Ancient Pompeii, Destroyed by the Eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD - YouTube Ancient Pompeii, Destroyed by the Eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Mar 4, 2014 The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was mostly destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 ft of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Researchers believe that the town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC and was captured by the Romans in 80 BC.

By the time of its destruction, 160 years later, its population was probably approximately 20,000, with a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium and a port. The eruption was cataclysmic for the town. Evidence for the destruction originally came from a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the Roman fleet, who tried to rescue citizens. The site was lost for about 1500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748. The objects that lay beneath the city have been well preserved for centuries because of the lack of air and moisture. These artifacts provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids between the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died.

Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years. Today it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year. QUESTIONS? We would like to hear from you! If you have any comments or questions about this destination or just need some general travel advice, feel free to leave a comment below! ABOUT VideoVoyage.TV is a travel channel specializing in informative videos about various travel destinations around the world. We are publishing a short video every day starting with places around Southeast Asia, but planning to extend our coverage to Europe and the Caribbean in the upcoming months. SUBSCRIBE The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD On August 24, 79 Mount Vesuvius literally blew its top, spewing tons of molten ash, pumice and sulfuric gas miles into Vesuvius erupts, 1944 the atmosphere. A "firestorm" of poisonous vapors and molten debris engulfed the surrounding area suffocating the inhabitants of the neighboring Roman resort cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae.

Tons of falling debris filled the streets until nothing remained to be seen of the once thriving communities. The cities remained buried and undiscovered for almost 1700 years until excavation began in 1748. These excavations continue today and provide insight into life during the Roman Empire. An ancient voice reaches out from the past to tell us of the disaster. This voice belongs to Pliny the Younger whose letters describe his experience during the eruption while he was staying in the home of his Uncle, Pliny the Elder. The elder Pliny was an official in the Roman Court, in charge of the fleet in the area of the Bay of Naples and a naturalist. Pliny the Younger's letters were discovered in the 16th century. Wrath of the Gods A few years after the event, Pliny wrote a friend, Cornelius Tacitus, describing the happenings of late August 79 AD when the eruption of Vesuvius obliterated Pompeii, killed his Uncle and almost destroyed his family. At the time, Pliney was eighteen and living at his Uncle's villa in the town of Misenum.

We pick up his story as he describes the warning raised by his mother: "My uncle was stationed at Misenum, in active command of the fleet. On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew his attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. He had been out in the sun, had taken a cold bath, and lunched while lying down, and was then working at his books. He called for his shoes and climbed up to a place which would give him the best view of the phenomenon. It was not clear at that distance from which mountain the cloud was rising (it was afterwards known to be Vesuvius); its general appearance can best be expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. In places it looked white, elsewhere blotched and dirty, according to the amount of soil and ashes it carried with it.

ADVERTISMENT My uncle's scholarly acumen saw at once that it was important enough for a closer inspection, and he ordered a boat to be made ready, telling me I could come with him if I wished. I replied that I preferred to go on with my studies, and as it happened he had himself given me some writing to do. As he was leaving the house he was handed a message from Rectina, wife of Tascus whose house was at the foot of the mountain, so that escape was impossible except by boat. She was terrified by the danger threatening her and implored him to rescue her from her fate. He changed his plans, and what he had begun in a spirit of inquiry he completed as a hero. He gave orders for the warships to be launched and went on board himself with the intention of bringing help to many more people besides Rectina, for this lovely stretch of coast was thickly populated. He hurried to the place which everyone else was hastily leaving, steering his course straight for the danger zone. He was entirely fearless, describing each new movement and phase of the portent to be noted down exactly as he observed them.

Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames: then suddenly they were in shallow water, and the shore was blocked by the debris from the mountain. For a moment my uncle wondered whether to turn back, but when the helmsman advised this he refused, telling him that Fortune stood by the courageous and they must make for Pomponianus at Stabiae. He was cut off there by the breadth of the bay (for the shore gradually curves round a basin filled by the sea) so that he was not as yet in danger, though it was clear that this would come nearer as it spread. Pomponianus had therefore already put his belongings on board ship, intending to escape if the contrary wind fell. This wind was of course full in my uncle's favour, and he was able to bring his ship in. He embraced his terrified friend, cheered and encouraged him, and thinking he could calm his fears by showing his own composure, gave orders that he was to be carried to the bathroom.

After his bath he lay down and dined; he was quite cheerful, or at any rate he pretended he was, which was no less courageous. Vesuvius from space Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night. My uncle tried to allay the fears of his companions by repeatedly declaring that these were nothing but bonfires left by the peasants in their terror, or else empty houses on fire in the districts they had abandoned. Then he went to rest and certainly slept, for as he was a stout man his breathing was rather loud and heavy and could be heard by people coming and going outside his door. By this time the courtyard giving access to his room was full of ashes mixed with pumice stones, so that its level had risen, and if he had stayed in the room any longer he would never have got out. He was wakened, came out and joined Pomponianus and the rest of the household who had sat up all night.

They debated whether to stay indoors or take their chance in the open, for the buildings were now shaking with violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundations. Outside, on the other hand, there was the danger of failing pumice stones, even though these were light and porous; however, after comparing the risks they chose the latter. In my uncle's case one reason outweighed the other, but for the others it was a choice of fears. As a protection against falling objects they put pillows on their heads tied down with cloths. Elsewhere there was daylight by this time, but they were still in darkness, blacker and denser than any ordinary night, which they relieved by lighting torches and various kinds of lamp. My uncle decided to go down to the shore and investigate on the spot the possibility of any escape by sea, but he found the waves still wild and dangerous. A sheet was spread on the ground for him to lie down, and he repeatedly asked for cold water to drink. Then the flames and smell of sulphur which gave warning of the approaching fire drove the others to take flight and roused him to stand up.

