Agree that there are places in the world that you want to visit no matter what.. One of these places for me was the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy.
And in today’s article I will tell you a lot of interesting things about the city of Pompeii, about what is invented and exaggerated and about what is shocking in reality, we will walk (video at the end of the article) through the streets, we will discover secrets that you could collect for a long time on the RuNet , and now you can find out from my article. It will be informative and interesting, enjoy reading and viewing.
Pompeii today photo
Pompeii destroyed by volcano
Perhaps this is the most famous tragedy in the world associated with a volcano, so it is no secret that it was Volcano Vesuvius that caused the death of the city of Pompeii. But there are a lot of legends and exaggerations around this story, which we will understand along the way...
Volcanic eruption in Pompeii
In fact, Pompeii is located quite far from the crater, so I understand the residents of the city who found it difficult to believe that the consequences of a natural disaster could take their lives. Moreover, people did not know such a thing as a volcanic eruption and did not understand the danger of such a neighborhood.
What does Pompeii mean?
Pompei is the Italian word for the city, which was founded in the 6th century BC by the Osci (ancient Italian people). The city was formed as a result of the union of five settlements.
Where is Pompeii:
Pompeii location relative to Vesuvius
If you look at the map above, you will see that Vesuvius is located between Pompeii and Napoli (the city of Naples), so the tragedy that took the lives of the city of Pompeii in 79 could have done the same to the inhabitants of Naples. And judging by the historical chronicles, not only should it, but it could, since the direction of the wind played a big role in the fact that the eruption took place in Pompeii. Usually the wind blew towards Naples, but on this particular day everything was different.
Pompeii how to get from Naples
The distance between cities is less than 25 km. You can get there in many ways, from taxi or car rental to the cheapest - train. We are familiar with this train firsthand, as we traveled on it from Sorrento to Naples. The route just includes a stop in the city of Pompeii.
Further in the section of attractions of the city of Pompeii, I posted a photo of one of the main streets. These streets are notable for many nuances, from high curbs to strange infantry crossings. As you understand, this cannot be depicted in the photo, so again I invite you to see and hear everything in the video.
Many tourists, arriving in Pompeii, rush to see a small house with the strange name Luponarium. This is a brothel of that time. I don’t even know how to explain such a rush of tourists in this direction... Perhaps this is due to the fact that, according to one version, Pompeii did not die by accident and the volcanic eruption was God’s punishment for the depraved lifestyle of its inhabitants, who indulged too much in love pleasures and lost their true values...After such legends, tourists can’t wait to see what this depravity was about that caused the death of an entire city... As for me, these are just tricks to lure tourists and exaggerated stories, because, you see, at all times and in All cities in the world have such establishments and there are those who regularly visit them, but this does not mean that curses and natural disasters should be sent to them. The only thing I agree with is that many tourists are simply interested in seeing what brothels were like in ancient times. In order not to bore you with expectations, I tell and show the main thing (the rest is on video).
Lupanarium photo
The photo below is an image on the wall of a lupanarium. There are many such images here (above eye level along the entire perimeter of the corridor inside). These are not just lewd pictures - this is a menu. Well, yes, the menu, because if you come to a restaurant, then you have to choose from what they are ready to offer you, so, sorry for the frankness, but here everything is the same: you choose how you want to indulge in love pleasures from the pictures.
The lupanarium building is small. In the middle there is a corridor with a menu, and on the sides there are rooms with stone beds, on which everything happened. In addition to the fact that the beds are made of stone, there is another striking feature - the length of the beds is no more than 170 cm. This is because the height of people at that time rarely exceeded 160 cm. Yes, this is interesting) For me personally, this was the most interesting thing in our visit to the luponarium, the rest is more interesting to those who have something to compare an institution of this kind with.
