The Eruption of Vesuvius

The Deadly Disaster of Pompeii

50minutes

• Publisher: 50Minutes.com
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9782806277015
• eBook ISBN: 9782806276063
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Roman Ancient History
• Index: History

Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the events of the eruption of Vesuvius in next to no time with this concise guide. 50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of the eruption of Vesuvius. In the year 79, Pompeii was a lively resort town located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Little did its residents know, the city was about to be struck by a natural disaster that would erase the city from the map forever. Remembered as one of the most terrible disasters of all time, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius took the lives of nearly all Pompeii's inhabitants and the city itself, covered in a thick layer of ash that would preserve these remains of ancient life for centuries to come. In just 50 minutes you will:
•Understand the historical and cultural context of the time before the eruption struck
•Learn more about the people who witnessed the disaster and how they described the terrible event
•Analyse the lasting impact the volcano's eruption had on Pompeii and the surrounding region ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | History & Culture
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THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF POMPEII

24^th AUGUST 79

On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew his attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. […]It was not clear at that distance from which mountain the cloud was rising (it was afterwards known to be Vesuvius); […] In places it looked white, elsewhere blotched and dirty, according to the amount of soil and ashes it carried with it. […]Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames […] Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night.

For several days past there had been earth tremors which were not particularly alarming because they are frequent in Campania: but that night the shocks were so violent that everything felt as if it were not only shaken but overturned […]at any rate it receded from the shore so that quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand. On the landward side a fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire, like flashes of lightning magnified in size […] A gleam of light returned, but we took this to be a warning of the approaching flames rather than daylight.

(Extracts from the letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus telling of the death of Pliny the Elder)

These extracts of the letters of Pliny the Younger to his friend Tacitus tell the woeful story of Campania in August 79. The eruption began a few days before, with a series of earthquakes and the disappearance of springs. On the night of 23^rd-24^th, the first explosion, which was only light, brought fine dust and some debris from the crater. This was probably noticed only by the inhabitants of the villas that occupied the slopes of Vesuvius. It was one of them, Rectina, the wife of a friend of Pliny the Elder, who decided to send him a call for help to Misenum. In the afternoon of 24^th August, a shower of ash and pumice fell on the Bay of Naples, and the cloud that contained it plunged them into total darkness.

Vesuvius eruption the 24th August 79, by Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes, 1813.

Throughout the day, the size of stones increased and destroyed the roofs of houses, which had already been weakened by earthquakes. The sea was also agitated by the telluric movement and began to withdraw, a sign of the tsunami that would strike the coast a few hours later. On 25^th August, pyroclastic flows succeeded the shower of ash, a mass of material and gas of over 400 degrees, rushing down the slopes of the volcano at speeds of up to 600 km per hour and burning everything in their path. Pompeii was buried first, followed by Herculaneum, which was also covered in mud pushed by an outpouring of magma coming from the collapsed crater.

Part of the population, terrified, tried to shut themselves in their homes, which, under the weight of debris raining down, collapsed. The inhabitants of Pompeii that remained in the streets were suffocated by the burning gases and their bodies were trapped in a cast of ash. Others who attempted to escape by sea perished in the tidal wave. Many, however, managed to escape the cataclysm by leaving the city on foot or by chariot.

Moulding of a victim of the eruption buried in a sitting position

A CONTROVERSIAL DATE

Although the date of the eruption is known to us through the letter of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus, it is now the subject of much controversy. There is doubt as to what Pliny really wrote, as well as its transcription, as the phrase used to indicate the date was not common in Latin syntax. Moreover, archaeological research suggests that the event took place in autumn, as victims were found wearing clothing that was too thick for August. In addition, braziers seem to have been lit, indicating a certain freshness. Other indications, such as fruit and vegetables, the study of wind conditions and the direction of the cloud of ash tend to confirm that the eruption occurred in...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• The Eruption of Vesuvius
• Context
• Biographies
• The death and rebirth of Pompeii
• The archaeological site and discoveries
• Summary
• Find out more
• Copyright