He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense, fumes choked his breathing by blocking his windpipe which was constitutionally weak and narrow and often inflamed. When daylight returned on the 26th - two days after the last day he had been seen - his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death. Shrieks of the People In a second letter to Tacitus, Pliny describes what happened to him and to his mother during the second day of the disaster: Portrait of a young girl. From a mural on the wall of a Pompeii home. Ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood.'Let us leave the road while we can still see,'I said,'or we shall be knocked down and trampled underfoot in the dark by the crowd behind.'We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room.

You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, others their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices. People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore. There were people, too, who added to the real perils by inventing fictitious dangers: some reported that part of Misenum had collapsed or another part was on fire, and though their tales were false they found others to believe them. A gleam of light returned, but we took this to be a warning of the approaching flames rather than daylight. However, the flames remained some distance off; then darkness came on once more and ashes began to fall again, this time in heavy showers. We rose from time to time and shook them off, otherwise we should have been buried and crushed beneath their weight.

I could boast that not a groan or cry of fear escaped me in these perils, but I admit that I derived some poor consolation in my mortal lot from the belief that the whole world was dying with me and I with it." References: Allen, G.B. (editor), Selected Letters of Pliny, (1915); Maiuri, Amedeo, Pompeian Wall Paintings (1960); Radice, Betty (translator), The Letters of The Younger Pliny (1969). How To Cite This Article: "The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD," EyeWitness to History, (1999). At the time of its destruction, Pompeii is estimated to have had a population of 20,000. Pliny became a lawyer at age 19 and did quite well. He owned a number of villas in Northern Italy and Rome. Pliny became a confidant of the Emperor Trajan and was made Governor of Bithynia in what is now Turkey. Pliny died there in 113 at the age of 52 or 53.

BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Pompeii: Its Discovery and Preservation Print this page Pompeii - AD 79; 1748-1860 Pompeii was buried - although not, as we now know, destroyed - when the nearby, supposedly extinct, volcano Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, covering the town and its inhabitants in many tons of pumice and volcanic ash. The disaster remained in people's minds for many years but was eventually forgotten, until the exploration of the ancient site started in an area called 'Civita', in 1748. This was found to be a comparatively easy task, because the debris that had caused such chaos was light and not compacted. ... artefacts and wall paintings were damaged or irreparably destroyed. During the first phase, the excavation was carried out essentially in order to find art objects. Many artefacts considered suitable for the private collection of the Bourbon king Charles III (reigned 1759-88) were removed, and transported to Naples - where they remain to this day, displayed in the Museo Nazionale.

Meanwhile, other wall paintings were stripped from the walls and framed, and yet other artefacts and wall paintings were damaged or irreparably destroyed. After the spoliation, buildings such as Villa di Cicerone and Villa di Giulia Felice were back-filled, although many famous scholars, among them Johann Winckelmann, demonstrated strongly against this, as they had against the previous destruction. Due to their pressure, the practices were stopped to some extent, although the stripping of the wall paintings continued. By the end of the 18th century, two wide areas had been uncovered: the Quartiere dei Teatri with the Tempio d'Iside, and the Via delle Tombe with the Villa di Diomede. Two of the archaeologists most connected with this phase were Karl Weber and Francesco La Vega, who wrote detailed diary accounts of the works they carried out, and made very precise designs of the buildings being uncovered. During the period of French control of Naples - (1806-1815) - the excavation methodology changed: things became more organised, and an itinerary was drawn up to accommodate the visits of scholars and important personages. The French wanted to excavate the buried town systematically, going from west to east.

In some periods of their influence they employed as many as 1500 workmen, and this concentration of effort resulted in the Foro, the Terme, the Casa di Pansa, the Casa di Sallustio and the Casa del Chirurgo all being excavated. With the return of the Bourbon king Ferdinand I to Naples, this method of organising the excavations continued, but there were fewer funds available to back the project. By 1860 much of the western part of the town had been excavated. Top 1863-1923 The excavation of the Temple of Isis © Giuseppe Fiorelli directed the Pompeii excavation from 1863 to 1875 - introducing an entirely new system for the project. Instead of uncovering the streets first, in order to excavate the houses from the ground floor up, he imposed a system of uncovering the houses from the top down - a better way of preserving everything that was discovered. In this way the data collected during the excavations could be used to help with the restoration of the ancient buildings and of their interiors - although the most important wall paintings and mosaics still continued to be stripped and transported to Naples.

Fiorelli ... developed the use of plaster casts to recreate the forms of plants and human bodies. Fiorelli also took the topography of the town and divided it into a system of 'regiones', 'insulae' and 'domus' - and he developed the use of plaster casts to recreate the forms of plants and human bodies that had been covered by the volcanic ash, and had then left a hole - shaped in the form of the plant or person - in that ash after putrefaction. Michele Ruggiero, Giulio De Petra, Ettore Pais and Antonio Sogliano, continued Fiorelli's work in the following years, and during the last 20 years of the century began to restore the roofs of the houses with wood and tiles - in order to protect the remaining wall paintings and mosaics inside. During these years many famous scholars came to study the remains of Pompeii, and one of them, August Mau, in 1882, created a system for categorizing the Pompeian pictures into a range of decorative styles. His work still provides the standard framework for the study of these ancient Roman paintings.

Vittorio Spinazzola, starting from around 1910, uncovered the Casa di Loreio Tiburtino, the Casa dell'Efebo, the Casa di Trebio Valente and Via dell'Abbondanza, which goes from west to east all along the length of the town. He reconstructed the façades of the houses along this street with their balconies, upper floors and roofs, using a meticulous excavation technique. In doing so he demonstrated how it was possible both to understand the dynamics of how the buildings had been buried in the first place, and also what the original structure of the houses had been - thus making it possible to restore them accurately. Top 1924 - 2003 Monumental peristyle in the Casa del Menandro © Spinazzola was succeeded by one of the most dynamic and controversial archaeologists in the history of the excavation of Pompeii - one Amedeo Maiuri. Maiuri uncovered the city's walls, and found a large necropolis along its southern walls - while his excavation of the Via di Nocera allowed him also to explore Regio I and Regio II.

