Prior to the 79AD Eruption
Several years prior to the eruption, in 62AD a severe earthquake that was centred closely to the town of Pompeii caused considerable damage to the town and also the towns of Herculaneum, Naples and Puzzuoli. The process of repairing these towns was slow and expensive, therefore when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD much of the damage to the city had yet to be repaired. The knowledge of this earthquake and its damages to the towns is important as when the towns were rediscovered hundreds of years later, the unrepaired destruction to the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum that had been preserved under the layers of solidified ash limited the knowledge that we could determine from the discoveries due to the damages made by the 62AD earthquake. However, the art that had been damaged was repaired which means that they were done in the most recent styles, which reflect the trends during the era of the eruption.
The Eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD
On the 24th August 79AD in the early afternoon, Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The initial activity of the eruption is believed to be that a column of molten rock was forced into the stratosphere and rose up to 27km in height. A volcanic cloud of ash, pumice and gas was driven south-eastward towards the city of Pompeii. The volcanic cloud then began to fall on Pompeii and the countryside surrounding Pompeii around the time of 1:15pm. Pompeii had been covered by a metre of ash and debris by 4pm, which caused some damage to the town. The people of Pompeii reacted in two different ways. Some escaped from the town while other sought shelter in their homes[1]. The eruption continued into the night where around 2000 people had remained in Pompeii, while the depth of the fallen ash and pumice continued to increase.
The town of Herculaneum was only mildly affected by the initial eruption due to the prevailing winds that blew the volcanic cloud south-eastward towards Pompeii. This gave the occupants of Herculaneum the opportunity to escape the disaster. However a number of the inhabitants of Herculaneum thought that the falling ash and pumice on the town was the worst of the eruption and decided to wait out the rain of ash and pumice. Some of the people in Herculaneum also took shelter at the beach with the hope of being rescued by a ship[2].
Lightning surged within the cloud column that was continually rising. At around 1am on the 25th August 79AD, the volcanic column collapsed, this caused the first of the pyroclastic surges. The surge was a current of hot volcanic ash, gas and rock that rushed down the mountain through the town of Herculaneum and into the sea at a speed of 80km per hour. This surge killed everything in its wake. Including the people who had taken shelter in Herculaneum. Approximately an hour later, a second surge followed the same path of the first pyroclastic surge and demolished Herculaneum. These pyroclastic surges changed to shape of the Bay of Naples.
A third pyroclastic surge emitted from the volcanic at around 6am. However its path was not the same as the previous two surges, instead it rushed down the south-eastern side of the mountain towards Pompeii. This surge hit the walls of Pompeii, which was already covered by about two metres of debris from the volcanic cloud. But a fourth surge followed an hour later down the same path, and this time the volcanic ash and gas obliterated Pompeii and any remaining living inhabitants. The final fifth and sixth surges were the most powerful of all the pyroclastic surges. These surges almost reached the town of Misenum. By 8am on the 25th August 79AD Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the surrounding countryside was covered in volcanic ash.
On the 25th August 79AD, the eruption began to dissipate, however the volcanic ash and pumice carried on falling, and heavy rain in Herculaneum covered the destroyed town in mudslides.
The falling ash and pumice were not the main factor that caused the deaths of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, even though they did cause considerable deaths and damage. The toxic gases and pyroclastic surges that caused asphyxiation and thermal shock was the main cause of the overwhelming deaths and destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum[3].
Aftermath of the Eruption
It was recorded by Suetonius and Dio Cassuis, who were Roman writers during the time of the eruption, that the emperor Titus, who had only been emperor of Rome for approximately a month, immediately rushed to area of Campania (the Southern region of Italy that Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius were situated in) to plan and help the relief effort[4]. A relief foundation was setup that was funded by donations of the property of people who had died without making a will. A group of senators were also appointed to the task of investigating the possibility of rebuilding the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Those that had survived the disaster of the eruption fled to the surrounding towns of Nola, Naples, Sorrento and Capua. In return for hosting the survivors of the eruption, these towns were given privileges and benefits.
It is impossible to determine whether the survivors of Pompeii were able to return to their homes to salvage anything that would be of value. It was impossible for anyone from Herculaneum to return as the town had been too deeply buried by the fallen volcanic ash and pumice. The depth of the debris that had fallen over Pompeii was varied so it may have been possible that some things could have been salvaged. However the unrecorded treasure hunting in the first phases of excavations several hundred years after the eruption have ruined any chance of knowing if there were any salvations immediately following the disaster. This is because the treasure hunting efforts that were not properly documented could easily explain any disturbances of the site.
