RETURN TO DESTRUCTION The After-math of Mt. Vesuvius Bill Elder

??? What did the survivors and outside help do following the eruption? Not a survivor

ERUPTION! Following the eruption nothing was possible because the sun was blocked for up to 28 hours An 11 mile wide radius around the cone was destroyed or buried and was beyond all hope of saving

Following the eruption people tried to help those that had not yet died from the ash and smoke inhalation INITIAL RESCUE ATTEMPTS

RECOVERY The citizens tried to return to their homes to recover valuables They dug in vain, but could not even find their homes

Successful? The attempts made by the Romans to salvage goods was a poor effort This is proven today by the vast amount of items found in excavation

ROME’S RESPONSE Little to know help, because they did not know about the disaster for days Afterwards they sent some help in the form of artisans to rebuild and salvage what was left

HERCULANEUM & POMPEII Herculaneum was better preserved Although Pompeii was the wealthier city less items were found The initial ash, heat, and fear kept most from returning at once keeping rescue at bay even longer

Victims & Survivors It was a miracle for anyone to survive in the cities, but some did although they were sick from the ash inhalation The majority of those that did not flee fell victim to the pyroclastic flows or suffocating ash The survivors had to rescue themselves for lack of help

A CITY REBUILT After rescue of goods was completed the citizens simply began building a new city on top of the old one This later leads to the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum

SAME OLD, SAME OLD Eventually life returned to normal once again They seemed to ignore the fact that they were still so close to Mt. Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum were lost through the ages until excavation

Works Cited Bellum Catilinae. May Mar Ceram, C.W.. Gods, Graves, and Scholars. New York: Alfred Ainknopf, Inc, 1951 Damon, Cynthia. Classics 36:Pompeii and Herculaneum. Sept Amherst University. 3 Mar General Views of the Forum Virginia University. 15 Mar Gore, Rick. “The Dead Do Tell Tales at Vesuvius.” National Geographic May 1984: Hall, Jennie. Buried Cities. New York: MacMillian Company, 1962.