The town of Pompeii is located down the coast from Naples and in the shadow of the infamous volcano, Vesuvius. The date was August 24, 79 A.D. It was around 1 O'clock in the afternoon when the sky began to fall. The town of Pompeii was buried under layers of volcanic debris. Many people were buried alive, huddled together with their family, friends and fortunes.
But what you may not know is...
1) There were signs of the impending eruption before it actually happened.
Several days before the eruption: tremors began, fish died, grapevines wilted, and smelly gas and fumes seeped from the ground. It is said there was also a drought throughout the area. Some headed the signs, while others dismissed them.
2) Most of the population actually left before the eruption.
Because of all the strange signs and changes in the area, most of the inhabitants of Pompeii left. In fact, there were approximately 2000 people in the city when the mountain erupted. This amounted to about 1/10 of the entire population.
3) The skies rained down pumice before ash.
The first wave of debris to fall from the sky was pumice. It fell at a rate of 6 inches per hour and quickly trapped people in their homes. Of those that were left in the city at this time, many could now not leave quickly enough to get to safety. After the pumice fell, there was a brief break before ash began to fall and completely bury what was left of the city and it's inhabitants.
4) Mt. Vesuvius is still an active volcano.
Since Pompeii was buried, Mt. Vesuvius has erupted 80 times. The last time was in 1944. The mountain was erupting at intervals from 7 months to just a few years. This time span is the longest in it's history since 79 A.D., which could mean it's building up for another eruption that could be equal to that of the one originally burying the surrounding area.
5) There was only 1 written documentation of the event.
A boy who lived across the bay witnessed the eruption and wrote a letter about it. This is the only written documentation about the eruption. His father took a boat across the bay to save whoever he could, but never returned home.
The next time you visit Pompeii, don't just check out all the cool ruins and interesting advances in plumbing. Think about what it was like to be there in August of 79 A.D. What would you have done if you lived there?
Kerri is passionate about Italy and Travel. She has been guiding tours in Italy for the past 6 years and wants to share her passion with others. Because of this she started her own tour company, Adventure On Italy.
As a special offer for reading this article you get a special discount of $250 off per person just by registering for her super awesome newsletter. Simply mention "ezine" when you sign up.
Just go to http://adventureontravel.com for more information and to register.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerri_Wood
But what you may not know is...
1) There were signs of the impending eruption before it actually happened.
Several days before the eruption: tremors began, fish died, grapevines wilted, and smelly gas and fumes seeped from the ground. It is said there was also a drought throughout the area. Some headed the signs, while others dismissed them.
2) Most of the population actually left before the eruption.
Because of all the strange signs and changes in the area, most of the inhabitants of Pompeii left. In fact, there were approximately 2000 people in the city when the mountain erupted. This amounted to about 1/10 of the entire population.
3) The skies rained down pumice before ash.
The first wave of debris to fall from the sky was pumice. It fell at a rate of 6 inches per hour and quickly trapped people in their homes. Of those that were left in the city at this time, many could now not leave quickly enough to get to safety. After the pumice fell, there was a brief break before ash began to fall and completely bury what was left of the city and it's inhabitants.
4) Mt. Vesuvius is still an active volcano.
Since Pompeii was buried, Mt. Vesuvius has erupted 80 times. The last time was in 1944. The mountain was erupting at intervals from 7 months to just a few years. This time span is the longest in it's history since 79 A.D., which could mean it's building up for another eruption that could be equal to that of the one originally burying the surrounding area.
5) There was only 1 written documentation of the event.
A boy who lived across the bay witnessed the eruption and wrote a letter about it. This is the only written documentation about the eruption. His father took a boat across the bay to save whoever he could, but never returned home.
The next time you visit Pompeii, don't just check out all the cool ruins and interesting advances in plumbing. Think about what it was like to be there in August of 79 A.D. What would you have done if you lived there?
Kerri is passionate about Italy and Travel. She has been guiding tours in Italy for the past 6 years and wants to share her passion with others. Because of this she started her own tour company, Adventure On Italy.
As a special offer for reading this article you get a special discount of $250 off per person just by registering for her super awesome newsletter. Simply mention "ezine" when you sign up.
Just go to http://adventureontravel.com for more information and to register.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerri_Wood
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