RETURN TO DESTRUCTION

The After-math of Mt. VesuviusBill Elder

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• 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.