RP195 The Fall and Rise of Pompeii

 RP195 The Fall and Rise of Pompeii

It's a museum of human suffering. Pompeii, in Italy, was destroyed by a volcano in AD 79. Out of a population of about 15,000 people, more than 2,000were killed.

Pompeii was a thriving city. Merchants and traders sold and transported products. Fertile soil meant Pompeii was a good place for farmers. The people who lived there didn't understand that beautiful Mount Vesuvius, which towered over their city, would destroy them.

Mount Vesuvius had been an active volcano for a long time. It caused earthquakes, and in the fall of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Mud, stones, ash, and poisonous gases blew out of it. People in Pompeii tried to run away. Unfortunately, many were killed by the poisonous gas before they could get far enough away. Others died when their houses collapsed under the weight of ash and stone from the volcano.

Pompeii and its people were completely buried by the ash that rained down on the city for hours. It ended up underneath seven meters of ash and soil, completely hidden from sight. Surprisingly, the material that killed Pompeii also preserved it. When it was found again, centuries later, people discovered that the earth had protected the beautiful frescos (wall paintings), artwork, and architecture of the city. Bottles of wine on shop counters, coins in purses, even people's bodies had been preserved, exactly as they were when they died. It was as though the entire town had been wrapped like a mummy.

Today, Pompeii is a major tourist destination in Italy. It's a great resource for scholars, who have learned so much about day to day life in the past. It's a sad irony that what destroyed Pompeii is what has kept it alive for history.