RETURN TO DESTRUCTION
The After-math of Mt. VesuviusBill Elder
???
• What did the survivors and outside help do following the eruption?
Not a survivor
ERUPTION!
• Following the eruption nothing was possible because the sun was blocked for up to 28 hours
• An 11 mile wide radius around the cone was destroyed or buried and was beyond all hope of saving
• Following the eruption people tried to help those that had not yet died from the ash and smoke inhalation
INITIAL RESCUE ATTEMPTS
RECOVERY
• The citizens tried to return to their homes to recover valuables
• They dug in vain, but could not even find their homes
Successful?• The attempts made by
the Romans to salvage goods was a poor effort
• This is proven today by the vast amount of items found in excavation
ROME’S RESPONSE
• Little to know help, because they did not know about the disaster for days
• Afterwards they sent some help in the form of artisans to rebuild and salvage what was left
HERCULANEUM & POMPEII
• Herculaneum was better preserved
• Although Pompeii was the wealthier city less items were found
• The initial ash, heat, and fear kept most from returning at once keeping rescue at bay even longer
Victims & Survivors
• It was a miracle for anyone to survive in the cities, but some did although they were sick from the ash inhalation
• The majority of those that did not flee fell victim to the pyroclastic flows or suffocating ash
• The survivors had to rescue themselves for lack of help
A CITY REBUILT• After rescue of goods was
completed the citizens simply began building a new city on top of the old one
• This later leads to the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum
SAME OLD, SAME OLD
• Eventually life returned to normal once again
• They seemed to ignore the fact that they were still so close to Mt. Vesuvius
• Pompeii and Herculaneum were lost through the ages until excavation
Works Cited• Bellum Catilinae. May 1996. 16 Mar. 2005
http://users.ipa.net/~tankers/pompeii.htm• Ceram, C.W.. Gods, Graves, and Scholars. New York: Alfred
Ainknopf, Inc, 1951• Damon, Cynthia. Classics 36:Pompeii and Herculaneum. Sept.
2002 Amherst University. 3 Mar. 2005 http://amherst.edu/~classics/DamonFiles/classics36/
• General Views of the Forum. 1998. Virginia University. 15 Mar. 2005 http://pompeii.virginia.edu/pompeii/tti/images/images.html
• Gore, Rick. “The Dead Do Tell Tales at Vesuvius.” National Geographic May 1984: 97-123
• Hall, Jennie. Buried Cities. New York: MacMillian Company, 1962.
