On August 24, 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. When it erupted, it ejected stones, ashes, and volcanic gases 21 miles high. It erupted molten rock and pumice also. More than thousands of people died but the actual number is unknown.
Vesuvius has erupted many times since then. It is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of how many people live in its danger zone.
Pompeii
Many years ago, My husband and I were able to visit Pompeii and it was a wonderful trip. We were on a cruise ship that stopped in Naples, Italy for the day. Before going on the cruise, we did our research and found that we could walk to the train station and take public transportation to Pompeii which was much cheaper than doing a ship’s tour. We had plenty of time to do and make it back to the ship on time. Since we weren’t part of a group, we didn’t have to waste time meeting and waiting for others.
When Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was burning under 20 ft. of volcanic ash and pumice. This ancient city was preserved under this ash and shows what Roman life was like at that time. There were many public buildings and private houses with lavish decorations. Even wooden objects and humans were found in the ash. As they decayed over time, archaeologists made plaster casts of the void they left behind. Pompeii is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Italy. Many excavations were done before 1960 and left a lot of areas decaying. The government banned any other major excavations and targeted specific areas. New discoveries were found in 2018.
Photo by Christopher Ott on Unsplash
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