This, however, was carried out using inaccurate methodology, with inadequate instruments, and the project suffered from chronic underfunding, so the houses were not well restored and were eventually practically abandoned. Many areas are still to be uncovered in Pompeii ... Maiuri also uncovered the Casa del Menandro and Villa dei Mister, and he undertook stratigraphical research under the AD 79 level, in his search for the origins of Pompeii. Alfonso De Franciscis became director of excavations in 1964 - his period in charge was characterised by an emphasis on the restoration of buildings that had already been uncovered. Only the magnificent Casa di Polibio was uncovered in this period. Following him, Fausto Zevi and Giuseppina Cerulli Irelli had to work hard to resolve the problems caused in Pompeii by the earthquake of 1980. Then in 1984 Baldassare Conticello started an extensive and systematic restoration of buildings in Regio I and II, where excavation work had already been completed. The excavation of the Complesso dei Casti Amanti was done ex novo (from scratch).

The present director, Pietro Giovanni Guzzo (who started his stint in Pompeii in 1994) has had to confront many management and financial problems in order to plan the finishing of excavations and the complete restoration of the buildings. In the most recent years, excavations have been carried out outside the Porta Stabia, and also in Murecine, near the river Sarno, where the Hospitium dei Sulpici has been uncovered. Many areas are still to be uncovered in Pompeii, but it is even more important to restore what has already been excavated. Today 44 of the 66 hectares of urban area are visible, and it is unanimously considered that the other 22 hectares must be left under the volcanic debris, in order to preserve this important part of our past for future generations.

Top Pompeii and European culture Scene with a centaur and a maenad from Villa di Cicerone © The nine books of Antichità d'Ercolano Esposte by the Accademia Ercolanese (from 1757 onwards), as well as the works of Winckelmann, Francois Mazois and William Gell, informed the whole of Europe about what was being revealed as the ancient Roman towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii were slowly being uncovered. ... a new, Neo-classical, attitude emerged, influencing philosophers, men of letters and artists. The discoveries aroused great interest, and emotion, among Enlightenment circles - and offered many new subjects for cultural debate. Slowly a new, Neo-classical, attitude emerged, influencing philosophers, men of letters and artists. Painters, sculptors, jewellers, upholsterers, cabinet-makers, joiners, decorators - all made explicit reference to the findings in the towns that Vesuvius buried, and there was a constant demand for books illustrated with accurate pictures. Many European countries, thanks to the new importance given to the ancient world, opened academies in Naples and Rome to offer hospitality to those who wanted to study the newly excavated towns.

In this period the younger members of many of the noble and rich families of Europe completed their education by doing a 'grand tour' of Europe, and a visit to Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Museo Archeologico in Naples was considered an essential part of these trips. The diaries of some of the people who made these journeys show how much influence the excavations had all over Europe, and these discoveries certainly eventually gave rise to modern archaeology, and led to the finding of many other ancient Greek and Roman towns. Top Pompeii as a source The discovery of Pompeii is of huge importance for our modern-day understanding of the ancient Roman-Italic world - partly because the more public and monumental ruins left behind by Imperial Rome have often been misleading. The excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum ... offer an intact vision of daily life in a Roman society in all its aspects. Their ruination and destruction left crucial questions unanswered, and made it impossible in many ways to gather a satisfactory understanding of the Roman world from them. Ancient Greek and Roman texts are also often obscure and enigmatic, because the ancient writers naturally took for granted, and did not explain, things that the modern reader cannot begin to guess at.

The excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, by contrast, offer an intact vision of daily life in a Roman society in all its aspects. They have produced not only many treasures, but also many objects that are less precious but extremely useful for the understanding of everyday life during the years of the Roman empire. In the buildings of these towns - from the monumental to the most simple - the ancient world appears in all its complexity, with great clarity. The same principle applies to the ancient texts of classical times. These have Rome and other big cities as their main point of reference, meaning that the history they speak of corresponds to the history of big centres and cities - while the ancient Roman world was actually made up, above all, of a great number of small towns and villages. In order to find out about the morality, culture, sense of state and religion for the vast majority of people in the Roman-Italic world, it is to Pompeii and Herculaneum that we must turn. It is here that we are most likely to find the truth about the society that made Rome 'caput mundi'.

Top Pompeii today An excavated arena at Pompeii © Many modern visitors see Pompeii as merely a collection of ruined buildings, and find it difficult to believe that in AD 79 the streets, houses, public buildings were full of life. They don't realise that many parts of the ancient town were uncovered more than two centuries ago, and that inadequate technology and debatable methods were used in the excavations, especially when the first works were carried out. Today the biggest danger for the old town is the increasing number of visitors ... They don't recognise what a miracle it is that buildings that were originally erected to last for only a few decades, and that even on that basis would have required frequent upkeep, are still in existence - and able to tell us something of the life that was lived within them. Today the biggest danger for the old town is the increasing number of visitors, who often do not understand that they are touching, creeping, walking along, an open air museum, which requires much respect and attention.

In Pompeii all is original: the tombs along the stone paved streets; the houses, with their frescoes - some with simple designs and gaudy colours, others more elegant and complex - which open onto shadowed arcades made precious by gardens in bloom and gushing fountains. The workshops and the shops immediately suggest the busy and noisy life once so much in evidence along the streets, and the religious sanctuaries are awesome even today - with monumental columns still emphasising the sacredness of the altars. The 'Forum', when it is crowded with people, also still reflects an image of previous times - perhaps the times of various elections, when different factions confronted each other in the square or under the large portico. It is perhaps only in Pompeii, and the other towns buried by Vesuvius, that people of today can be in such direct contact with the ancient Roman world - it is for this reason that these places leave such an unforgettable memory on the minds of imaginative visitors. mreanthro / Pompeii: The Buried City The city of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Many people who've heard of Pompeii don't realize there were actually two cities that were destroyed by the eruption of Mt.

Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both were completely covered by volcanic ash when Vesuvius erupted volcanic ash and hot mud on Aug. 24th in the year 79 AD. Both cities were forgotten until they were found again in the 1700s. Over time the cities became completely buried. Excavation has been underway for several hundred years. At Pompeii there are still many areas yet to be uncovered. Pompeii was among the earliest of archaeological excavations, tunneled into by the Bourbon rulers of Naples and Palermo in the beginning of 1738. Full scale excavations were begun at Pompeii in 1748. Archaeologists associated with Pompeii include Karl Weber, Johann-Joachim Winckelmann, and Guiseppe Fiorelli; a team was sent there by the Emperor Napoleon as well. Excavations today are being conducted in the streets of Pompeii by the University of Bradford. Current research at Pompeii has been undertaken by the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii, led by Rick Jones at the University of Bradford. This map shows where Pompeii is in relation to Italy.

ARTIFACTS As well as finding the inhabitants' bodies, the archaeologists found a treasure trove of daily utensils and household items that could give them an idea of what daily life was like 2000 years ago. Most of the artifacts that remained were made of metal, marble or other materials that could easily withstand the heat of the molten lava. One of the greatest finds in the history of the city was made in July, 2005, when an archaeologist checking on the progress of a new motorway being built in the area dug up the remains of a man lying next into an ancient Roman basket containing silverware. While the silverware and numerous articles such as pottery and paintings have been commonly found amongst the ruins, this was on of the few times that a Roman basket had been unearthed, although the container and its contents were somewhat melted together. This is a cast of a dog that archaeologists believe was chained outside of a house in Pompeii. The owners of this dog unfortunately left him tied to a chain when they fled from the House of Orpheus. The dog, who managed to stay alive during the first phase of the eruption, was finally overwhelmed by the last surge on the morning of August 25.

This moving cast is of a man and a woman. The man is leaning over the woman trying to protect and comfort her. EXCAVATION The revolutionary methods used during the excavation unearthed enormous historical, architectural, and artistic treasures and formed the basis of the meticulous approach used in today's archaeological techniques.During early excavations of the site, occasional voids in the ash layer had been found that contained human remains. It was Fiorelli who realized these were spaces left by the decomposed bodies and so devised the technique of injecting plaster into them to perfectly recreate the forms of Vesuvius's victims. This technique is still in use today, with a clear resin now used instead of plaster because it is more durable, and does not destroy the bones, allowing further analysis. Excavations - The Eruption of Mt Vesuvius The Eruption of Mt Vesuvius Bibliography Rediscovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum: Both cities Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered by accident. The rediscovery of Pompeii occurred when workmen who were digging a canal uncovered walls that were decorated with paintings. Two Latin inscriptions were discovered many years after that. These finds were recorded but not considered significant.

Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1709, when Prince D’Elboeuf built a villa overlooking the sea nearby. During the digging of an artesian well, the Prince’s workers recovered marble fragments that were later revealed to have come from the theatre of Herculaneum. Excavations of Pompeii: The first phase of the excavation in Pompeii started in 1748, when Rocco Gioacchino de Alcubierre located the area where the Latin inscriptions had previously been discovered. Rocco Gioacchino de Alcubierre believed that he had found the site of Stabiae, a Roman town that had also been destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD, and he began to excavate. In 1763 the site was identified as Pompeii when a Latin inscription was found that mentioned ‘res publica Pompeianorum’ which translates to the ‘state of the Pompeians’. Excavations continued over the next 20 years and several areas of Pompeii were found. These discoveries included the Street of the Tombs, the Temple of Isis and a theatre.

However during the first phase of excavation of the sites featured ‘treasure hunting’ archaeology. Both Pompeii and Herculaneum were looted, where many paintings, mosaics, statues, columns, vases, coins and other objects were removed from the sites to be added to private collections of kings and wealthy individuals, and also to be featured in museums [1] . Because many of these artefacts were taken from the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum without their removal being documented, a lot of valuable information that was associated with the artefacts was lost. During this time, (the first century of excavations), a lot was uncovered by the excavation teams. The forum, which was a public marketplace for Romans to gather, was uncovered. Major houses were also uncovered including the House of the Faun in 1829, and the House of the Painted Capitals in 1832. In 1860, Giuseppe Fiorelli became the director of excavations. Fiorelli excavated Pompeii in a different approach, instead of randomly looking for special or valuable objects and buildings he moved from house to house and street to street in a systematic way.

Fiorelli was the first to approach the significance of the cavities that were left in the hardened ash [2] . He poured plaster into the cavities and after it set, the surrounding ash was chipped away to reveal shapes of humans, animals, food and other perishable items. Fiorelli also was the first to introduce a system for naming and numbering the houses and buildings that were excavated; he divided the town into nine regions with each region then separated into twenty-two blocks. This system was effective in that each building could be easily identified. The next phase of excavations in Pompeii focused more on the human aspects of life that were revealed. Archaeologists and historians attempted to reconstruct the lives and identities of the people of Pompeii. Several houses were reconstructed including the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of the Vettii to help this process. From 1910 to 1923 Vittorio Spinazzola was the leader of excavations in Pompeii. Under his direction most of Via dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii’s main street, was cleared along with a number of Pompeii’s important buildings.

