I remember briefly studying Pompeii at school so
had an awareness of it before I visited. But nothing could have prepared me for
the reality.
Mount Vesuvius is a volcano near the bar of Naples;
it is hundreds and thousands of years old and thought to have erupted over 50
times.
It most infamous eruption was on 24th August 79AD,
when it completely engulfed the Roman city of Pompeii nestled at the foot of
Vesuvius. The eruption buried the city and killed 2000 people and left the City
abandoned for 2000 years.
 |
| Mouth Vesuvius |
Pompeii remained mostly untouched
until 1748, when a group of explorers arrived in Campania and began to dig.
They found that the ashes had acted as the most amazing preservative.
Underneath all that dust, Pompeii
was almost exactly as it had been 2,000 years before. Its buildings were
intact. People had been frozen exactly where they had fallen. They discovered
everyday objects and household goods had littered the streets. Later
archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread!
Almost 3 centuries later Pompeii is still being uncovered and new
and exciting finds discover all the time.
 |
| This Bedroom is thought be the local Brothel |
When Vesuvius started
to erupt it sent plumes high into the air, so that people from hundreds of
miles around could see, at this time many Pompeian’s took the decision to flee
the city.
