Herculaneum

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, XVI, 491). Pliny the Elder, also known as Gaius Plinius Secundus, was born in 23 AD in Novum Comum, Transpadane Gaul, now in Italy, and died on August 25th, 79 AD. He died during the same eruption that was responsible for killing Pompeii and Herculaneum which happened near Mount Vesuvius. At the age of 23, he began a military career when he served in Germany. The Natural History was considered an encyclopedia due to the immense size because it consisted of 37 books which covered anything that peaked his interest. He was able to link both fictional and non-fictional data together, along with unsupported claims, stories and exaggerations. Niccolò Leoniceno was the first person to question Pliny’s work back in 1492, and after that, more and more writers started to question his statements. By the end of the 17th century, leading scientists were rejecting The Natural History and it was never again accepted as a viable source in Science. The passage I was assigned talked about…

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…

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 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…

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…

Vesuvius erupted on the afternoon of August 24, 79 CE. Most of the fatalities that occurred during the eruption were not from lava but instead falling debris caused by the weight of all the ash piling onto the roofs of the houses. And if that didn’t kill them than they would have been asphyxiated from the lack of oxygen. Over 2,000 people died. On the bright side, the city would be excellently preserved under all 23 feet of ash for over 17 centuries. This factor would make the ancient city of…

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…

already. Instead of uncovering more of the ancient city, while the uncovered parts are deteriorating day by day. The city of Pompeii was lost once, no one wants to lose it again. Pompeii was announced as one of the world’s most endangered sites by the New York-Based World Monuments Funds. “You think, ‘Wow, I can just touch everything here,” …. “ I like the freedom to roam unobserved, but if it’s being destroyed, you must do everything you can to save it. This place needs more security.”…