Pompeii people in ashes
When you walk around the city, there is no feeling of celebration and fun, because you initially understand that you are walking along streets along which people who suffered death ran in agony. Thanks to the voids that were discovered during the excavations of the city, it was possible to restore the postures in which people died and even the expressions of their faces, disfigured by horror. Behind bars on one of the main squares, finds that give you goosebumps are displayed like museum exhibits. For example, this figure of a boy who curled up in despair and died here. On the right in the photo you see a bowl that is now filled with coins, but I didn’t throw it through the lattice fence, because, to be honest, this idea makes me cringe... I don’t know for what purpose this bowl was installed next to this poor young man, but I don’t like the way tourists adapted it at all. I am for the tradition of throwing coins into fountains, but people, this is not a fountain, this is the face of death and a city in which 2,000 people died... Why are you throwing coins? Do you want to come back here? Or is it alms for a dead child? Sorry for being emotional, but this is blasphemy.... A show that the masses support. I didn’t support him, and you decide for yourself, but just be aware of why you put your hand through the bars and try to get a coin into this bowl...
Pompeii photo from excavations
Archaeologists continue their work tirelessly and another quarter of the way to explore the city has not been completed. Maybe new discoveries will surprise us and open up new facets of city life, we’ll look forward to it.
Pompeii finds
In addition to human figures, there are figures of dead animals, as well as dishes and interior items of that time.
After visiting the city of Pompeii, we went to Villa Mysteri, which recently opened after restoration. It is truly a great pleasure to see one of the richest and most beautiful houses, which has preserved stunning pieces of art and luxurious interiors to this day. I will not describe Villa in the article, but I suggest you finish and watch the video, which will answer questions not covered in the article.
I really enjoyed our visit to the city and I am very grateful to our guide, who wished to remain behind the scenes, but who immersed us in an amazing world with an interesting history, of which we became a part.
See you on the pages of the AVIAMANIA website and the AVIAMANIA YouTube channel.
Pompeii video
A city where there are no residents, but there are crowds of tourists, where there is no city government, but there is a big name and a good annual budget. It was once a fairly large and prosperous city of the Roman Empire. Almost 30,000 people lived here (for comparison: this is three times more than the current population of Suzdal!). The city had an important strategic and economic position: a port city located on the Appian Way, which connected the south of the country with Rome.
Today we will go for a walk through the dead city of Pompeii
Depending on the significance they were wide or narrow. Paved with stone. In some places, strongly protruding cobblestones are visible - a pedestrian crossing for people during the rain, when the streets were flooded (for example, visible in the distance in the photo below). Sometimes you can see horse “parking” spots on the sides.
In Pompeii all houses have their own addresses. On the map of Pompeii that you will be given at the entrance, it will be clear how to get to which house. And there will be modern signs on the streets (as in the photo below).
Many houses are well preserved and you can even go inside and see what it was like. For example, on this street there are a couple of such houses.
On the street below on the left side there is a row of all kinds of shopping shops.
There were once all sorts of ornaments on the walls, which they are now trying to restore.
There was a problem with drinking water in the city. Like many Roman cities, an aqueduct was built here. But water from the aqueduct was supplied only to the houses of the richest citizens. The rest of the people went to fountains and wells with all sorts of containers. Well, in general, they had average dacha conditions there. Here is a street with a well.
But the city already had a developed fast food chain. Here you go: the prototype of McDonald's and others like it. Although the service, to be honest, is more reminiscent of the shawarma at the Kievsky station, which was removed from there a couple of years ago. :) Here, inside these holes there were constantly heated pots with all kinds of food. By the way, this fast food was quite popular, because... many poor houses simply did not have a kitchen.
The inhabitants of Pompeii loved to have fun, so they built two theaters there. One of them is below.
