Introduction

Pompeii Interactive is a CD-ROM designed to complement the GCSE Classical Civilisation syllabi and to aid the teaching of Latin courses for 14-16 year olds. Pompeii Interactive was designed and developed in 1999 but remains an ideal introduction to the city for anyone planning to visit Pompeii as a student or sightseer.

At the heart of Pompeii Interactive is the Contents page. You can gain access to any part of the CD-ROM from this page.

Each section of Pompeii Interactive contains a set of photographs with accompanying text. The photographs are arranged in thumbnails for easy access - just click on a photo. Many sections also have a layout drawing. Everytime you see a map or layout, you can click the text or locations to jump to details on that area.

As well as photographs and text, clickable maps help you learn and navigate around the streets of Pompeii. Additionally there are a number of virtual reality panoramas, in which you can rotate around 360°, immersing yourself in the city as it is now. Helping to consolidate all the information, are self-marking quizzes and worksheets.


Getting Around

At the heart of Pompeii Interactive is the Contents page. You can gain access to any part of the CD-ROM from this page by clicking the blue links.

Each section of Pompeii Interactive contains a set of photographs with accompanying text. The photographs are arranged in thumbnails for easy access.

Many sections also have a layout drawing. Everytime you see a map or layout, you can click the text or locations to jump to details on that area.

Basics

[contents] 

To get back to the contents page, click the temple icon.
 

[thumbnails] 

You can view the thumbnails for a location or section by clicking the camera icon.
 

[layout] 

You can view the location plan or section contents by clicking the clipboard icon.
 

Layouts

Areas of interest on a layout are highlighted in text. Click the text or location to jump to details on that area.
 

Thumbnails

Click on a thumbnail photo to expand it and learn more about the particular point of interest.

[more] 

Sometimes additional photos are available for a location. To see these photos click more.
 

[zoom] 

Most photos can be zoomed in even further. Click the magnifying glass symbol to do so. A new window will open up with the enlarged picture.
 

[close] 

Click close to remove the zoom window.
 

Take a tour

Each description page has links to the next and previous photos, as in the example below. Follow these links like these to go on a tour of the location or section.

Extras

[print] 

Click the printer icon to bring up a print window, enabling you to print out the section. For more info, see Printing.
 

[quiz] 

Click the quiz icon to test yourself on the section. For more info, see Quizzes.
 

[panorama] 

Click the panorama icon to view the virtual panorama of the section. For more info, see Virtual Reality Panoramas.
 


Printing

Each point of interest in a location can be out printed out using a special print window.

[print] 

Go to the area of interest you wish to print out. At the top of its description, you will see a print button. Clicking this print button will open up a print window.

The window should print out automatically. If it doesn't, you can print the window by pressing Ctrl-P or by choosing Print... from the File menu.

Once you have printed the page you can close the print window.


Virtual Reality Panoramas

Throughout Pompeii Interactive you will find panoramas indicated by the panorama icon, [panorama]. You can view a complete list of panoramas by going to the Extras menu on the Contents page.

To move around the panorama, place cursor over the picture and drag it left or right by holding down your left-hand mouse button.


Quizzes

Throughout Pompeii Interactive you will find quizzes indicated by the quiz icon, [quiz]. You can view a complete list of quizzes by going to the Extras menu on the Contents page.

Each quiz will open up in a new window. Try your best to answer the questions from what you've learned so far. All the answers can be found within Pompeii Interactive, so if you get stuck, try referring to the relevent section. You can do this while the quiz window is still open.

Once you've finished the quiz, check your answers by pressing the Get score button. Your score will be calculated, and each question will be marked. If you get any questions wrong, try again and repress the Get score button to check your new answers.


Getting more help

If you cannot find the answer to your query in this help file, and you require more assistance, please e-mail us at help@pompeii.co.uk.


Using photos and text

If you wish to use extracts of text or photographs from Pompeii Interactive, you may do so, provided it is for personal use, or for use within the educational establishment for which this CD-ROM was purchased (for example, to create worksheets).

Please note that the copyright of all text, photographs and drawings contained in Pompeii Interactive, belongs to Wendy Fox, Richard Rutter and Canis Education Ltd.


Acknowledgements

Pompeii Interactive was written and photographed by Wendy J. Fox, B.A.(Dunelm). Wendy graduated in Latin from the University of Durham and at the time of writing was Head of Classics at Brighton & Hove School for Girls in Brighton, UK, teaching Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation. She is an active member of JACT as well as an assistant examiner.

The CD-ROM was designed, coded and photographed by Richard Rutter, B.Eng. Richard has been designing web sites and web-based applications since 1994. He is co-founder of Clearleft, a user experience consultancy based in Brighton, UK. You can visit him at Clagnut.

Many thanks go out to the following people: David 'Les' Rutter for his fantastic work on the panorama photos and packaging; David Griffiths for developing the panorama applet; Gus and Fox of Sea of Wires for writing the opening music; and to Bownie and Claire for help, suggestions and cracking crackling.


More from Canis Education

Canis Education produces a range of educational software for the Classics community. For a full product list, please visit our website at http://www.canis.co.uk/, or write to us at:

Canis Education Ltd
2 Chesham Street
Brighton
BN2 1NA
UK

If you have any comments about Pompeii Interactive, or any of our software, please e-mail us at info@canis.co.uk.