[1] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[2] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[3] Pompeii: The Mystery Of People Frozen In Time - History Documentary
[4] The Complete Pompeii – Joanne Berry
Several years prior to the eruption, in 62AD a severe earthquake that was centred closely to the town of Pompeii caused considerable damage to the town and also the towns of Herculaneum, Naples and Puzzuoli. The process of repairing these towns was slow and expensive, therefore when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD much of the damage to the city had yet to be repaired. The knowledge of this earthquake and its damages to the towns is important as when the towns were rediscovered hundreds of years later, the unrepaired destruction to the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum that had been preserved under the layers of solidified ash limited the knowledge that we could determine from the discoveries due to the damages made by the 62AD earthquake. However, the art that had been damaged was repaired which means that they were done in the most recent styles, which reflect the trends during the era of the eruption.
The Eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD
On the 24th August 79AD in the early afternoon, Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The initial activity of the eruption is believed to be that a column of molten rock was forced into the stratosphere and rose up to 27km in height. A volcanic cloud of ash, pumice and gas was driven south-eastward towards the city of Pompeii. The volcanic cloud then began to fall on Pompeii and the countryside surrounding Pompeii around the time of 1:15pm. Pompeii had been covered by a metre of ash and debris by 4pm, which caused some damage to the town. The people of Pompeii reacted in two different ways. Some escaped from the town while other sought shelter in their homes[1]. The eruption continued into the night where around 2000 people had remained in Pompeii, while the depth of the fallen ash and pumice continued to increase.
The town of Herculaneum was only mildly affected by the initial eruption due to the prevailing winds that blew the volcanic cloud south-eastward towards Pompeii. This gave the occupants of Herculaneum the opportunity to escape the disaster. However a number of the inhabitants of Herculaneum thought that the falling ash and pumice on the town was the worst of the eruption and decided to wait out the rain of ash and pumice. Some of the people in Herculaneum also took shelter at the beach with the hope of being rescued by a ship[2].
Lightning surged within the cloud column that was continually rising. At around 1am on the 25th August 79AD, the volcanic column collapsed, this caused the first of the pyroclastic surges. The surge was a current of hot volcanic ash, gas and rock that rushed down the mountain through the town of Herculaneum and into the sea at a speed of 80km per hour. This surge killed everything in its wake. Including the people who had taken shelter in Herculaneum. Approximately an hour later, a second surge followed the same path of the first pyroclastic surge and demolished Herculaneum. These pyroclastic surges changed to shape of the Bay of Naples.
A third pyroclastic surge emitted from the volcanic at around 6am. However its path was not the same as the previous two surges, instead it rushed down the south-eastern side of the mountain towards Pompeii. This surge hit the walls of Pompeii, which was already covered by about two metres of debris from the volcanic cloud. But a fourth surge followed an hour later down the same path, and this time the volcanic ash and gas obliterated Pompeii and any remaining living inhabitants. The final fifth and sixth surges were the most powerful of all the pyroclastic surges. These surges almost reached the town of Misenum. By 8am on the 25th August 79AD Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the surrounding countryside was covered in volcanic ash.
On the 25th August 79AD, the eruption began to dissipate, however the volcanic ash and pumice carried on falling, and heavy rain in Herculaneum covered the destroyed town in mudslides.
The falling ash and pumice were not the main factor that caused the deaths of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, even though they did cause considerable deaths and damage. The toxic gases and pyroclastic surges that caused asphyxiation and thermal shock was the main cause of the overwhelming deaths and destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum[3].
Aftermath of the Eruption
It was recorded by Suetonius and Dio Cassuis, who were Roman writers during the time of the eruption, that the emperor Titus, who had only been emperor of Rome for approximately a month, immediately rushed to area of Campania (the Southern region of Italy that Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius were situated in) to plan and help the relief effort[4]. A relief foundation was setup that was funded by donations of the property of people who had died without making a will. A group of senators were also appointed to the task of investigating the possibility of rebuilding the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Those that had survived the disaster of the eruption fled to the surrounding towns of Nola, Naples, Sorrento and Capua. In return for hosting the survivors of the eruption, these towns were given privileges and benefits.
It is impossible to determine whether the survivors of Pompeii were able to return to their homes to salvage anything that would be of value. It was impossible for anyone from Herculaneum to return as the town had been too deeply buried by the fallen volcanic ash and pumice. The depth of the debris that had fallen over Pompeii was varied so it may have been possible that some things could have been salvaged. However the unrecorded treasure hunting in the first phases of excavations several hundred years after the eruption have ruined any chance of knowing if there were any salvations immediately following the disaster. This is because the treasure hunting efforts that were not properly documented could easily explain any disturbances of the site.
[1] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[2] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[3] Pompeii: The Mystery Of People Frozen In Time - History Documentary
[4] The Complete Pompeii – Joanne Berry