The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy (79 AD)

"In the other direction gaped a horrible black cloud torn by zigzag flashes and masses of flames, like lightning but much larger"

- Pliny the Younger                                

1944 Navy photograph of a Vesuvius eruption.

Pliny The Younger Saw The Whole Thing
In the summertime of 79 AD a young student around the age of 18 named Gaius Plinius (Pliny the Younger) had no idea that he would spectate one of the most unbelievable catastrophies in the history of the world. He was staying with his mother and his uncle (Pliny the Elder) at a villa in the city of Misenum, which is located on the Bay of Naples, about 20 miles from Mount Vesuvius.

To see a satellite photo click here

He witnessed Mount Vesuvius erupt and completely bury the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, died that day but Gaius survived and wrote a startling account to the Roman historian Tacitus of what he saw, in 2 long letters. Here are some translated excerpts of what he wrote:

"On August 24, about one in the afternoon, my mother drew my uncle's attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. It was not clear from a distance as to which mountain the cloud was rising from, although it was afterward known to be Vesuvius. The cloud's appearance can best be described as looking like an umbrella pine (Meditteranean pine tree), for it rose to a great height on sort of a trunk and then split off into branches. I believe, because it was first driven by a sudden gust of air (recenti spiritu eiecta), then, with its diminution or because of the weight, the cloud expanded laterally, sometimes white, sometimes dark and stained by the sustained sand and ash (pondere suo victa in latitudinem vanescebat, candida interdum, interdum sordida et maculosa prout terram cineremque sustulerat)."

His uncle (Pliny the Elder) being commander of the naval fleet at Misenum, apparently realized, according to Gaius's account, that Vesuvius was erupting and decided to take some ships across the bay to rescue whoever he could. It was impossible to come too close to land because of the hot, thick ashes and pumice (large chunks of lava), and so they headed for Stabiae, a city 3 miles south of Pompeii, and he came to the home of a friend, Pomponianus, who could not leave because of the opposing wind. So they waited. They watched Vesuvius, of which it is said that there was:

"broad streets of fire and leaping flames blazed at many points, their brightglow empasized by the darkness of night."

Pliny the Elder was completely helpless to do anything and his hope of a resue mission was impossible and he and the men with him were in great danger. Gaius wrote about this also:

"they debated whether to stay indoors or take their chances out in the open, for buildings were shaking with violent shocks and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if torn from their foundations. Outside, on the otherhand, there was danger of falling pumice stones..."

To see a 17th Century Painting of Vesuvius erupting click here

Coming to Stabiae proved to be a fatal decision. They decided to leave at daybreak and the flames and sulfer fumes were too unbearable for Pliny the Elder and he passed out and died. It is recorded that he was also asthmatic. Some of his men made it to Misenum and Gaius heard the news about his uncle. Things were still in turmoil and Gaius and his mother ran to an open field to avoid the collapsing buildings. He wrote:

"even the sea seemed to roll back on itself, pushed back by earth tremors. Many fish were beached on the sand. In the other direction gaped a horrible black cloud torn by zigzag flashes and masses of flames, like lightning but much larger...at night time we were enveloped, not a moonless night or one dimmed by cloud, but the darkness of a sealed room without a lamp. After a while we were reached by another cloud - Again the obscurity, again the ash, dense and heavy. We raised some time to shake away the ash as we could have been covered and choked by its weight- ("Tenebrae rursus, cinis rursus, multus et gravis. Hunc identidem adsurgentes excutiebamus; operti alioqui atque etiam oblisi pondere essemus."

"Only the shrill cries of women, the wailing of children, and the shouting of men. Some were calling to their to their parents, others to their children, others to their wives...Many lifted up their hands to the gods, but most were convinced that there were now no gods at all and that this night was the end of the world. Finally the darkness lightened, and then like smoke or cloud dissolved away. Daylight returned, and the sun shone out, though luridly, as it does when an eclipse is coming"

Mount Vesuvius
The peak of the volcano was completely blown off and Vesuvius was split into two smaller peaks. The column of ash was around 20 miles tall. Vesuvius has erupted over 30 times since the great 79 A.D eruption. In fact there has been alot of activity this century, especially from 1913-1944 which scientists believe to be an end of an eruptive cycle that began in the 17th century. There are no signs of volcanic unrest at Vesuvius at the present time.

Herculaneum with Vesuvius in the background.
To see Vesuvius from the temple of Apollo in Pompeii click here

Pompeii and Herculaneum
The cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by an avalanche of boiling mud and lava. Pompeii was buried about 20-40 feet under and Herculaneum was under 60-75 feet. The cities were abandoned and their location forgotten. In 1595 their were some expeditions in the area of Pompeii by the order of Charles III, King of the Two Sicilies, and some artifacts were discovered which caused much pillaging. Then some Archeological excavations began in the mid-nineteenth century. Today much of Pompeii has been excavated, and along with it ghostly stories of people who had been trying to save their lives. There are numerous molds of people and animals found.

To see more photos click: photo one, two, three
Also you may want to try a Zsearch on Pompeii.

The excavations have taught us much of how the people lived during that time period. There are other records of the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii in writings such as those of Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) and in Dio Cassius (AD 150-235) who also reports that the ashes of the eruption reached Africa (the modern Libya), Syria and Egypt, and caused pestilence.

The poem of Martial (40-104 AD) describes Vesuvius:

"once covered by green grapes, now submerged under flames and lapilli."

Written by Rusty Russell (Bible History Online)

Webmaster: rusty@bible-history.com

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