the Macellum was found and believed to be the public market, due to the remains of fish bones found (Ling 2007:119). However, the most interesting discovery regarding public buildings was that of the public baths. Private buildings refer to the homes of the people, which were found differing in size and design.