The Day the World Went Dark The Eruption of Mount Vesiuvius and the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Focus Questions Why were the People of Pompeii “blissfully unaware” of the destruction that was to befall them? What two warnings happened ahead of time that either weren’t heeded or weren’t understood? What type of explosion was the one that destroyed the two Roman Cities? How many people died in Pompeii and Herculaneum? Describe the process of being Frozen in time? What does it mean? How did it happen? And who came up with the process that allows us to know about this today?

When did this event occur in Time??? 509 B.C 476 AD 79 A.D. 44 B.C

Herculaneum

Herculaneum – about 5,000 people What happened to Pompeii in 79 A.D.? Vesuvius erupted, totally destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum – both prosperous Roman towns. Pompeii – about 16,000 people Herculaneum – about 5,000 people

Pompeii, A well planned city

Pompeii before the Eruption

Blissfully Unaware Romans did not realize Vesuvius (6,000 ft) was a volcano! Last erupted about 3,500 B.C.

Warning Signs A major earthquake struck in 62 B.C. A minor eruption on Aug 23rd

The Sky Goes Dark! August 24th 1:00 AM Ash falls depositing about 2.5 m. on Pompeii. By 5:30 a.m. roofs begin to collapse in Pompeii. Some people killed, but most people flee south. No ash falls on Herculaneum.

six pyroclastic surges and flows devastate Pompeii and Herculaneum August 25th - KABOOM!!! Vesuvius blows her top! six pyroclastic surges and flows devastate Pompeii and Herculaneum Surge 1 - 1:00 a.m. destroys Herculaneum Surge 2 – 2:00 a.m. Surge 3 – 6:30 a.m. reaches outskirts of Pompeii Surge 5 – 7:30 a.m. devastates Pompeii Surge 6 – 8:00 a.m. the largest of all Pyroclastic Flow - Coroner's Report

Pompeii Video from History Channel How bad did it get??? Herculaneum - destroyed and buried under 6 - 9 ft. of surge deposits. Herculaneum – totally destroyed and the entire population wiped out. About 5,000 dead Pompeii - buried under 8 ft. of ash and about 2 - 3 ft of surge deposits. Pompeii – totally destroyed and buried. Most people escaped, about 2-3,000 died. Pompeii Video from History Channel

“Last Day of Pompeii” by Karl Briullov

Frozen in Time! Pompeii Images

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/pompeii/

Excavating Pompeii Giuseppe Fiorelli His Innovations Divide the city into nine regions Realized that once a body had decayed it left an empty space in the layers of solidified ashes

Images of excavated Pompeii

Excavations continued... Nature’s necessities… Community bath rooms A metal forging shop

Excavations Continued... An Amphitheater

The Story Continues Today The tale of death and destruction frozen in time on that fateful day in 79 AD is a story that captivates the world today. Two beautiful towns destroyed in a hiccup of time leaves many of us with the feeling of our own mortality and fragility. But like all things in life there was a silver lining in this tragedy. The eruption preserved a moment in history that allows us to see that even out of disaster, life continues on. With that in mind take a moment to remember the people of Japan and the devastation endured during the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 as well as Haiti and the large earthquake that hit there in 2012.

Check your Answers They didn’t know that Mt. Vesuvius was a volcano… The last eruption happened thousands of years ago. An earthquake in 62 b.c. and a minor eruption the day before that blew a little ash away from both towns. A pyroclastic explosion destroyed the two cities Herculaneum (over 5,000); Pompeii (2-3,000) The ash covered people quickly and they died “frozen” in fear. We know about it today because of Fiorelli’s plaster cast methods.

Bibliography “Fiorelli, Giuseppe.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2002 “Eruption at Pompeii.” Harcourt School Assistant. Online. www.harcourtschool.com/activity/pompeii/pmpVesu.html. December 15, 2003. “Pompeii.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2002.