Pompeii: The City Lost To A Volcanic Eruption
Wikimedia CommonsThe ruins of Pompeii, with Mount Vesuvius in the distance.
Pompeii was once a prosperous Roman city near Naples with as many as 20,000 residents, featuring opulent villas, bustling marketplaces, and an amphitheater that could seat 20,000. After Mount Vesuvius had been dormant for centuries, however, the volcano erupted in 79 C.E. — likely in October or November, rather than the traditionally believed August date, according to newer research.
Regardless of the date, when Mount Vesuvius erupted in a cloud of smoke, ash, and toxic vapor, it killed at least 2,000 people almost immediately in Pompeii alone, with an estimated 16,000 people perishing in the region total as a result.
The eruption spewed a cloud of ash and pumice about nine miles into the atmosphere, blocking out the sun and causing ash to fall at a rate of about six inches per hour. That night, a tidal wave of hot ash and gas swept through nearby Herculaneum, and the next morning, a pyroclastic flow poured toward Pompeii. The blast of ash and noxious gases barreled over the city walls at over 100 miles per hour, killing every living thing in its path before layers of debris completely covered the cities.
Ironically, although the blast destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, it also perfectly preserved them, freezing the cities and their citizens in time under layers of ash for over a thousand years.
Wikimedia CommonsSome of the victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption.
Excavations began accidentally in the 18th century when builders constructing a palace discovered the lost city while digging. In 1864, Giuseppe Fiorelli devised an ingenious technique of pouring plaster into voids left by decomposed bodies, creating haunting casts of victims frozen in their final moments.
The excavations have yielded extraordinary insights into Roman life. Frescoes discovered throughout the city, particularly in wealthy homes like the House of the Vettii, depict mythological scenes, opulent banquets, and sometimes erotic imagery, revealing a society where wealth, pleasure, and religion were intertwined. Recent discoveries include a fresco-covered snack bar unearthed in 2020 and a “pizza fresco” showing what may be an early precursor to modern pizza.
