Herculaneum

The 79AD eruption is one of the most well known in the world, killing approximately 16 000 people. Ash, mud and rocks from this eruption covered the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii is known for its casts of people and animals frozen in time, which are a popular tourist attraction today. Mount Vesuvius experienced many violent eruptions from that late 1700s to the early 1900s, these eruptions damaged or destroyed many towns surrounding the volcano, some resulting in casualties. The eruption of 1906 killed more than 100 people. The last major eruption of Vesuvius occurred on the 18th march 1944 it is thought that Mt Vesuvius has an approximately 20 year eruption cycle, though it is difficult to predict when the next serious eruption will…

them want to keep peace (Pliny, XVI, 491). Pliny goes on to say that Italy had won the war, because the reed that grows from the river in Bologna trumped all other reeds that were suitable for an arrow. The Reno reed contains the largest amount of pith, it has the best flying weight and a great balance make it the superior reed. Even then, it is said that the reeds from India are placed as the best reed of them all, making some people believe that they belong to a different species (Pliny,…

POMPEII Pompeii was a town 220 kilometres south east of Rome. Many people moved to Pompeii for its fertile soil and volcanic ash. 17 years before the eruption a staggering earthquake hit Pompeii and Herculaneum. On the 24h of August 79ce, the volcano Vesuvius erupted. It was an eruption that lasted 24 hours. The eruption was cast into 2 stages. The first part was were the volcano released debris into the air almost twice the height of Mount Everest. The second part was when all of the debris…

Pompeii is 1939 year old and was rediscovered by a group of explorers in 1748. It is located in Italy and therefore it is built in a volcanic highland. The highland was located between the Samo River (South) and the slopes of Vesuvius (North). Consequently, it is important because it was the only route linking South and North and it connected the seaside area with the inland. Some restaurants and inns were quite attractive and served food to guests who declined in the garden. In the cheaper…

Ruins are usually associated with the destruction of physical objects, buildings, or cities. This devastation can come about in two ways: nature or man. Because ruins can be caused both naturally and artificially, I wonder about its impacts on the world. How and why are ruins depicted? A significant example of a natural ruin is the ancient Roman city of Pompeii after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. Over two thousand people died, and the city was abandoned for over a thousand years. However, as…

Pompeii The sky grew heavy with smoke and ash. The once quiet streets of Pompeii raged with fearful chaos, as the dark ashes rained mercilessly. I was at home when it happened. I watched my town fill with ash and sorrow whilst people I knew, people I cared for ran carelessly about in attempt to get away from the erupting volcano. I was at home with with my younger sister when Mount Vesuvius erupted. I hadn’t known where to go or what to do. With little direction in mind, we ran away from the…

contained its own local senate, an amphitheater and an odeion. At the time Pompeii had between 10,000-12,000 people living within the city and of those one third were slaves1. The city of Herculaneum is situated at the west side of Mt. Vesuvius. The city was named after the Greek hero Hercules due to the city being founded by Greeks. Before the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius, Herculaneum was severely damaged by an earthquake and the city was not able to reconstruct before the explosion. The city…

A.D. This catastrophic eruption took place in southern Italy, and completely devastated the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing thousands of people. What was most memorable about this infamous disaster was how Pompeii and Herculaneum became frozen in time from the Volcano’s eruption. The cities and their inhabitants became buried under thick layers of volcanic material, ash, and mud, and were never rebuilt. Mount Vesuvius remains the only active volcano in mainland…

In a modern global history class taught today, students learn all about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. They know the basic facts, such as how the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered with ash, how many, many people died because of the volcano eruption, and how the description we have of the eruption is from a letter written by Pliny the Younger (61AD-113AD). However, many students are not taught about what Roman life was like in Pompeii before the eruption of the volcano. The…

The ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were very open to other cultures compared to other non-roman cities. various buildings for example temples and shrines and artefacts such as cult objects can show the religious and cultural influences of foreign religions and cults in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Due to the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 these buildings and artefacts have been preserved. Due to Pompeii expansive trading with the Hellenic east these foreign religions and cults…