Pompeii is an ancient Roman city that was buried for over a thousand years under a layer of volcanic ash from Vesuvius. A massive catastrophe occurred in 79 AD.
The tragic history of the city of Pompeii is studied in school history textbooks, and the ancient finds in the excavation sites never cease to amaze scientists and ordinary modern people for more than one century. The history of this city is really worthy of close attention.
Mount Vesuvius
Vesuvius is an active volcano in the vicinity of Naples, 1281 meters high. It is one of the most dangerous continental volcanoes in Europe, and one of the most famous, largely due to the fact that it buried several ancient cities and nearby villages almost 2000 years ago. Among them are such cities as Stabiae, Herculaneum, and the most famous of them - Pompeii, which was located closest to all other settlements to Vesuvius.
Pompeii city
Pompeii was a typical ancient Roman city, until the tragic events of 79 AD, when during the day the whole city was littered with ash and covered with red-hot volcanic lava. Excavations of the city began at the end of the 16th century, when, during the creation of a canal from the Sarno River and the construction of a well, fragments of the city wall were discovered, as well as several buildings underground.
However, excavations were not carried out there until the middle of the 18th century. Initially, the scientists involved in the excavations assumed that this was the city of Stabiae, and not Pompeii. And only the excavation of an antique statue with an inscription, preserved in excellent condition, proved that it was Pompeii. The main emphasis in the excavations fell on neighboring Herculaneum, and in Pompeii itself, only three sites were excavated.
During the cataclysm, most of the residents fled their homes, but more than 2,000 people were buried alive under a multi-meter thickness of volcanic ash.
It is worth noting that thanks to this fact, everything in the city has been preserved as it was before the eruption. It is difficult to answer the question of why people did not leave, seeing a large-scale catastrophe. Perhaps the residents thought that this was another earthquake that had happened several times before, or they simply did not realize the full scale of the catastrophe. In any case, no one will know for sure. The city is to some extent "mothballed", so now tourists have the opportunity to see the life of ancient people with their own eyes. There you can even observe the plaster bodies of people in their last moments of life.
Many city structures have been excavated, which have survived in stunning condition. In particular, the forum, the basilica, the city hall, the Larov temple, the Vespasian temple, the Macellum market, the comitia, the Apollo temple, the Jupiter temple, the Bolshoi and Maly theaters, many statues and sculptures, as well as other structures.
Excavations are carried out today, about 20% of the territory remains unexcavated, and the city itself is an open-air museum and a UNESCO heritage list. The tragic death of the city was reflected in his works by the famous Russian artist Karl Bryullov, and the work itself is called "The Last Day of Pompeii".
