Pompeii Write-Up Classical Ideas
Slide One- Which areas did Vesuvius hit?
Vesuvius entered the history of volcanology with the eruption of 79 AD burying towns and making history as one of the most fascinating natural disasters ever to hit this planet. The eruption destroyed the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplonti and Stabiae and caused the death of thousands of people, including Pliny the Elder. Earthquakes occurred frequently before the eruption in 79 AD but the locals disregarded them, as they were extremely common in this area. An earthquake was recorded in 62 AD on the 5th of Febuary. This earthquake caused serious damage in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, and minor damage in Nuceria and Naples, which was where the Emperor, Nero at this time, was performing in the theatre. According to writer Seneca, the earthquakes lasted for several days and it wasn’t until the 4th day that they began to die down. Seneca also said that he “presumed that the earthquake swarm occurred at a shallow depth in the Vesuvian area”. People of the time were very surprised at the extreme extent of the damage.
Source: Website, http://vulcan.fis.uniroma3.it/vesuvio/79_eruption.html
How is it relevant? This source is extremely relevant and useful as it allows us to know exactly when the eruption hit and where it hit. It also tells us about possible factors that caused the massive eruption such as the many earthquakes that hit the area, such as the ones in 62 AD. This shows that the people of the time did know that there were things that were out of control that put their lives in danger, yet they still chose to live there.
Slide Two- The Type of eruption and what it looked like
Quote on slide from Pliny’s 1st Letter. Pliny the younger says in his letter “that his uncle (Pliny the elder) climbed to where he had the best view of the phenomenon”. He then goes on to say, “ The cloud was rising from a mountain-at such a distance, we couldn’t tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can
Vesuvius entered the history of volcanology with the eruption of 79 AD burying towns and making history as one of the most fascinating natural disasters ever to hit this planet. The eruption destroyed the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplonti and Stabiae and caused the death of thousands of people, including Pliny the Elder. Earthquakes occurred frequently before the eruption in 79 AD but the locals disregarded them, as they were extremely common in this area. An earthquake was recorded in 62 AD on the 5th of Febuary. This earthquake caused serious damage in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, and minor damage in Nuceria and Naples, which was where the Emperor, Nero at this time, was performing in the theatre. According to writer Seneca, the earthquakes lasted for several days and it wasn’t until the 4th day that they began to die down. Seneca also said that he “presumed that the earthquake swarm occurred at a shallow depth in the Vesuvian area”. People of the time were very surprised at the extreme extent of the damage.
Source: Website, http://vulcan.fis.uniroma3.it/vesuvio/79_eruption.html
How is it relevant? This source is extremely relevant and useful as it allows us to know exactly when the eruption hit and where it hit. It also tells us about possible factors that caused the massive eruption such as the many earthquakes that hit the area, such as the ones in 62 AD. This shows that the people of the time did know that there were things that were out of control that put their lives in danger, yet they still chose to live there.
Slide Two- The Type of eruption and what it looked like
Quote on slide from Pliny’s 1st Letter. Pliny the younger says in his letter “that his uncle (Pliny the elder) climbed to where he had the best view of the phenomenon”. He then goes on to say, “ The cloud was rising from a mountain-at such a distance, we couldn’t tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can