The inhabitants of Pompeii loved sex no less than you and I (yeah, who doesn’t love it! :)). They set up as many as 200 so-called lupanarii (brothels) in the city, which had certain opening hours and a certain range of services. The second floor was reserved for especially wealthy clients with VIP service. This establishment was very popular both then and now. In those days - among clients, in our days - among tourists. Nowadays it is the most visited building in Pompeii. :)
The rooms where clients were served were no more than two square meters in area. What can, with a stretch, be called a bed is a bed of some incredibly small dimensions. No doors, no ventilation. In general, I wouldn’t be attracted to sex there. Honestly. I was drawn to the fresh air there. But in general, men know better, of course. :)
By the way, comrades, if you remember, then, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf. So, according to one version, it was not a she-wolf at all, but the same “magnifying glass” - a lady of easy virtue, which is translated from Latin as a she-wolf. Didn't the psyche of children who grew up in a brothel suffer if they first joyfully killed their uncle, then Romulus killed Remus, and then his descendants conquered half of Europe?..
Well, okay, sex is an eternal and wonderful topic. Let's return to the city. Pompeii had a couple of fairly large squares. The largest of them is the Pompeii Forum. There was a market, a court, a municipal building, a voting building, all sorts of temples, shops, etc.
Another square. From here it was already visible. But that day, apparently, there was still a strong fog, because the photo of Vesuvius turned out somehow bad: everything was completely in the fog...
Next will be what is left of people. Those who are especially impressionable may end up viewing the report at this point. And with people it was like this... Pompeii was not at all flooded with lava, as depicted in Bryullov’s painting: Pompeii was covered with many meters of ash and stones.
In that same BBC film that I mentioned at the beginning, it was shown that the first signs of the end were visible a few days before the very end. The wind brought ashes, which fell on the heads of citizens so that it was almost impossible to go outside without covering their heads with something. Many hastily began to leave, but some remained in the city and took refuge in their houses.
The history of the death of Pompeii indicates that the disaster began in 79, in the afternoon, on August 24 and lasted two days. The eruption of what was then thought to be a dormant volcano, Vesuvius, destroyed everything. Then not only Pompeii, but also three more cities were buried under lava - Stabiae, Oplontia and Herculaneum.
For 1,500 years, Pompeii would remain buried underground, until in 1599, during the construction of an underground canal from the Sarno River, part of the ancient city wall was discovered.
Then the city had to wait another 150 years, until its excavations resumed in 1748 under the leadership of the Spanish military engineer Roque Joaquin de Alcubierre. This time, not only well-preserved household items appeared on the surface (which was facilitated by the lack of air and moisture underground), but also entire buildings.
The first day is the beginning of the tragedy
The city of Pompeii was spared by the elements until the next day. City residents frivolously did not pay attention to the black cloud of ash and gas that rose above the Vesuvius volcano and was slowly moving towards the city. Anxiety began to grow after ash flakes began to cover the roofs of houses, sidewalks, flowers and treetops. The ashes covered the white clothes and had to be shaken off all the time; the colors of the city faded, merging into a gloomy gray background.
Many of the residents tried to hide from the ash in houses where poisonous sulfur fumes penetrated. Under the weight of the ash, the roofs of houses collapsed, burying those in the room. Many died without finding the courage to leave valuables. During excavations, people were found with bags filled with gold and precious jewelry. The earthquake that began was accompanied by continuous tremors. The shaking firmament overturned carts, destroyed statues and walls of houses; Residents fleeing in horror were covered with tiles. Following the ashes, stones began to fall from the sky.
The details of the death of Pompeii are known from the letters of the famous Roman scientist Pliny the Younger, who was visiting Miseno - the estate of his uncle, also a famous scientist, who is usually called Pliny the Elder. Young Pliny had the misfortune of finding himself on the shores of the Bay of Naples, just 25 km from Vesuvius. He described the eruption in a letter to Tacitus, at the latter's request, telling about the death of a relative, and as a result provided descendants with an important scientific document.
