The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius

Let’s take a trip back to ancient Rome. 

It’s going to be a long trip—nearly 2,000 years. Close your eyes and imagine it: a time before computers or cars or electric lights. America wasn’t a country.

Back then, most of Europe and the Middle East were part of what is known as the Roman Empire. The capital of the Roman Empire was the city of Rome.

It’s going to be a fascinating trip. But also frightening. Because you’re about to witness one of the most devastating disasters in the history of the world.

Let’s take a trip back to ancient Rome.  

It’s going to be a long trip—nearly 2,000 years. Close your eyes and imagine it: a time before computers or cars or electric lights. America wasn’t a country.

Back then, most of Europe and the Middle East were part of what is known as the Roman Empire. The capital of the Roman Empire was the city of Rome.

The trip will be interesting. But scary too. Because you’re about to witness one of the worst disasters in the history of the world.

It’s a typical summer day in the beautiful city of Pompeii in the year 79 A.D.. The main street is packed with people—women swishing by in long robes, men in tunics, children with leather sandals that slap against the hot stone streets.

Vendors shout for your attention, offering you slices of juicy melons or sizzling hunks of roasted meats. A cobra peeks out of a basket. A parrot calls out a hello from the shoulder of a shopkeeper.

 “Salve!” he squawks in Latin, the language of the Roman Empire.

You’re surprised by how modern this city seems. It has a library, shops, and restaurants. You stop at a food market, where you can taste dozens of delicacies. Don’t you want to try some roasted mice stuffed with nuts and rose petals?

Look at those beautiful marble and bronze statues standing all over the city. These monuments honor the mighty emperors—the kings—who built Rome into the most powerful empire in the world.

Wait! Look at that person walking by, the huge man with scars on his face. He’s a famous gladiator, a special kind of fighter. Does he look nervous? That’s because tonight he will fight in Pompeii’s amphitheater, a stadium big enough to hold 20,000 people.

Romans love to watch gladiators fight each other with fists, swords, clubs, or knives. Sometimes men are pitted against ferocious lions or bears. If it sounds gruesome, that’s because it is. Some gladiators die in battle. 

It’s a summer day in the beautiful city of Pompeii. The year is 79 a.d. The main street is packed with people. Women walk by in long robes. Men wear tunics. Children's leather sandals slap against the streets.

Vendors sell slices of juicy melons or hunks of roasted meats. A cobra peeks out of a basket. A parrot calls out a hello from the shoulder of a shopkeeper.

 “Salve!” he squawks in Latin, the language of the Roman Empire.

You’re surprised by how modern this city seems. It has a library, shops, and restaurants. You stop at a food market, where you can taste dozens of treats. Don’t you want to try some roasted mice stuffed with nuts and rose petals?

Look at the marble and bronze statues standing all over the city. They honor the emperors—the kings—who built Rome into the most powerful empire in the world.

Wait! Look at that person walking by, the huge man with scars on his face. He’s a famous gladiator, a special kind of fighter. Does he look nervous? That’s because tonight he will fight in Pompeii’s amphitheater, a stadium big enough to hold 20,000 people.

Romans love to watch gladiators fight each other with fists, swords, clubs, or knives. Sometimes men fight lions or bears. If it sounds awful, that’s because it is. Some gladiators die in battle.

Maybe by now you’ve noticed it—the massive mountain that looms behind the city.

That’s Mount Vesuvius.

You haven’t given it much thought—and neither do the people of Pompeii. Why should they? It’s just a big mountain, silent and still, its gentle slopes covered with trees and vineyards. Except Mount Vesuvius is not just a mountain.

It is a volcano.

Vesuvius sits atop a crack in Earth’s crust—the hard, rocky layer that covers the surface of our planet like the shell of an egg. The crack in the crust allows molten rock called magma to seep up from miles below. A huge lake of magma boils under Vesuvius, steaming with poisonous, explosive gases.

But the people of Pompeii have no idea what is festering below.

How could they? There is not even a word for volcano in Latin. And Vesuvius has been dormant—asleep—for 1,500 years.

But now Vesuvius is waking up.

For months, magma has been rising through the center of the volcano, filling it like fiery blood. Pressure is building. An enormous eruption is coming.

There have been warning signs over the past few weeks. Talk to the farmers who tend to the vineyards around Vesuvius. They’ll tell you about a terrible stinging smell—like rotten eggs—that wafts from the mountaintop. Is it a warning from the gods? Like the ancient Greeks before them, the Romans believe that gods and goddesses control everything in the world. Even many scientists of the time believe that natural disasters are caused by angry gods.

Nobody understands that the terrible smell is sulfurous gas, part of the explosive brew simmering inside the volcano.

And there have been other signs of a coming disaster. The extreme heat underground has caused springs to dry up. Goats and sheep are dropping dead on the mountain, their lungs seared by the poisonous gases. Most alarming of all: Small earthquakes have erupted throughout the city, a sign of growing strain on the land.

