In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted spewing 7 million tons of debris on Pompeii.
Pompeii had a population of about 20,000 and was a trading center as well as a vacation destination. The rich and poor lived together.
The day before the eruption, a festival, dedicated to Vulcan, the god of earthquakes and fire was held.
An initial explosion of ash, pumice, and rocks destroyed buildings and knocked out people.
Many fled to public buildings, which offered better protection, but they along with others were killed almost instantly from the volcanic blast.
An avalanche of gas and ash swept through the town asphyxiating any survivors within hours. The initial blast was followed by four more, at speeds up to 200 mph and temperatures of 700 degrees. …show more content…
During the period of French control the excavation methodology became more organised. By 1860 much of the western part of the town had been excavated.
Giuseppe Fiorelli directed the excavation from 1863 to 1875. He excavated the houses first from the ground up to preserve the artifacts. Four men continued Fiorelli’s work.
At about 1910, Vittorio Spinazzola uncovered the Casa di Loreio Tiburtino, the Casa dell'Efebo, the Casa di Trebio Valente and Via dell'Abbondanza, which goes from west to east along the town.
After Vittorio, Amedeo Maiuri became the director of the project. While he uncovered many important buildings, he did not use proper tools and did not properly restore the houses making him a controversial archaeologist.
Alfonso De Franciscis took over in 1964 in which he restored many buildings.
Later, Fausto Zevi and Giuseppina Cerulli Irelli worked to restore Pompeii after the 1980 earthquake.
In 1984, Baldassare Conticello continued to restore buildings in Regio I and …show more content…
The pyroclastic flow, a fast current of gas and rock, reached speeds of 400 miles per hour and temperatures of over 1000° Fahrenheit.
At contact with the pyroclastic flow, all the fluids in the victim's body would change to steam. If the person survived that, he would have to avoid asphyxiating on the pernicious gases and ash.
Pompeii was a port city.
Before the eruption, multiple small earthquakes took place. A previous earthquake in 62 AD had destroyed Pompeii, but many citizens stayed to repair the city.
Mount Vesuvius had been dormant for hundreds of years before the eruption.
The eruption took place at about 1o’clock.
The volcanic matter, ash, gas, and rocks, shot up almost 100,000 feet. Wind carried lapilli, small clumps of volcanic matter, away. By about 3 o’clock, the lapilli fell onto Pompeii.
Each lapilli could not harm anyone, its weight as a whole collapsed buildings. Clouds of volcanic dust filled the air decreasing the visibility. At dawn the clouds departed, but lava flowed into the city. The first flow was slightly warm, slow, and an inch thick, but the flow following it was at boiling temperatures and moved at 50 miles per
Pompeii had a population of about 20,000 and was a trading center as well as a vacation destination. The rich and poor lived together.
The day before the eruption, a festival, dedicated to Vulcan, the god of earthquakes and fire was held.
An initial explosion of ash, pumice, and rocks destroyed buildings and knocked out people.
Many fled to public buildings, which offered better protection, but they along with others were killed almost instantly from the volcanic blast.
An avalanche of gas and ash swept through the town asphyxiating any survivors within hours. The initial blast was followed by four more, at speeds up to 200 mph and temperatures of 700 degrees. …show more content…
During the period of French control the excavation methodology became more organised. By 1860 much of the western part of the town had been excavated.
Giuseppe Fiorelli directed the excavation from 1863 to 1875. He excavated the houses first from the ground up to preserve the artifacts. Four men continued Fiorelli’s work.
At about 1910, Vittorio Spinazzola uncovered the Casa di Loreio Tiburtino, the Casa dell'Efebo, the Casa di Trebio Valente and Via dell'Abbondanza, which goes from west to east along the town.
After Vittorio, Amedeo Maiuri became the director of the project. While he uncovered many important buildings, he did not use proper tools and did not properly restore the houses making him a controversial archaeologist.
Alfonso De Franciscis took over in 1964 in which he restored many buildings.
Later, Fausto Zevi and Giuseppina Cerulli Irelli worked to restore Pompeii after the 1980 earthquake.
In 1984, Baldassare Conticello continued to restore buildings in Regio I and …show more content…
The pyroclastic flow, a fast current of gas and rock, reached speeds of 400 miles per hour and temperatures of over 1000° Fahrenheit.
At contact with the pyroclastic flow, all the fluids in the victim's body would change to steam. If the person survived that, he would have to avoid asphyxiating on the pernicious gases and ash.
Pompeii was a port city.
Before the eruption, multiple small earthquakes took place. A previous earthquake in 62 AD had destroyed Pompeii, but many citizens stayed to repair the city.
Mount Vesuvius had been dormant for hundreds of years before the eruption.
The eruption took place at about 1o’clock.
The volcanic matter, ash, gas, and rocks, shot up almost 100,000 feet. Wind carried lapilli, small clumps of volcanic matter, away. By about 3 o’clock, the lapilli fell onto Pompeii.
Each lapilli could not harm anyone, its weight as a whole collapsed buildings. Clouds of volcanic dust filled the air decreasing the visibility. At dawn the clouds departed, but lava flowed into the city. The first flow was slightly warm, slow, and an inch thick, but the flow following it was at boiling temperatures and moved at 50 miles per