“My uncle was in Misenum and personally commanded the fleet,” writes Pliny the Younger. “He died during a catastrophe that destroyed this beautiful region along with its cities and population. On the 9th day before the Kalends of September, around 7 o'clock, he saw a cloud, unusual in size and appearance. Those looking from afar could not determine which mountain it appeared over, and the fact that it was Vesuvius was recognized much later. The uncle had already warmed himself in the sun, doused himself with cold water, had a snack and asked for sandals in order to climb to a place where he could better see this amazing phenomenon.
The shape of the cloud was similar to a pine tree: a tall trunk rose upward, from which branches diverged in different directions. It could have been thrown out by a stream of air, but then the force weakened, and the cloud spread wider from its own gravity. The color of the cloud, filled with earth and ash, changed from bright white to dirty brown. The phenomenon might seem significant and worthy of closer acquaintance to any scientist. My uncle ordered the ship to be prepared and invited me to go with him. I replied that I preferred to write.
He was about to leave the house when he received a letter from Rectina, the wife of Tascius, who lived in a villa under the mountain, from where escape could only be by sea. The frightened woman asked to help her out of a terrible situation, and her uncle changed the plan. What the scientist began, was completed by a man of great soul: he ordered the ship to be brought in, and he himself climbed onto the deck, intending to provide assistance not only to Rectina, but also to many others, because the coast was densely populated. He hurried to where others were fleeing, keeping a straight path, rushing straight to the center of danger, and was so free from fear that, perceiving any change in the outlines of the pillar, he ordered all the details to be noted and recorded.”
The scientist did not succumb to the persuasion of the helmsman, although he hesitated whether to turn back, but still ordered the boat to be sent to Stabiae, to the house of a certain Pomponian. Throughout the dangerous journey, Pliny the Elder consoled the frightened passengers, hugged them by the shoulders, and persuaded them, wanting to ease their fear with his calmness. Upon his return, he ordered to be taken to the bathhouse; Having washed himself, he settled down on the bed and dined tastefully, constantly pretending to be cheerful.
There is evidence from the ancient writer Dio Cassius, a later author who used an unknown source, but was well aware of the consequences of the eruption outside Campania:
“A strong earthquake began. The entire area around the volcano trembled, and the top of the mountain shook. The underground booms were like thunder... the sea was roaring... Suddenly a terrible crash was heard. Huge stones flew from the mouth of Vesuvius... flames rose high and thick smoke fell, the sun darkened. Day turned to night, clouds of ash rose into the air. It covered the land and the sea, completely filling up two cities. Such a mass of dust rose that it reached Africa and Egypt. In Rome, clouds of dust flying in the air obscured the sun.”
As stated by Pliny the Younger already on the first day of the disaster:
“Ashes fell on the ships, and the closer they came, the hotter and thicker the air became. Pieces of pumice and black burnt fragments of stones fell, almost burying the sandbank and blocking the bank, access to which was blocked by a landslide. In many places, fire spread widely from the volcano, shooting up, especially bright in the darkness of the night. The uncle kept repeating, trying to calm the frightened people, that in their haste the villagers forgot to put out the fire and a fire started in the abandoned estates.
Then he retired and fell into a deep sleep: his breathing, a large man, came out with heavy snoring, and people passing by his room heard this sound. The platform from which they entered the outbuilding was already so covered with ash and pieces of pumice that it would have been impossible for a person who had lingered in the bedroom to leave. They woke up my uncle with an offer to take part in the council, where they discussed the question of whether to stay indoors or go out into the open. The scientist presented reasonable arguments, but fears prevailed among the rest.”
By the time of the negotiations, buildings were shaking, shaken by frequent and strong tremors; the underground element moved them from their places, moved them to the side and brought them back. Light, porous pieces of pumice fell from the sky. People protected themselves from falling stones with pillows and towels tied to their heads.
