Vesuvius A. D. 79 : The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum

by Ernesto De Carolis; Giovanni Patricelli

• ISBN13: 9780892367191
• ISBN10: 0892367199
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-11-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Summary

Mount Vesuvius, in what is now southern Italy, erupted in A.D. 79 spewing volcanic rock, clouds of fine ash, and deadly gases over surrounding towns and farms, burying every trace of their existence. In nearby Pompeii, nearly two thousand people died. Rain falling with the ash formed a kind of cement that encased everything and everyone in an airtight seal. This book provides a fascinating account of the seismic and volcanic activity leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius, as well as detailed description of the event itself and its aftermath. The authors rely on a wide range of scientific, artistic, and literary sources, including the gripping eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger, whose eminent uncle died from exposure to toxic grases while trying to help victims evacuate. The authors close with stories and legends of this ancient catastrophe, which continues to fascinate scholars and nonexperts to this day.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 5
Introduction	p. 7
Somma-Vesuvius	p. 9
The Campanian Plain	p. 9
Volcanic Activity	p. 10
Chronology of Vesuvian Eruptions	p. 18
Backdrop for the Eruption	p. 41
Literary, Iconographic, and Volcanological Sources on the Morphology of Somma-Vesuvius in the First Century A.D.	p. 41
The Sarno River	p. 47
The Coastline in the First Century A.D.	p. 49
The Hill of Pompeii	p. 53
The Promontory of Herculaneum	p. 56
The Stabian Site	p. 60
Urbanization of the Area	p. 61
Portentous Events between A.D. 62 and 79	p. 71
Preface	p. 71
The Earthquake of A.D. 62	p. 71
Seismic Activity between A.D. 62 and 79	p. 75
The Eruption	p. 77
Preface	p. 77
An Account of the Eurption in Pliny's Two Letters	p. 78
The Effects of the Eruption in Pompeii and Stabiae	p. 83
The Effects of the Eruption in Herculaneum	p. 99
The Final Phase of the Eruption	p. 106
The discovery of human bodies in Pompeii	p. 109
Pompeian stories and legends	p. 113
The Herculaneum Gate Sentry	p. 113
The Lady of the Jewels	p. 114
Pompeian Dogs	p. 115
The Priests of the Temple of Isis	p. 115
The Matron of the House of the Faun	p. 117
The Victims of the House of Menander	p. 117
Groups in Flight	p. 118
Arria Marcella	p. 121
The Nucerian Gate Group	p. 123
Principal Eruptions of Vesuvius from 25,000 years ago until 1631	p. 125
Principal Eruptions of Vesuvius in the period 1631-1944	p. 126
Glossary of Volcanology	p. 127
Selected Bibliography	p. 129
Index	p. 131
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