What To Know On Pompeii: History & Ruins

What To Know On Pompeii: History &Ruins 

 Hello! Welcome to our blog about the history and ruins of Pompeii. We are Teresa and Shania and we are so pumped to be going on this years Adventure Abroad trip! Teresa is in her junior year and a nursing major starting in the fall. She has also been cheering for FGCU for two years. I have just begun my senior year and am an integrated studies major focusing on film and creative writing. We both chose to research Pompeii because it was the city we were the most unfamiliar with and wanted the chance to dive a little deeper. We both love travel and experiencing culture so this seemed like the perfect fit for us. Our blog will focus on the overall history of Pompeii as well as the ruins and the importance of nearby Mount Vesuvius. Enjoy! :)  

Overall History: 

“Pompeii, Ancient City.” Short History

Website, 8 Aug. 2018, www.shorthistory.org/ancient-civilizations/ancient-rome/pompeii-ancient-city/.

The city of Pompeii is located just south of modern day Naples, although it wasn’t always a Roman city. Pompeii was originally established by the Greeks and Etruscans around the 6th century B.C.E. The Samnite people briefly inhabited the city, but the Romans reestablished the city by the 3rd century B.C.E. The city flourished under Roman rule, and followed many culture and traditional ways of the ancient Roman empire. The city continued to develop until the summer of 79 AD, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Pompeii was located just five miles from the volcano, and for days the eruption covered the city in thirteen to twenty feet of volcanic ash and debris. Thousands of people were killed by the eruption, but the ash from the explosion also preserved the ruins of the city for thousands of years. The city was originally rediscover by an engineer in 1748, and many excavations began to explore and preserve the remains. The city of Pompeii now holds the most accurate ruins and history of ancient Rome and gives us insight in to everyday historic life.

Mount Vesuvius: 

Located on the west coast of Italy, this is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. 

In the summer of A.D 79, this volcano alone destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In 2013, reports put Vesuvius at 4,203 ft (1,281 meters). Still active today, this volcano is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.  

Faraday, Jessy. Mt. Vesuvius. Naples, Italy. Timestravel. 28 May 2019. 

City in Ruins:

“Pompeii: Vesuvius Eruption May Have Been Later than Thought.” BBC News,

BBC, 16 Oct. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45874858.

The Roman city of Pompeii was buried and preserved in history by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

The nearby active volcano violently erupted in the summer A.D 79 with around 10,000 residents occupying the city. While some fled, others sought shelter in their homes as volcanic surges of ash, rock, toxic gas began to barricade them in.

This deadly combination is what preserved buildings, artwork and even the form of bodies as they decomposed and left holes in the ash.

FUN FACTS:

[“Pompeii.” Wikiwand, www.wikiwand.com/en/Pompeii.]

* Pompeii is also known as "City of Death"

* When the city was rediscovered, the ash the encased the decaying bodies of the people of Pompeii was used as mold to pour concrete replications of the bodies that once laid there. 

Works Cited 

Cartwright, Mark. “Pompeii.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 21 Mar. 2018, www.ancient.eu/pompeii/.

Owens, James. “Archaeologists Investigate Ancient Roman Life Preserved at Pompeii.” Ancient Roman Life Preserved at Pompeii | National Geographic, National Geographic, 21 Oct. 2010, www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/pompeii/.

Tronchin, Francesca. “Pompeii, an Introduction.” Smarthistory, Smarthistory, 2 Sept. 2018, smarthistory.org/pompeii-an-introduction/.

“Pompeii, Ancient City.” Short History Website, 8 Aug. 2018, www.shorthistory.org/ancient-civilizations/ancient-rome/pompeii-ancient-city/.

“Pompeii: Vesuvius Eruption May Have Been Later than Thought.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Oct. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45874858.

“Pompeii.” Wikiwand, www.wikiwand.com/en/Pompeii.

Bagley, Mary. “Mount Vesuvius & Pompeii: Facts & History”. Live Science. 19 Dec. 2017, https://www.livescience.com/27871-mount-vesuvius-pompeii.html

Faraday, Jessy. Mt. Vesuvius. Naples, Italy. Timestravel. 28 May 2019.