The threat became clear gradually, because the disaster began with light ash, which was enough to shake off clothes and hair. Seeing pieces of pumice flying from the sky, people sensed danger, but took real measures to save them too late. The city of Pompeii was enveloped in toxic fumes; they penetrated into all the cracks, crawled under capes, bandages and scarves, constricted breathing, caused tears and coughing. In an attempt to get a breath of fresh air, people ran out into the street, fell under a hail of lapilli and returned back in horror. Ceilings collapsed in houses, burying those who sat huddled under stairwells and hid in galleries, begging in vain for forgiveness from the gods.
When any volcano erupts, pieces of old and fresh lava, as well as rocks alien to the volcano, are thrown out of the crater along with the ash. Small, round or angular fragments of this substance - lapilli (from the Latin lapillus - “pebble”) - fall like hail, covering the ground with a loose layer of volcanic mass. During the eruption of Vesuvius, most of the stones barely reached the size of a walnut, although at times there were stones with a diameter of up to 30 cm. Even when frozen, they are not difficult to remove using the simplest tools. It was this kind of substance that covered Pompeii, although to a much shallower depth than Herculaneum.
Contrary to the assertions of ancient authors, the disaster did not take the townspeople by surprise. Vesuvius woke up early in the morning, and the stone rain began only at noon. People had enough time to leave the city, and many did so. Judging by the findings, less than a quarter of the 10,000 townspeople died. The population of the city of the dead consisted of those who rushed to save household belongings or simply decided to wait out the danger by leaving home too late. Old people, lost children and slaves left by their owners to guard household property died.
Second day of the disaster
Having difficulty making their way through piles of small stones, people fell exhausted, lost consciousness or slowly suffocated, buried alive under hot ash. It is no coincidence that many of the dead were found in its upper layer. The morning of the next day greeted those who remained in pitch darkness, the air became hot, and the city was completely hidden under a 7-meter layer of lapilli and a 2-meter layer of ash that covered it.
“The day came, gloomy, as if exhausted, blacker and denser than all the nights,” continues Pliny the Younger in a letter to Tacitus, “although the darkness was slightly dispersed by torches. It was already one o'clock when we decided to go ashore and look around. The buildings shook. We stood in the open, but even in the darkness it was clear that everything around was collapsing. Many people were crowding and pushing each other. A lot of strange and terrible things happened in the city. The carts that we ordered to be sent forward were thrown from side to side in a completely new place, although we supported them with stones. The sea was still rough and hostile. We saw how it was drawn into itself, and the earth, shaking, pushed it away. The shore moved forward, leaving sea animals lying on the sand.
Like many others, my uncle lay down on the spread sail and asked for cold water. The fire and the smell of brimstone, which heralded the approach of fire, put the others to flight, and he was roused to his feet. He stood up, leaning on two slaves, and immediately fell, because the thick fumes took his breath away and closed his windpipe: he was naturally weak, narrow and often hurt.
In the huge black thundercloud, fiery zigzags flashed and ran across, it split into long stripes of flame, similar to lightning, but of unprecedented size. A few hours later, the cloud began to descend to the ground, covered the sea, encircled and hid the island of Capri, and carried Cape Misensky out of sight. Ash fell, but at first it was rare. Looking back, I saw that thick darkness was approaching us, like a stream spreading across the earth.”
The frightened young man suggested that his companions turn away before they were crushed by the crowd. Then everyone found themselves in darkness, similar to what happens in a room when the lights suddenly go out. Helpless people heard women's screams, men's voices, children's cries: some called their parents, others called their children, wives were looking for their husbands, but they could not find their wives in the general chaos.
Perhaps at that time people realized that death was inevitable. According to Pliny, “they mourned their own death, mourned the death of loved ones, some shouted in fear to die quickly, many raised their hands to the gods, but most argued that they were not there and the last eternal night had come in the world. When it got a little lighter, we saw that it was not dawn, but an approaching fire. He stopped in the distance and darkness fell again.
