Pompeii Buried Alive

Pompeii…Buried Alive!

Pompeii is probably the second most famous ancient Roman city, only behind Rome. The first misfortune that hit this little city was a massive earthquake in February 4th, 64 A.D. Buildings collapsed and the strong tremors were felt throughout southern Italy. But still Pompeii and its people were strong, and rebuilt themselves after this horrid event. The second calamity that struck Pompeii was far more terrible and dramatic.

On the morning of August 24, 79 A.D., streams around Mount Vesuvius dried up. The animals and residents of Pompeii began to feel uneasy. Local towns including Herculaneum were also feeling similar messages from the earth. A tremor started and suddenly all the gases that had been gaining pressure for thousands of years blew through the top of Mount Vesuvius. Millions of tons of lava, pumice, and ash were thrown to the sky. It is estimated that at times during the eruption the column of ash was 20 miles tall. About 1 cubic mile of ash was erupted in 19 hours. The ash landed in depths of 8-10 feet and many roofs collapsed under the weight. This was followed by clouds of gas and molten lava.

Eighteen miles away in the town of Misenum, a young author called Pliny the Younger witnessed the whole event.

"We saw the sea sucked away...I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood. Absolute darkness fell...as if a lamp had been put out in a closed room. A curious kind of light appeared...like the light of a distant fire. Ashes began to fall again, this time in heavy showers. We rose from time to time and shook them off, otherwise we should have been buried and crushed beneath their weight.”

Many people tried to flee, though most unsuccessfully. They grabbed precious items as they raced through the streets. Others took shelters in basements, but they suffered greatly when the poisonous gas of Mount Vesuvius slipped in. Those who stayed behind were devoured by hot ash and tephra, which buried the city. Mothers held their babies; children pulled their tunics up over their faces. Grown men huddled in corners. Gladiators locked in their cells were trapped. Dogs with chains around their necks barked in the street. Many people died, but some managed to escape with the help of the fleet stationed at Misenum. The death count in Pompeii was 2,000 people. In total, Mount Vesuvius killed 20,000 people. The city of Pompeii was covered and hidden for over 1600 years.

1748, Pompeii was rediscovered--not only its houses, but also some of its citizens. There are numerous molds of people in their final moments of agony. Although only fragmentary skeletal remains were found, lava molds of many deceased Romans were created by archaeologists. Suffocated by volcanic gasses and covered in ash and lava, the buried bodies eventually decayed inside the hardened lava. This air space essentially formed a mold, since the lava and hardened ash that had surrounded the person retained an imprint of the body. Excavators realized this and filled the air pockets with plaster. The resulting "plaster mummies" poignantly capture the human tragedy of Pompeii.