Pompeii
By: Hayes Oswald
Life in Pompeii
For hundreds and thousands of years, Pompeii thrived near Rome, but in 79 A.D., it was all destroyed. In 79 A.D. there were about 20,000 people living in Pompeii, it was a great city, they had markets, arenas, open squares, taverns, and cafes. They had great paved roads and beautiful houses that housed the greater people of Pompeii. If you lived in Pompeii you were one lucky person.
Geography
Pompeii, was located on the western side of Italy, on right along the coast of the Bay of Naples. The were located in the mountainous and hill region of Italy, and they had many volcanoes and marshes surrounding the area. Pompeii had many vineyards and olive gardens that surrounded the city and they have a very moderate climate. The area around Pompeii was very beautiful and had an abundance of life surrounding the city.
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius was located about 5 miles away from Pompeii and stood 4,023 ft. tall, Vesuvius is hundreds of thousands of years old. Mount Vesuvius was the volcano that exploded and obliterated the city of Pompeii in 79 A.D.. When it exploded it shot molten lava 12 miles into the air and shot ash all throughout the region. Mount Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944. Vesuvius has been giving signs that it could erupt any day.
The Day of the Eruption
No scientists really know when the exact date that Mount Vesuvius erupted, but some studies show it was around August 24, 79 A.D.. It was triggered by a small earthquake that hit Pompeii a few weeks before the eruption. This sent shockwaves through the ground and eventually striking the volcano and causing the eruption.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius blew molten lava and ash all over the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. But Pompeii was more severely hit, the ash spread all the way through Europe hitting many countries. It also put a layer of ash on Pompeii, and basically buried all the people in the city alive. Almost 2,000 people died in the eruption, leaving them there covered in ash.
The eruption destroyed nearly everything that was located near Mount Vesuvius, and had a lasting impact on the regrowth of Pompeii.
Finding Pompeii
After the eruption, Pompeii was discovered by 2 explorers who were looking for ancient artifacts around Rome in 1748. When they discovered it, they found all the artifacts, buildings and arches were all still in tact. After, the eruption it put a thick layer of ash over the people of Pompeii and covered them completely with ash. In recent discoveries people have found the people of Pompeii covered in ash and in the same position as when they died.
With all of these artifacts that were dug up in finding Pompeii, it gave us a greater insight on what life was like in Ancient Italy.