Ash fell in frequent, heavy rain. We constantly got up and shook it off, otherwise we would have been covered and crushed by its weight. The darkness eventually began to dissipate into smoke and fog. Soon the real day came, and the sun even sparkled, but yellowish and dim, as if during an eclipse. To the eyes of people numb with horror, the world around them appeared completely different. Everything was covered, as if with snow, with deep ash.” Pliny’s letter ended with the words: “...I conveyed everything that I was present at and that I heard about from those who remember well how everything happened.”
Third day - buried cities
Weak daylight returned on the third day after the volcano began erupting. The body of Pliny the Elder was found on the shore: the scientist was lying fully clothed, without any injuries and looked more like a sleeper than a dead person. Two days later, the sun was shining over Campania again and the sky was blue, but Pompeii and Herculaneum had already ceased to exist. The fields of the happy land were covered with lava and ash, the buildings turned into ruins. The deathly silence was not broken by human voices, barking dogs, or singing birds. Only Vesuvius remained alive, over the top of which, as at the beginning of the destruction of Pompeii, a thin column of smoke smoked.
After the destruction of Pompeii
Soon after the volcano subsided, the surviving residents returned to the scene of the disaster. People dug up houses in an attempt to find the remains of dead relatives, the most valuable things, and tools necessary for settling in a new place. Deeper penetration was carried out in the forum where the core values were located. By order of the city authorities, works of art, fragments of architectural decor, statues of gods, emperors, and famous citizens were removed from the main square.
The Roman government did not take any real measures to help those affected by the death of Pompeii. Emperor Titus appointed a senatorial commission, which dared to ignore the decree that allowed “the property of the dead to be used for the revival of the Campaign if they had no heirs.” Streets and houses were left under ash, and the surviving residents found shelter in other cities in Italy. Years passed; the wounded earth was covered with a layer of soil, in the desert valley the meadows turned green again and the gardens bloomed. After several centuries, no one remembered the lost cities. An echo of the former prosperity of the region was the name of the area - La citta, but the word "city" in the designation of a deserted tract was perceived as a mockery.
The city of Pompeii in modern times
Occupying a total area of more than 65 hectares, the city of Pompeii is today the world's largest archaeological park and architectural monument, as well as one of the most popular tourist destinations for 250 years. The city buried alive was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 2.5 million tourists visit it annually.
Vesuvius, estimated to be 17,000 years old, remains the only active volcano on the European mainland. According to scientists, the volcano erupted about 100 times in total, but only a few eruptions exceeded the eruption of 79 in scale. The thermal energy released by Mount Vesuvius during the eruption was 100,000 times greater than the energy from the bomb dropped on Hiroshima!
Tourists visiting Southern Italy and its pearl, the city of Naples, have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful views, including the majestic mountain, located just a few kilometers from the city limits.
The mountain, only 1281 meters high, does not look intimidating, especially if you don’t know its name - Vesuvius. It is the only active volcano in continental Europe and one of the most dangerous volcanoes known to mankind.
For those who do not find the appearance of Vesuvius frightening, local residents will advise a trip to the coast of the Gulf of Naples, east of Naples. There are three ancient cities there - Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, life in which ceased on one day, August 24, 79, when the volcano began to speak in full force.
In the 1st century AD, serious and systematic observations of volcanoes, including Vesuvius, were not carried out. And it’s unlikely that they would have helped - Vesuvius has not been active since the Bronze Age and was considered extinct long ago.
In 74 BC Spartacus and the gladiators who joined him at the very beginning of their uprising hid from their pursuers precisely on Vesuvius, covered with lush vegetation.
Local residents did not feel any threat from the proximity to the volcano.
"Ancient Roman Rublevka" was founded by Hercules
The largest of the ancient cities adjacent to Vesuvius was the city of Pompeii, founded in the 6th century BC. In the city, which was considered a colony of Rome after the capture of the Roman dictator Sulla in 89 BC, according to modern estimates, about 20 thousand people lived. It was an important point on the trade route between Rome and southern Italy, and such a favorable location was one of the reasons for its prosperity.
In addition, Pompeii can be called something between an ancient resort and the “ancient Roman Rublyovka” - many noble citizens of Rome had their villas here.
