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No trip to Italy would be complete without a visit to Pompeii. While on a class trip with my daughter’s Geography teacher, we had the pleasure of visiting the ruins.
Pompeii is located in the region of Campania 14 miles southeast of Naples. This city along with the city of Herculaneum and nearby towns were buried in ash and pumice (which is igneous rock that forms during volcanic eruptions when gas bubbles are trapped in the rock as the magma cools and solidifies). Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Please refer to the map for Pompeii”s location.
So what happened to Pompeii and its people?
In 63 A.D., there was a massive earthquake that hit the area and many believe that it was a warning of things to come. In August 79 A.D., there were some small earthquakes earlier in the month. The people of the town didn’t leave as they were used to earthquakes in the region.
At midday on August 24, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted spraying 9 feet of ash and pumice on the town of Pompeii. Some of the population did leave the town, however, many stayed believing that the worst was over. They were wrong.
On August 25, 79 A.D., Pyroclastic material which was a fluidized mixture of hot rock fragments, hot gases, and entrapped air at 100 meters/hour shot out of the volcano. The material was moving at a high speed in thick dark clouds that hugged the ground. This reached the city on August 25 and asphyxiated those that had not been killed by the ash and pumice of the previous day. The Pyroclastic material dropped an additional nine feet on the town.
Between the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, there were 16,000 people that perished in the tragedy. The bodies of humans and animals were frozen where they fell either holding objects or hugging children. Ironically, the volcanic ash that buried the town turned out to be an excellent preservative of the town and the bodies for when the town was once discovered again.
Discovering Pompeii for the world to see
The town of Pompeii lay silent until the ruins were discovered in the 16th century. The excavation started in the 18th century. In 1748, Pompeii had been discovered and and the excavation was continual for 3 centuries. It has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What was buried under the ash and pumice? There was a 2 meters circumference that enclosed an area of 163 acres around the town. There was a Forum in the southwest area that appears to be the center of the town. The Triangular Forum at the top right of the diagram stands on lava rock overlooking the valley and the river Sarno. An Amphitheater and Palaestra (athletic exercise) is located in the east. There have been hundreds of private homes with various architectural styles that have been uncovered. Per the diagram, there are still areas that have been unexcavated. As of 2023, new excavations have begun on the area along Nola Street.
Pictures of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius (background)
5 Interesting Facts about Pompeii
- In that time period, there was no word for volcano that was in the Pompeiians vocabulary. It would be interesting to know what they called it.
- The Pompeiians has great teeth which is interesting for that time period.
- Referred to as the ‘Sin City’ of its time, there were brothels everywhere.
- Graffiti was very common.
- Originally Pompeii was a Greek city before it was a Roman city.
Bodies on Display at Pompeii Site
When visiting Pompeii, there are bodies on display that were preserved by the ash and pumice. There is plaster copies of the bodies. Plaster was pumped into the space left behind in hardened ash after biological material that has been decomposed. It was amazing to see this on the tour.
What about Pompeii’s Mount Vesuvius Eruptions?
After Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., the volcano was silent until 1944. It has been nearly 80 years since the last eruption. It is still considered an active volcano today. When will it erupt again? That is any persons guess!
The tour was really fascinating and a great piece of world history that took place at the site. I was so enthralled with my surroundings that I almost missed the tour bus! A tour that is well worth the trip!
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