Spinazzola was one of the first archaeologists who recorded their phases of excavations in photographs [3] . From 1923 Amedeo Maiuri took over from Spinazzola and the excavations continued until work was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Allied bombing in 1943 considerably damaged the excavation site of Pompeii. Maiuri resumed the excavations after the end of World War II and continued for the next ten years, however his methods have been criticised, especially in his lack of systematic recording of the excavations. Fausto Zevi became the director of the site in 1977 and decided to focus his attention on restoring and documenting what had already been uncovered, so he stopped all excavations on government owned land. During the next three years all mosaic floors and wall paintings were photograph documented and taken an inventory of. This process resulted in about eighteen thousand photographs. In 1980 an earthquake hit Pompeii with led to an assessment of the site. This revealed that many buildings were in a serious state of decay.

French archaeologist Jean-Pierre Adam was asked in 1983 to consider possible methods of restoring and conserving the decaying buildings. Herculaneum Excavations Excavations in Herculaneum began after it’s rediscovery in 1711, for five years the site was excavated and statues, column and pieces of carved marble were uncovered. Some of theses pieces were given to European royal families and private collections of wealthy Europeans [4] . Herculaneum was a hard town to excavate because of the mass of solid molten rock that had encased it from the eruption in 79AD. Another problem that faced the excavators was that the town of Resina lay above the buried ancient town, which complicated access to the site. The landowners of Resina protested against having their property destroyed for the excavation of Herculaneum. In 1738, Charles Bourbon became the King of Naples and resumed excavations. In that same year a Latin inscription was discovered that named the town as Herculaneum. Rocco Gioacchino de Alcubierre became the director of excavations at the site.

Under his lead, the excavations during this period were undertaken with little care and the uncovered artefacts were taken to the Royal Palace at Portici. These artefacts later became the basis of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Because of the minimal amount of records that were kept and the careless excavations, many of the information that could have been drawn from these excavations were lost. In 1950, when Swiss architect, Karl Weber took over the site, he introduced a proper plan and disciplined approach to uncovering the town. Many of the artefacts that were uncovered from 1750 to 1765 now reside in the Naples Archaeological Museum. An important discovery in 1753 was the villa library that was revealed to have contained 1000 carbonised papyrus scrolls, which were mostly the philosophical works of Philodemus of Gadara. In 1780, the excavations ceased due to the shift of archaeological interest from Herculaneum to Pompeii. It wasn’t resumed until 1828. Open digging instead of the damaging tunnels and shafts now underwent the excavations.

Due to the difficulty of excavating the solidified molten rock and mud many of the buildings in Herculaneum were damaged and destroyed as they were being uncovered. Excavations were ceased during World War II. The recommencement of excavations in 1975 lead to the discovery of skeletal remains in the boat chambers of Herculaneum during the 1980s. Much of the site of Herculaneum is yet to be excavated due to the area being underneath the modern town of Ercolano. The Excavations of Pompeii, Unesco World Heritage Site in Campania, Italy Unesco World Heritage Sites in Campania , Archaeological Sites in Campania The Excavations of Pompeii There probably isn't a person on the planet who hasn't heard of Pompeii. The famous ancient city destroyed in an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius has been a tourist attraction for more than 250 years. The rediscovery of the ruins in 1748 put the spotlight on this site that was preserved under the ash of the volcano's fury.

There was a Greek settlement at this location starting in the 7th century BC, but it was the Romans who took it over and made it a resort destination. Wealthy Romans had villas here and there were plenty of places for holiday fun. Excavations revealed swimming pools, food stands and small restaurants, wineries, hotels and brothels. There were many indicators that this was a decadent city, and one that flourished on ancient tourism. The city had an intricate infrastructure and a complex water system that fed pools, baths, private homes and businesses, along with dozens of public water fountains. Much is known about Pompeii because on August 24, 79 A.D. the city was frozen in time. The catastrophic eruptions from Mt. Vesuvius spewed volcanic ash, gasses and debris in several waves, effectively covering the city. People were overcome quickly by the noxious gases and died quickly, their remains to be found centuries later. The layers of ash and debris, along with gas, created a moisture-free environment that preserved the city, its inhabitants and belongings.

Following the tragedy, grass and vines took over the land where the town stood., and the local people eventually forget even the name of the buried town, until it was rediscovered in 1748 and excavations began. A rich cache of artifacts was found, some were pillaged but many were preserved and are on display in the National Archeology Museum in Naples . There is a modern city surrounding the ancient site, but the topographic structure of the old city is completely intact, having been perfectly preserved in a sort of tomb-like time capsule. Because of its fascinating glimpse into Roman life, the site draws more than 2.6 million visitors a year. They get to view the ancient streets, still bearing chariot ruts, the civic layout and the structure of the city, which boasted an amphitheater, forum, public baths, a gymnasium, plenty of homes, shops and villas. They uncovered gardens and agricultural land around the city, revealing the grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, oil and wine that the Romans consumed there. There were decorative mosaics, vivid frescoes, and a plethora of erotic art, showing it was a hedonistic place for enjoyment.

The excavations confirm and enhance the accounts of the volcano's eruption and the city's destruction that were chronicled by Pliny, who saw the eruption from afar and interviewed survivors for an historical account. If you plan to visit Pompeii, you might want to book a tour in advance to avoid the lines and have a knowledgeable guide take you around the vast and interesting archeological site. Been there? Done that? Share your experience and tips! Haven't visited yet? Have questions about The Excavations of Pompeii? Ask them here! Also worth checking out... Pompeii - Ancient History - HISTORY.com Google Life in Pompeii Ever since the ancient Greeks settled in the area in the 8th century B.C., the region around Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples attracted wealthy vacationers who wanted to soak up the sun and the scenery. By the turn of the first century A.D., the town of Pompeii, located about five miles from the mountain, was a flourishing resort for Rome’s most distinguished citizens. Elegant houses and elaborate villas lined the paved streets. Tourists, townspeople and slaves bustled in and out of small factories and artisans’ shops, taverns and cafes, and brothels and bathhouses.

