What Happened in the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius?
What happened during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius? And why does it remain so famous nearly 2000 years later? Circa experts break down the fateful event.
Mount Vesuvius is located in southern Italy, near what is today the city of Naples. Mount Vesuvius has erupted many times throughout recorded history. Most recently, Mount Vesuvius had a major eruption in 1944. However, the most famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius was in 79 CE, when the volcano and its surrounding towns were a part of the Roman Empire. This eruption in 79 was one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions in Europe in written history. The eruption completely destroyed some of the surrounding towns, the two most famous of which were Pompeii and Herculaneum. While the eruption was recorded at the time, it was made even more famous for us today following the discovery of the ruins of the destroyed cities.
Mount Vesuvius is located at the Bay of Naples, a picturesque location on Italy’s western coast. In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius was surrounded by luxurious seaside towns with people drawn to the area for its climate, landscape, farming, and business prospects. Some of Rome’s most lavish villas were located in the region, and public areas like the theaters and baths were equally spectacular.
In the days leading up to the eruption, there were some indications that an eruption was brewing, most notably through several tremors shook the area, but these events were not recognized as precursors to a volcanic eruption. Daily life went on as usual until the volcano began emitting stone, ash, and gases, sometime around midday. These rocks and ashes flew into the air, where they were carried by the prevailing winds. Soon after the initial eruption, this ash began raining down on Pompeii. Some victims died in this initial fall of ash and rock; others perished after they were trapped inside buildings with no means of escape. Roofs also collapsed under the weight of ash and pumice.
By the second day, while much ash had fallen to the ground, an appreciable cloud of rock and ash still remained airborne. At some point, the cloud become too heavy to maintain its altitude: it rushed to the ground in a mass of gas and rock fragment known as a pyroclastic surge. This surge fell onto the nearby city of Herculaneum, which had been spared most of the early effects of the eruption. During the surge, temperatures rose to such extremes (perhaps over 550°F) that escape was no longer possible. Residents of both Herculaneum and Pompeii who had not escaped by this point likely died instantly due to the intense heat.
After two days, the eruption was over. Nearby towns like Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered in dozens of feet of ash and stone. While the heat and ash made these cities unlivable, they also served to preserve them: freezing time to what life was like in the Roman Empire. Buildings, frescoes, food stalls, businesses, and roads were more or less preserved as they were in the days leading up to the eruption. Especially important, while the ash kept buildings and artifacts safe from the weather and elements, it also preserved the towns from looting or redevelopment over the centuries.
Beginning in the 1700s, locals began to rediscover the cities buried under dozens of feet of ash and other debris. Originally, treasure seekers dug narrow holes to remove a few artifacts at a time. Over the decades, however, excavation became more scientific and exact, as scientific methods were gradually introduce to catalog and preserve the remains of the towns destroyed by Mount Vesuvius, especially Pompeii and Herculaneum. The excavations have not always been perfect—there are some examples of how the excavations have actually harmed more of the remains than they have preserved—but for the most part, these excavations have made it possible to see Pompeii and Herculaneum today.
Today, the sites, especially Pompeii, are major tourist attractions. Much of Pompeii, for instance, has been excavated and is open for the public to walk through and explore. It is possible to see Roman buildings, Roman art, and even the remains of Roman meals on a scale that gives a sense of life in a Roman city that is really not possible in many other locations.
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