Europe in the Roman age (1st–5th c.)Nature and disasters

Eruption of Vesuvius

A catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae under ash and pyroclastic flows, preserving a snapshot of Roman life that archaeologists have been uncovering since the 18th century.

Date: between 24 August and 1 November 79exact date unknown: an interval is given
Place: Mount Vesuviustoday: Mount Vesuvius, Campania, Italy · Western and Central Europe
Participants: Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Titus, Roman Empire
Threads: Europe in the Roman age (1st–5th c.)
Also known as: Destruction of Pompeii; Гибель Помпей

A column of ash and pumice rose from the volcano and fell on Pompeii for hours; the next morning pyroclastic surges swept over the towns around the Bay of Naples. The remains of more than 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and estimates of the total death toll vary widely. Pliny the Elder, commanding the fleet at Misenum, sailed to rescue people and died at Stabiae. His nephew Pliny the Younger watched from Misenum and later described the eruption in two letters to Tacitus — the only surviving eyewitness account.

The date is disputed. Manuscripts of Pliny’s letter traditionally gave 24 August, but autumnal finds and a charcoal inscription discovered at Pompeii in 2018, dated 17 October, have led many scholars to prefer 24 October 79 or a date shortly after. Excavations at Herculaneum (from 1738) and Pompeii (from 1748) made the buried towns a key source for the daily life of the Roman world.

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