Nearby Herculaneum, like Pompeii, was founded in the 6th century BC. Its founding was attributed Hercules, who performed one of the feats in these places and “celebrated” this event by founding not even one, but two cities (the second was Pompeii).
The city, located directly on the seashore, was used as a port for a long time and developed successfully. However, by 79, the best time for Herculaneum was already in the past - the city was badly damaged by a powerful earthquake that occurred in 62, and by the time of the new disaster no more than 4,000 people lived in it.
By 79, Stabiae was considered a city only conditionally. The once fairly large settlement was virtually completely destroyed during the “visit of Sulla” in 89 BC, as a result of which Pompeii lost its independence.
The city was not restored, but representatives of the Roman aristocracy from among those who did not make it to “Rublyovka” in Pompeii chose it for their villas.
End of the world after lunch
Less than 20 years before the eruption of Vesuvius, a large-scale earthquake occurred in this area. A number of villages near Herculaneum and Pompeii were completely destroyed, and there was very serious destruction in the cities themselves.
Human memory, however, can quickly erase unpleasant memories. Over the course of 17 years, much of what was destroyed was rebuilt. This is especially true for the city of Pompeii, which has become even better than before. The city's attractions were the Temple of Jupiter, the forum and the amphitheater, which could accommodate almost the entire population of Pompeii.
Life in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae went on as usual until August 24, 79. Moreover, on this day people flocked to the Pompeii amphitheater to watch gladiator fights.
The eruption began on the afternoon of August 24 and came as a complete surprise to residents of nearby towns and villages. Vesuvius threw a huge cloud of hot ash into the sky. The thermal energy released by the volcano during the eruption was several times greater than the energy released during the bombing of Hiroshima. The cloud of stones, ash and smoke reached a height of 33 kilometers. The western part of the volcano exploded and fell into an expanded crater.
Despite the horror of what was happening, for city residents the disaster was not at all lightning fast. Ash fall, although it made breathing difficult and made it difficult to move around the city, was not a fatal phenomenon. Everyone who was able to assess the impending threat began to quickly leave the cities that were in danger. But not everyone could objectively assess the degree of danger.
Save yourself, whoever wants to
Famous ancient Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who in 79 held the post of commander of the galley fleet in Misenum on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, with the beginning of the eruption, attracted by its grandeur, headed to Stabiae in order to observe the violence of the elements and help the victims. Arriving in Stabia a few hours later, he was unable to leave due to the low tide. While calming the frightened inhabitants and awaiting changes in conditions at sea, Pliny the Elder died suddenly. According to one version, the cause of his death was sulfur fumes.
From his nephew's letters Pliny the Younger It is known that the disaster developed over a long period of time. Pliny the Elder, for example, died on the night of August 26, that is, more than a day after the start of the eruption.
According to researchers, the fatal blow to Pompeii and Herculaneum was dealt by pyroclastic flows - a mixture of high-temperature (up to 800 degrees Celsius) volcanic gases, ash and stones, capable of reaching speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour. It was pyroclastic flows that caused the death of most of the people remaining in Herculaneum.
However, these flows hit the cities no earlier than 18-20 hours after the start of the disaster. All this time, the city residents had the opportunity to avoid death, which, obviously, the majority took advantage of.
It is very difficult to establish the exact number of victims of the disaster, because numbers of different orders are called. But, according to modern estimates, most likely, out of 20 thousand inhabitants of the city of Pompeii, about two thousand died. In Stabiae and Herculaneum the number of deaths was lower due to the fact that they themselves were much smaller than Pompeii.