People gathered in the 20,000-seat arena and lounged in the open-air squares and marketplaces. On the eve of that fateful eruption in 79 A.D., scholars estimate that there were about 20,000 people living in Pompeii and the surrounding region. Did You Know? Mount Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944, but it is still one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Experts believe that another Plinean eruption is due any day--an almost unfathomable catastrophe, since almost 3 million people live within 20 miles of the volcano’s crater. Mount Vesuvius The Vesuvius volcano did not form overnight, of course. In fact, scholars say that the mountain is hundreds of thousands of years old and had been erupting for generations. In about 1780 B.C., for example, an unusually violent eruption (known today as the “Avellino eruption”) shot millions of tons of superheated lava, ash and rocks about 22 miles into the sky. That prehistoric catastrophe destroyed almost every village, house and farm within 15 miles of the mountain.

But it was easy to overlook the mountain’s bad temper in such a pleasant, sunny spot. Even after a massive earthquake struck the Campania region in 63 A.D.–a quake that, scientists now understand, offered a warning rumble of the disaster to come–people still flocked to the shores of the Bay of Naples. Pompeii grew more crowded every year. 79 A.D. Sixteen years after that telltale earthquake, in August 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted again. The blast sent a plume of ashes, pumice and other rocks, and scorching-hot volcanic gases so high into the sky that people could see it for hundreds of miles around. (The writer Pliny the Younger, who watched the eruption from across the bay, compared this “cloud of unusual size and appearance” to a pine tree that “rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches”; today, geologists refer to this type of volcano as a “Plinean eruption.”) As it cooled, this tower of debris drifted to earth: first the fine-grained ash, then the lightweight chunks of pumice and other rocks.

It was terrifying–“I believed I was perishing with the world,” Pliny wrote, “and the world with me”–but not yet lethal: Most Pompeiians had plenty of time to flee. For those who stayed behind, however, conditions soon grew worse. As more and more ash fell, it clogged the air, making it difficult to breathe. Buildings collapsed. Then, a “pyroclastic surge”–a 100-miles-per-hour surge of superheated poison gas and pulverized rock–poured down the side of the mountain and swallowed everything and everyone in its path. By the time the Vesuvius eruption sputtered to an end the next day, Pompeii was buried under millions of tons of volcanic ash. About 2,000 people were dead. Some people drifted back to town in search of lost relatives or belongings, but there was not much left to find. Pompeii, along with the smaller neighboring towns of Stabiae and Herculaneum, was abandoned for centuries. Rediscovering Pompeii Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748, when a group of explorers looking for ancient artifacts arrived in Campania and began to dig.

They found that the ashes had acted as a marvelous preservative: Underneath all that dust, Pompeii was almost exactly as it had been 2,000 years before. Its buildings were intact. Skeletons were frozen right where they’d fallen. Everyday objects and household goods littered the streets. Later archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread! Many scholars say that the excavation of Pompeii played a major role in the neo-Classical revival of the 18th century. Europe’s wealthiest and most fashionable families displayed art and reproductions of objects from the ruins, and drawings of Pompeii’s buildings helped shape the architectural trends of the era. For example, wealthy British families often built “Etruscan rooms” that mimicked those in Pompeiian villas. Today, the excavation of Pompeii has been going on for almost three centuries, and scholars and tourists remain just as fascinated by the city’s eerie ruins as they were in the 18th century. Tags Pompeii Italy - YouTube Pompeii Italy Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 1, 2010 Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It killed over 2000 people instantly. The excavation of Pompeii began in 1748. Some buildings have been carefully restored today. Any roofed structure is new, since tons of ash and cinders destroyed any original roof or canopy. Check it out. So amazing. Category Pompeii - Archaeology of the Famous Roman Tragedy Pompeii - Archaeology of the Famous Roman Tragedy What Have 250 Years of Excavation Taught Us About Pompeii? Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters Thanks, You're in! Health Tip of the Day Recipe of the Day There was an error. Please try again. Please select a newsletter. Please enter a valid email address. Did you mean ? The Forum at Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the Backgrouund. Buena Vista Images / Getty Images Updated August 09, 2016. Pompeii is arguably the most famous archaeological site in the world.

There has never been a site as well preserved, as evocative, or as memorable as that of Pompeii, the luxurious resort for the Roman Empire , which was buried along with its sister cities of Stabiae and Herculaneum under the ash and lava erupted from Mount Vesuvius during the fall of 79 AD. Pompeii is located in the area of Italy known, then as now, as Campania. The vicinity of Pompeii was first occupied during the Middle Neolithic, and by the 6th century BC it came under the rule of the Etruscans. The city's origins and original name are unknown, nor are we clear on the sequence of settlers there, but it seems clear that Etruscans , Greeks, Oscans, and Samnites competed to occupy the land prior to Roman conquest. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance The Roman occupation began in the 4th century BC, and the town reached its heyday when the Romans turned it into a seaside resort, beginning 81 BC.

Pompeii as a Thriving Community At the time of its destruction, Pompeii was a thriving commercial port at the mouth of the Sarno River in southwestern Italy, on the southern flank of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii's known buildings--and there are many that were preserved under the mud and ashfall--include a Roman basilica, built ca 130-120 BC, and an amphitheater built circa 80 BC. The forum contained several temples; the streets included hotels, food vendors and other eating places, a purpose-built lupanar and other brothels, and gardens within the city walls. But probably of most fascination to us today are the look into private homes, and the eerie negative images of human bodies caught in the eruption: the utter humanness of the tragedy seen at Pompeii. Dating the Eruption and an Eyewitness Romans watched the spectacular eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, many from a safe distance, but one early naturalist named Pliny (the Elder) watched while he helped evacuate refugees on the Roman warships under his charge.

