Pompeii had a population of 20,000, was famous for its olive oil and grapes and was an important trading center in the coastal region of Naples. A terrible event on August 24, 79 AD buried them all within a few hours.
Pompeii’s “sudden death”
It all happened so quickly that the city’s 20,000 residents had little time to react. Life stopped like a clock and everything was buried deep underground. Nearly 2,000 years pᴀssed and everything stood still, until archaeologists discovered Pompeii in 1750 and brought it back to the world.
Archaeologists excavated a large area 9m below ground and were amazed to discover a city almost intact and full of life. It can be considered the biggest volcanic disaster in history.
Pompeii is a city in central Italy with a population of about 20,000. Pompeii, though not as grand as Rome, was a very important trading hub on the Mediterranean coast. It is less than 10km from Mount Vesuvius and its inhabitants seem to have been accustomed to the awakening of giants.
But no one expected the eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD to be so terrifying. A young scientist named Pliny witnessed it and described it in his document: “We were enveloped in darkness. We could only hear the shrill cries of women and children and the screams of men.”
Mount Vesuvius destroyed two cities during this eruption. Herculaneum, located at its foot, was “boiled” in boiling mud and lava, and Pompeii was buried in thick layers of rock.
Archaeologists have discovered much about the lives of the people in these two cities before the volcanic disaster. Under 9m of ash, houses and roads are still intact. The roads are paved, and the sidewalks are high stone slabs for pedestrians to stand on when it rains.
On the walls one finds advertisements: “30 pairs of gladiators will fight on April 8, 9, 10. There will be wild animal fights and a canopy for the spectators. These lines were written by Aemilius Celer in the moonlight”. And also complaints: “I wonder, O wall, why you do not collapse when you have to endure all the nonsense of the graffiti!”
There are many shops selling olive oil and vinegar. The taverns here are quite busy. The taverns still have plates of cakes and snacks to go with the wine. The wine is kept cool in stone-paved alcoves. The taverns also serve H๏τ food.
The city has many bustling shops such as bakeries, clothing stores, and pottery shops. The public baths are elaborately decorated with plaster and marble.
Traces show that Pompeii people used up to 15 types of perfume made from roses, basil…
These perfumes are made from spices imported from Egypt, India and native plants.
Pompeii residents had many household medical facilities in their homes. Scientists believe that if someone was injured, they could have been cared for at home, rather than in a hospital. It can be said that the people of Pompeii were quite skilled at sewing up wounds and caring for the sick.
Archaeologists found hollow blocks where thousands of bodies had been burned to ashes by the heat of the lava. When they poured plaster into them, they found that the people of Pompeii had died in all sorts of positions. Two prisoners were chained in their dungeons. A woman died at the city gate with her three children beside her. Casts showed priests in the temple having dinner with eggs and fish. When the disaster struck, some people gathered their dishes and religious objects in sacks and ran outside. Others hid in a house and were buried in the ash. One of them was holding an axe in his hand, trying to break through the walls to find a way out.
A wealthy man died while trying to take gold and jewels from a box to take with him in times of danger. The hemp backpack and silver objects were preserved intact under the volcanic ash. The total weight of the belongings was up to 4kg, including plates, cups, and trays with many elaborate patterns.
According to the general ᴀssessment, many people died of ash asphyxiation. They all died in a natural position, without any signs of pain. Recent studies based on the ᴀssessment of cracked tooth enamel and bone discoloration show that the ambient temperature was up to 500oC. The pressure of the terrible heat caused the body to stop functioning almost immediately. Therefore, no one had time to react or show pain.
Archaeologists have found about 1,150 bodies of victims who were buried in the lava flow. Most of the bodies were found completely covered in plaster, with their curled up postures and terrified faces still visible. According to calculations by leading experts, about 2,000 people died in that natural disaster, but over time those bodies gradually decomposed.
And through the plaster-covered bodies that remained intact after thousands of years, scientists seem to imagine the tragedy that the people here had to endure. It was on August 24, 79 BC, just one day after the Roman Empire’s holiday Volcanalia – a day to honor the god of fire. That afternoon, Mount Vesuvius erupted with lava, huge lava waves like waves pouring down from the mountain, blocking the way of the people’s houses. And the people who could not escape in the city of Pompeii that year were buried forever in the very place where they were born and raised.
“Through their painful and sorrowful faces, we could imagine a scene of panic, running everywhere. Women were crying, children were screaming and everyone was buried in a short time. Many documents when talking about this event all said that people at that time had to suffer the curse and punishment of the Fire God because of their actions and words that offended people and gods on Mount Olympus. However, we deny these explanations. Because the truth is that there is no supernatural power. It was simply a natural disaster of lava flows that ancient people had to endure,” the head of the archaeological team revealed to National Geographic magazine about his views.
Lessons for the future
Mount Vesuvius is located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Naples, about 9 km from the coast. Mount Vesuvius is 1,277 m above sea level and is the only active volcano in mainland Europe. The crater is a deep hole of enormous size. Mount Vesuvius formed about 25,000 years ago in an area that has been volcanically active for about 400,000 years. It has erupted many times, the most terrifying in 79 BC. And the most recent in 1944.
Measurements by Italian scientists show that Mount Vesuvius is in a very active phase. Inside the volcano is a giant gas pocket. This gas is at risk of erupting due to the rising temperature at the base of the volcano. However, the exact timing of an eruption is still unclear.
Recently, French and Italian scientists discovered a huge magma lake at a depth of 8km. This lava lake is at least 400km2 wide. If the volcano were to erupt, this H๏τ magma would spill out into an area with a diameter of up to 100km. And so the approximately 3 million residents living in this area could face the same danger as the unfortunate people of Pompeii 2,000 years ago.
From the tragic events of the past, we can draw lessons of caution in the future when Vesuvius can awaken at any time. Currently, the ruins of Pompeii are classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site and are one of the top tourist attractions in Italy.