Pliny the Younger did not witness what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum, but he left evidence of the panic at Misenum, which survived the disaster: “The panic-stricken crowd followed us and (like any soul maddened with horror, any proposal seems more prudent , than her own) pressed on us like a dense mass, pushing us forward when we came out... We froze in the midst of the most dangerous and terrifying scene. The chariots that we ventured to take out shook so violently back and forth, although they were standing on the ground, that we could not hold them up even by placing large stones under the wheels. The sea seemed to roll back and be pulled away from the shores by the convulsive movements of the Earth; definitely the land expanded significantly, and some sea animals found themselves on the sand... Finally, the terrible darkness began to gradually dissipate, like a cloud of smoke; daylight appeared again, and the sun even came out, although its light was gloomy, as happens before an approaching eclipse. Every object that appeared before our eyes (which were extremely weakened) seemed to have changed, covered with a thick layer of ash, as if snow.”
Canned history
After the first impact, a second wave of pyroclastic flows followed, which completed the job. Pompeii and Stabiae found themselves under a layer of ash and pumice 8 meters deep; in Herculaneum the layer of ash, stones and dirt was about 20 meters.
Who died in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae?
Among the victims of the eruption were many slaves, whom their owners left to guard their property. Elderly and sick people who were unable to leave the cities due to their condition died. There were also those who decided that they would be able to wait out the disaster in their own home.
Some of the victims of the eruption, having already left the city, remained dangerously close to it. They died from poisoning by gases released during the rampage of Vesuvius.
Huge masses of ash and pyroclastic flows “preserved” the cities and those who remained in them, in the state in which they were at the time of destruction.
The surviving residents did not attempt to excavate the site of the tragedy, simply moving to a new place.
The lost cities were remembered only in the 18th century, when, after a new eruption of Vesuvius, workers in this area stumbled upon ancient Roman coins. For some time, the territory became a paradise for gold miners. They were later replaced by hunters of rarities in the form of statues and other historical relics.
Full excavations of the city of Pompeii have begun Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli. It was he who discovered that voids had formed in place of the bodies of people and animals buried under a layer of volcanic ash. By filling these voids with plaster, it was possible to reconstruct the dying poses of the victims of the eruption.
Giuseppe Fiorelli began the systematic work of scientists in Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, which continues to this day.
As for Vesuvius, 2014 marks 70 years since its last major eruption. However, scientists are convinced that the longer he is silent, the more powerful his next blow will be.
Pompeii (city of Pompeii) is an ancient Roman city in Italy, located near Naples, Campania region. As a result of the eruption on August 24, 79, he was buried under a layer of volcanic ash. It is now an open-air museum and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On February 5, 62, a powerful earthquake occurred, which became the harbinger of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This disaster caused enormous damage to the city; most of the buildings were repaired, but some remained damaged until the destruction of Pompeii. The eruption of Vesuvius began on the afternoon of August 24, 79 and lasted the whole day, as evidenced by some surviving fragments of letters from Pliny the Younger. This eruption led to the destruction of three cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and several other small villages and villas. Entire streets of the city, fully furnished houses, and the remains of people and animals that did not have time to escape were found under a multi-meter layer of ash. The power of the eruption is evidenced by the fact that its ashes reached Egypt and Syria.
In 1592, the architect Dominico Fantana, while laying a canal from the Sarno River, came across part of the city wall. During the construction of the well in 1698, the ruins of an ancient building with the inscription “Pompeii” were discovered, then they decided that this was the villa of Pompey the Great. 
Under the leadership of R. J. Alcubierre, excavations began again in 1748, but he was only interested in finds of artistic value, and everything else was destroyed. After protest from a number of scientists, his practice was stopped. In 1760 - 1804, under the leadership of F. le Vega, excavations continued. In 1763, an inscription was discovered on the pedestal of a statue buried in ash, only then did it become clear that this was the city of Pompeii. 
In 1870, it was discovered that voids had formed in place of the bodies of people and animals buried under a layer of ash. These voids were filled with plaster; this technology helped restore the dying poses of the victims of the eruption. After the earthquake in 1980, restoration work was carried out in the city of Pompeii. Today, 20-25% of the territory of Pompeii remains unexcavated.
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