Pliny was killed during the eruption, but his nephew (called Pliny the Younger ), watching the eruption from Misenum about 30 kilometers (18 miles) away, survived and wrote about the events in letters that form the basis of our eye-witness knowledge about it. The traditional date of the eruption is August 24th, supposed to have been the date reported in Pliny the Younger's letters, but as early as 1797, the archaeologist Carlo Maria Rosini questioned the date on the basis of the remains of fall fruits he found preserved at the site, such as chestnuts, pomegranates, figs, raisins and pine cones. A recent study of the distribution of the wind-blown ash at Pompeii (Rolandi and colleagues) also supports a fall date: the patterns shows that prevailing winds blew from a direction most prevalent in the fall. Further, a silver coin found with a victim in Pompeii was struck after September 8th, AD 79. If only Pliny's manuscript had survived! Unfortunately, we only have copies.

It's possible that a scribal error crept in regarding the date: compiling all the data together, Rolandi and colleagues (2008) propose a date of October 24th for the eruption of the volcano. Archaeology The excavations at Pompeii are an important watershed in the history of archaeology, as it was among the earliest of archaeological excavations, tunneled into by the Bourbon rulers of Naples and Palermo beginning in the fall of 1738. The Bourbons undertook full-scale excavations in 1748--much to the belated distress of modern archaeologists who would have preferred they wait until better techniques were available. Of the many archaeologists associated with Pompeii and Herculaneum are pioneers of the field Karl Weber, Johann-Joachim Winckelmann, and Guiseppe Fiorelli; a team was sent to Pompeii by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte , who had a fascination with archaeology and was responsible for the Rosetta stone ending up in the British Museum.

Modern research at the site and others affected by the 79 Vesuvian eruption was conducted by the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii, led by Rick Jones at the University of Bradford, with colleagues at Stanford and the University of Oxford. Several field schools were conducted at Pompeii between 1995 and 2006, mostly targeting the section known as Regio VI. Many more sections of the city remain unexcavated, left for future scholars with improved techniques. Pottery at Pompeii Pottery was always an important element of Roman society and it has figured in many of the modern studies of Pompeii. According to recent research (Peña and McCallum 2009), thin-walled pottery tablewares and lamps were manufactured elsewhere and brought into the city to sell. Amphoraes were used to pack goods such as garum and wine and they too were brought in to Pompeii. That makes Pompeii somewhat anomalous among Roman cities, in that the largest portion of their pottery was produced outside its city walls. A ceramics works called the Via Lepanto was located just outside the walls on the Nuceria-Pompeii road.

Grifa and colleagues (2013) report that the workshop was rebuilt after the AD 79 eruption, and continued to produce red-painted and burnished tablewares up until the Vesuvius eruption of 472. The red-slipped tableware called terra sigillata was found in numerous locations in and around Pompeii, and using petrographic and elemental trace analysis of 1,089 sherds, McKenzie-Clark (2011) concluded that all but 23 were manufactured in Italy, accounting for 97% of the total investigated. Scarpelli et al. (2014) found that black slips on Vesuvian pottery were made of ferrous materials, consisting of one or more of magnetite, hercynite and/or hematite. Prev Pompeii : The Destruction and Re-Discovery of a Roman City Pompeii : The Destruction and Re-Discovery of a Roman City by Chloe Bamberick Pompeii is situated in southern Italy. Pompeii is a partially buried city in southern Italy.

“It was left in ruins after a chaotic eruption occurred, leaving the city hidden until 1599.”The city is unquestionably one of the world’s best known archaeological sites, famous not only because of its dramatic destruction as a result of an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but also its amazing preservation. The destruction of the city was very dramatic on “24th August, 79AD”. The ancient citizens of Pompeii did not realise the signs of the impending eruption of Vesuvius. Therefore when the volcano went off at around 1pm, it is certain that it caught the local population completely unprepared. What was very strange about this is that there were prior indications that Vesuvius was beginning to stir – there were earthquakes, ground raising up, and underground springs had been drying up. The animals around Mount Vesuvius had begun acting strange. At the same time the citizens of the city didn’t realise that Mount Vesuvius was the cause of the 59AD earthquake, and would soon also cause the destruction of their city. Not long after midday on the 24th of august, day turned to night for the city. The top of the mountain blew up and exploded.

A huge mushroom-like cloud filled up to twenty kilometres of the air in height. The cloud was filled with pumice, ash and gas. The strong wind blew these particles in a north-westerly direction. Unfortunately the city of Pompeii lay in that direction. Usually the wind would blow in a south-west direction, which would have blown out the column over the Bay of Naples. Though on that terrible day, the wind happened to blow in a north-westerly direction, right over the city of Pompeii. If the eruption of Mount Vesuvius had occurred on any other day, the citizens of Pompeii may have stood a better chance of escape and survival. Unfortunately that was not the case, and the city was destroyed. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was tremendous According to a first-hand account, Pliny the younger; “You could hear women lamenting, children crying, men shouting. There were some so afraid of death that they prayed for death. Many raised their hands to the gods, and even more believed that there were no gods any longer and that this was one unending night for the world.” Some people waited it out. Some people tried to escape but the majority were too late.

There were very few survivors, like Pliny the younger. Pliny the younger; first-hand account and survivor of the Pompeii disaster Recent investigations have looked at the cause of death for the victims. Using Scientific study of bone fractures and the position of the remains of people, anthropologist Paolo Petrone and volcanologist Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo discovered that without a doubt, the fugitives had been wrapped in a 900-degree Fahrenheit cloud. They died, not from slow suffocation as scientists had long thought, but from instant thermal shock. The effect of this eruption was totally traumatic, as is shown by the lack of ability to reoccupy the sites of this city that had been destroyed. It was normal practice to rebuild the cities of this region after even the most massive earthquakes; but the cities of Hereculum and Pompeii were not re-occupied. The site had instead been riddled with tunnels dug by explorers. Not by modern explorers which would be expected, but by the roman explorers themselves after the eruption. The cities buildings were riddled with holes, room after room, and even though Pompeii has had richer discoveries than any other Roman site recorded, it was a city already extensively sacked by looters.