All of this is evidence that a huge eruption will come any second. The people of Pompeii should have evacuated weeks before. If only they understood. But you do. So what are you doing standing around? Run now!

Have you noticed the huge mountain that looms behind the city?

That’s Mount Vesuvius.

You haven’t given it much thought. Neither have the people of Pompeii. Why should they? It’s just a big mountain, silent and still, its gentle slopes covered with trees and vineyards. Except Mount Vesuvius is not just a mountain.

It is a volcano.

Vesuvius sits atop a crack in Earth’s crust—the hard, rocky layer that covers the surface of our planet like the shell of an egg. The crack in the crust allows molten rock called magma to seep up from miles below. A huge lake of magma boils under Vesuvius, steaming with poisonous gases.

But the people of Pompeii don't know what is festering below.

How could they? There is not even a word for volcano in Latin. And Vesuvius has been dormant—asleep—for 1,500 years.

But now Vesuvius is waking up.

For months, magma has been rising through the center of the volcano, filling it like fiery blood. Pressure is building. An eruption is coming.

There have been warning signs over the past few weeks. Talk to the farmers who tend to the vineyards around Vesuvius. They’ll tell you about a terrible stinging smell—like rotten eggs—that wafts from the mountaintop. Is it a warning from the gods? Like the ancient Greeks before them, the Romans believe that gods and goddesses control everything in the world. Even many scientists of the time believe that natural disasters are caused by angry gods.

No one understands that the terrible smell is sulfurous gas, part of the explosive mixture inside the volcano.

And there have been other signs of a coming disaster. The extreme heat underground has caused springs to dry up. Goats and sheep are dropping dead on the mountain, their lungs seared by the poisonous gases. Most alarming of all: Small earthquakes have erupted throughout the city, a sign of growing strain on the land.

All of this is evidence that a huge eruption will come any second. The people of Pompeii should have evacuated weeks before. If only they understood. But you do. So why are you standing around? Run! Now!

But actually, it’s too late for you—and the people of Pompeii.

BOOM!

A powerful explosion seems to shatter the sky. The ground shakes violently. People fall. Horses and donkeys scream. Birds scatter by the thousands.

You see a terrifying sight: a gigantic column of gray smoke spewing from the top of Mount Vesuvius.

Except it’s not smoke.

The intense heat produced by the eruption has turned millions of tons of solid rock into superheated foam. The boiling plume shoots 12 miles into the sky at rocket speeds. When it hits the freezing air above Earth, the melted rock turns into tiny pebbles called pumice. It spreads through the air, carried by the wind, and pours down on Pompeii.

The pumice falls with painful force. It is mixed with hot ash, which clogs your nose and throat. 

Many people are fleeing. Go with them! Push your way past the donkey carts and get through one of the gates of the city. Grab hold of the hand of a little boy who has become separated from his family. Keep moving. The farther away you get, the more likely you are to survive.

Other people decide to stay behind, to guard their homes and businesses. Crime is bad in Pompeii. An abandoned home or shop will almost certainly be looted by thieves. People hide in their homes. They think this strange storm of ash and rock will soon end.

They are wrong.

The sky turns black. As hours pass, the weight of the pumice causes roofs to collapse, trapping people in their homes.

Then more terror.

As the volcano loses energy, the molten rock and ash mix together to create superheated waves that rush down the mountain at up to 180 miles an hour. This burning, poisonous avalanche is known as a pyroclastic flow. When it hits Pompeii, death for those left behind is almost instant.

Over the next hours, millions of tons of ash and rock fall on the city.

In the weeks that follow, people search Pompeii for survivors.

There are none.

In fact, the entire city seems to have vanished. Pompeii is buried under more than 10 feet of rock.

Within a few decades, Pompeii is all but forgotten, wiped off the face of the Earth.

Too late.

BOOM!

An explosion seems to shatter the sky. The ground shakes. People fall. Horses and donkeys scream. Birds scatter.

A huge column of gray smoke spews from the top of Mount Vesuvius.

Except it’s not smoke.

The heat from the eruption has turned millions of tons of rock into superheated foam. The boiling plume shoots 12 miles into the sky at rocket speeds. When it hits the freezing air above Earth, the melted rock turns into tiny pebbles called pumice. It spreads through the air and pours down on Pompeii.

The pumice falls with painful force. It is mixed with hot ash, which clogs your nose and throat.  

Many people are fleeing. Go with them! Push your way past the donkey carts. Get through one of the gates of the city. Grab the hand of a little boy who has become separated from his family. Keep moving. The farther away you get, the more likely you are to survive.

Other people stay behind, to guard their homes and businesses. Crime is bad in Pompeii. An abandoned home or shop will almost certainly be looted by thieves. People hide in their homes. They think this strange storm of ash and rock will soon end.

They are wrong.

The sky turns black. As hours pass, roofs collapse under the weight of the pumice. People get trapped in their homes.

Then more terror.

