The Romans would have had a word for it: Fortuna. It was surely thanks to the intervention of the goddess Fortuna that the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum ever again were to be seen in the light of day. For archaeologists, it is certainly heaven-sent fortune that these two holiday resort cities were discovered; their ruins revealing much of the daily lives of the towns' citizens. "Hail Profit!" This piece of graffito at the House …showed first 75 words of 1583 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1583 total…been immortalised by Mt Vesuvius' ashes: the archaeological evidence is reliable for determining the daily life of the citizens as artefacts are in their original contexts-effectively frozen in time by ash. However, there are still problems: for epigraphic evidence, we are often only given the perspective of higher classes. Herculaneum's theatre and forum are still buried. Furniture and inscriptions have been destroyed. Nevertheless, archaeological evidence has helped us to recreate the lives of the citizens.