The cities on the north of the Bay of Naples quickly recovered. Puteoli continued on to be an important commercial centre. The Bay continued to attract wealthy holidaymakers, but never again earned the huge levels of popularity it once had from two centuries before the disaster, when it had been a playground of many wealthy emperors and senators. Plaster cast of a victim killed by the Mount Vesuvius eruption Ruins Of Pompeii This dramatic destruction of Pompeii had stayed in people’s minds for many years, but eventually was forgotten. Pompeii’s destruction soon became a myth, apart from maybe folk’s tales, only existing as a name for this area, La Cività. It was also known as the lost city, and was not to be discovered for another 1520 years. “Pompeii was first rediscovered in 1599” by Domenico Fontana. He was digging up a new course for the river Sarno. He had dug a channel underground when he discovered the city. It is believed he found many things, but he covered the findings over after looking at only a few.

Some believe that Fontana had even found some of the famous frescoes which were quite erotic and, because of the strict modesty prevalent there was at his time, he buried them again in “attempt to censor the archaeology”. This outlook was supported by reports of later excavators who believed that sites they were working on had already been visited and then reburied. Many things discovered in homes had a sexual theme. It took more than 150 years before a campaign was started to have them uncovered. No more investigations in the area were made until the buried Companion towns began in Herculaneum had been excavated. “In 1748, March, the King of Naples, Charles Bourbon, sent a surveying engineer named Rocco Gioacchino de Alcubiere with a mission.” This mission was to bring ancient statues and other treasures to the Spanish Court, and also to build a summer palace for the king, by doing internal renovations. He looked closely at the water channel that Fontana had dug and discovered that “at this place called La Cività, antiques had been found.” He began digging here and to his amazement discovered the buried city.

Although Fontana may have found the Pompeii, it was in fact Rocco Gioacchino de Alcubiere who began the first excavation on the city. The excavations at Pompeii have continued ever since. The excavations of these towns showed many buildings which were intact and wall paintings. For over 200 years now, we have been able to revisit the same moment in the history of Pompeii, the moment it became a fossil as an archaeological site. For many years, visitors have wandered through its alleys and strolled through its buildings, but have always been tourists stuck in A.D. 79. Excavations done after the destruction has allowed us to ‘go back in time.’ We got to look at the insulas from that late August day in 79AD and back through the ages to the fourth century B.C. Maybe even earlier. An excavation site at Pompeii. The archaeologists that are working in Pompeii are part of a long history of digging.

Some parts of ancient Pompeii were buried, protected, and “preserved for almost 17 centuries and then had been cleared.” In the first rush for Pompeian treasured, A Pompeian insula discovered named VI,1 had been cleared, but it was not recorded. We have only a few work-plans and notes, while the insulas contents were examined thoroughly. Pompeii was opened up to visitors who were wealthy and educated from the late eighteenth century. VI,1 was the first stop along the grand tour. Many artists and scholars went to the city. Their journals documented the magnificence of the insula soon after their exhumation. “Pompeii was laid under approximately 20 feet of ash and stone until it was discovered.” Since then, it has never been away from the attention of the public. Historians continue to try and separate myth and reality of how the Pompeiians lived in the years before the volcanic eruption. Still continuing the excavations, only a small percentage of Pompeii is still buried- 30%. These excavations have provided many discoveries. Many buildings such as the baths, homes, the Forum and some out-of-town villas are still preserved well.

“Around 400 discoveries recorded by 25 worldwide research groups in the past 10 years have produced a very accurate picture of life in Pompeii in 59AD.” At the time Mount Vesuvius erupted, this was a wealthy Roman trading town, famous for its grand villas, and fish sauce. It was international and cosmopolitan. As well as Etruscans and Greeks, the population included inhabitants from Africa. Of Pompeii’s 20,000 residents, half were children. “The average Pompeian woman was 4 1/2 feet tall and lived to the age of 39”. The average man was a few inches taller and could expect to live to the age of 41. The excavations suggest that “pompeiians poured their savings into their houses.” Wealthy people enriched their homes with elegant courtyard gardens decorated with frescoes of plants and flowers and an abundance of modern conveniences. Each room was heated by hot air running through cavity walls and spaces under the floors, while sophisticated hydraulic pumps provided running water. The entire city had an excellent system for the control and distribution of water.

From a great reservoir, water flowed invisibly through underground pipelines into drainage systems and into aqueducts supported by arches. It reappeared in the city’s houses, public buildings and fountains. An Upper class Pompeii which was preserved. “To help assemble this strikingly detailed re-creation of life in Pompeii, researchers employed a range of high-tech tools.” Among them were DNA testing of bones to decipher genetic history and physical analysis of the bones to study the physical structure of Pompeiians and to determine some of the most prevalent diseases, such as arthritis. With powerful microscopes, pollens observed by scientists, animal bones and pieces of wood, glass, plants and daily objects to find out about the natural history of the area as well .Using 3-D techniques, “they reconstructed the faces of four Pompeiians bringing the ancient people back to life hundreds of years later.” Excavations continue on today in search of antiques and sources that will give us more insight on Roman life in Pompeii. The rediscovery of Pompeii is an important part of history. This is mainly because the excavations of Pompeii give us much insight on the life of people in Ancient Rome each day.

Question: The excavation of what city, destroyed in 79AD, was begun in 1748?
Answer: Pompeii