As the volcano loses energy, the molten rock and ash mix together to create superheated waves that rush down the mountain at up to 180 miles an hour. This burning, poisonous avalanche is known as a pyroclastic flow. When it hits Pompeii, death for those left behind is almost instant.

Over the next hours, millions of tons of ash and rock fall on the city.

In the weeks that follow, people search Pompeii for survivors.

There are none.

In fact, the whole city seems to have vanished. Pompeii is buried under more than 10 feet of rock.

Within a few decades, Pompeii is all but forgotten.

You survived your day in Pompeii. You are one of the lucky ones who made it far enough away from the city to escape being crushed.

But before you go home, let’s take one more trip, to Pompeii today. The ruins lie near the city of Naples, in southern Italy. For nearly 1,700 years, Pompeii was forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1748 and has been under almost constant study ever since.

The layers of pumice and ash that fell on Pompeii formed a shell over the city, preserving it as a time capsule of Roman life.

Over the centuries, archaeologists have unearthed dazzling treasures, like jewels and silver dishes, mosaic artwork and statues. They even found the remains of a basket of eggs and a bowl of chicken soup.

As you walk through the ruins of Pompeii today, you can admire the remains of houses, shops, and temples. You can almost hear the voices and laughter of the citizens. And you can see Mount Vesuvius.

It is silent and still. But don’t be fooled.

Vesuvius has erupted more than 30 times since Pompeii was destroyed, the last time in 1944. These eruptions were small. But scientists have no doubt that the volcano will erupt again, possibly with the same explosive force as it did in 79 A.D. They worry about the millions of people who live in the eruption zone.

Will there be enough warning before the next eruption? Or will people suffer the same fate as ancient Pompeiians—swallowed by fire, buried in ash, and lost to time?

Would you want to be there to find out?

You survived your day in Pompeii. You are one of the lucky ones who made it to safety in time.

But before you go home, let’s take one more trip, to Pompeii today. The ruins lie near the city of Naples, in southern Italy. For nearly 1,700 years, Pompeii was forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1748. People have been studying it ever since.

The layers of pumice and ash that fell on Pompeii formed a shell over the city, preserving it as a time capsule of Roman life.

Over the centuries, archaeologists have dug up dazzling treasures. They've found jewels and silver dishes, mosaic artwork and statues. They even found the remains of a basket of eggs and a bowl of chicken soup.

As you walk through the ruins of Pompeii today, you can admire the remains of houses, shops, and temples. You can almost hear the voices and laughter of the citizens. And you can see Mount Vesuvius.

It is silent and still. But don’t be fooled.

Vesuvius has erupted more than 30 times since Pompeii was destroyed. The last time was in 1944.

These eruptions were small. But scientists say the volcano will erupt again, maybe with the same force as it did in 79 a.d. They worry about the millions of people who live in the eruption zone.

Will there be enough warning before the next eruption? Or will people suffer the same fate as ancient Pompeiians?

Would you want to be there to find out? 

In 1748, a farmer was digging a well in his field in southern Italy. Suddenly, his pick struck something hard—and he soon came face-to-face with a giant, staring marble statue. Little did the farmer know that he had just rediscovered the lost city of Pompeii.

Pompeii had been buried for nearly 1,700 years, since the eruption of Vesuvius. Most people had forgotten it even existed. Soon, workers began clearing away ash and pumice to reveal a city miraculously frozen in time. 

In 1748, a farmer was digging a well in his field in southern Italy. Suddenly, his pick struck something hard. Soon he was face-to-face with a big marble statue. Little did the farmer know that he had just rediscovered the lost city of Pompeii.

Pompeii had been buried for nearly 1,700 years, since the eruption of Vesuvius. Most people had forgotten it even existed. Soon, workers began clearing away ash and pumice to reveal a city frozen in time.

Since then, archaeologists have come up with new tools and techniques for cracking open Pompeii’s secrets. They have examined the plaster statues with lasers and X-rays. They have created digital 3-D models of buildings. They’ve even studied poop from ancient toilets.

Their work has revealed that life in Pompeii wasn’t so different from life today. The Romans kept pets, shopped at stores, and ate lunch at fast-food restaurants called thermopolia.

Today, one-third of the city is still waiting to be uncovered. But experts worry that their work could be cut short by another big eruption. Could the lost city be buried once again?

No one is sure. In the meantime, 3.5 million people visit each year, drawn by the chance to step into an ancient world. 

Since then, archaeologists have come up with new ways to crack open Pompeii’s secrets. They have examined the plaster statues with lasers and X-rays. They have created digital 3-D models of buildings. They’ve even studied poop from ancient toilets.

What have they learned? That life in Pompeii wasn’t so different from life today. The Romans kept pets, shopped at stores, and ate lunch at fast-food restaurants called thermopolia.

Today, one-third of the city is still waiting to be uncovered. But experts worry that their work could be cut short by another big eruption. Could the lost city be buried once again?

No one is sure. In the meantime, 3.5 million people visit each year, drawn by the chance to step into an ancient world.