The catastrophic eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD preserved the ancient city of Pompeii which is located in the Italian Region of Campania near modern Naples. The preservation provided the modern world with revolutionary insight into the Classical world as it had been frozen in time by masses of ash. From the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum we are introduced to the social customs, daily life, architectural structures, art works and religious views of the Ancient Romans. The letters of Pliny the Younger play a key role in understanding everyday life in ancient Pompeii as he not only lived the first 17 years of his life there but also witnessed the cataclysmic eruption that killed his very own Uncle and destroyed his home.3-5 meters of Volcanic ash and pumice
completely buried the flourishing city to then be forgotten for centuries to come. According to the only surviving written account, Mt Vesuvius erupted on the sunny morning of the 24th of August which was perceived as normal until a large grey cloud began to form above the mountain. However recent excavations and studies suggest that the eruption occurred around October of 79 AD due to the seasonal fruits, clothing and sealed jars of wine.
There are said to have been 6 pyroclastic surges at around 700 degrees that were the main cause of death as the 4th surge hit Pompeii at 300 degrees Celsius. However prior to the surges 14 Km of debris and rock was fired into the air followed by a 34 Km mushroom like column of ash, pumice and rock that eventually rained down as the North face of Mt Vesuvius collapsed releasing gas and dust. The eruption was not followed by a large amount of Lava as lava would destroy all that was in its path however because of the large amounts of gas bubbles found in the magma is caused an explosive eruption the ripped the magma into tiny pieces which rained down as fine ash. 1/2 a billion tons covered everything within 600 km of the mountain. Brittany Brand (volcanologist) studied the 1980 eruption of North Americas Mt St Helens that occurred on May 18th and up until this moment Pliny was thought of as "over imaginative" due to there being no other volcanic eruptions of its kind up to this point.
Around the 6th or 7th century BC the Oscan's founded the city of Pompeii however in BC the Romans captured the 163 acres of land and continued to occupy it until its destruction taking 16,000 of its 20,000 inhabitants with it. The main cause of death was said to have been either the extreme temperatures reaching 260 degrees Celsius or asphyxiation caused by multiple layers of Tephra that fell for over 6 hours covering Herculaneum and Pompeii. Accompanying the masses of murderous ash were 2 pyroclastic flows, incinerating and suffocating the civilians in its path as the Plinian eruption was said to have lasted 2 days, followed by a mild tsunami.
completely buried the flourishing city to then be forgotten for centuries to come. According to the only surviving written account, Mt Vesuvius erupted on the sunny morning of the 24th of August which was perceived as normal until a large grey cloud began to form above the mountain. However recent excavations and studies suggest that the eruption occurred around October of 79 AD due to the seasonal fruits, clothing and sealed jars of wine.
There are said to have been 6 pyroclastic surges at around 700 degrees that were the main cause of death as the 4th surge hit Pompeii at 300 degrees Celsius. However prior to the surges 14 Km of debris and rock was fired into the air followed by a 34 Km mushroom like column of ash, pumice and rock that eventually rained down as the North face of Mt Vesuvius collapsed releasing gas and dust. The eruption was not followed by a large amount of Lava as lava would destroy all that was in its path however because of the large amounts of gas bubbles found in the magma is caused an explosive eruption the ripped the magma into tiny pieces which rained down as fine ash. 1/2 a billion tons covered everything within 600 km of the mountain. Brittany Brand (volcanologist) studied the 1980 eruption of North Americas Mt St Helens that occurred on May 18th and up until this moment Pliny was thought of as "over imaginative" due to there being no other volcanic eruptions of its kind up to this point.
Around the 6th or 7th century BC the Oscan's founded the city of Pompeii however in BC the Romans captured the 163 acres of land and continued to occupy it until its destruction taking 16,000 of its 20,000 inhabitants with it. The main cause of death was said to have been either the extreme temperatures reaching 260 degrees Celsius or asphyxiation caused by multiple layers of Tephra that fell for over 6 hours covering Herculaneum and Pompeii. Accompanying the masses of murderous ash were 2 pyroclastic flows, incinerating and suffocating the civilians in its path as the Plinian eruption was said to have lasted 2 days, followed by a mild tsunami.
