Page No: 15 Christmas Issue 2015
History Society: Pompeii
1900 years ago Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the city of Pompeii in smoke and volcanic rock, whilst lava flows travelling at speeds of 30mph enveloped the city in minutes. As Pliny the Younger described it: “Broad sheets of fire and leaping flames battered the buildings”. This powerful combination proved too much for the citizens, and two thousand people died. Most of the Pompeiians, on realising their lives were in danger, fled to the sea, but the boiling ocean was not sailable and many perished on the beaches, obliterated by the volcano that had erupted with a force one hundred thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima bombings. 1.5 million tons of lava were expelled per second, and the eruption lasted a terrifying two weeks, in total covering the city in 1,814,400 tons of lava. 1599 saw the rediscovery of Pompeii, when digging to divert the river Sarno came up against ancient walls covered in paintings and writing in the language and style of the Romans. Further investigation by historians led to the discovery being blocked up as the frescoes on the walls were ‘too inappropriate’. It was not until 1738 whilst digging foundations for the palace of the King of Naples that the town of Herculaneaum was found, but it never received the same fame as Pompeii. The city of Pompeii has fascinated tourists and historians alike for centuries, and still does today. The drama and ferocity of the eruption give us an insight into what life was like then, as well as reminding us of the horrific power that nature exercised all those years ago. Alex McClean, 7E
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs