There is a place in Italy whose history is with no doubt one of the most astonishing you will ever hear of: Pompeii. Once a lively and prosperous city, Pompeii is now one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites. It is one of the must-see destinations visited on our Italy Escorted Tour and also a fantastic place to visit on a History school trip to Italy.
A fascinating learning experience for visitors of all ages, today we share with you the history behind the catastrophe of Pompeii.
BEFORE
79 CE. Noon. A deafening boom and a dreadful tremble startled the population of Pompeii. All its 15000 inhabitants turned their faces towards the volcano that for centuries had been both a friend and a foe to them, Mount Vesuvio. Only 17 years before, in 62 CE, an earthquake had caused great damage to both Pompeii and Herculaneum; they were still recovering from that catastrophe. So much time had passed since the last eruption: 700 years!
Less than a day, nearly 20 hours, was the time it took the lava and ashes to destroy the entire city.
Among all the people who died because of the otherworldly power of the eruption, there was also Pliny the Elder, a Roman savant and author of the celebrated “Natural History”, who had reached Pompeii to observe the event more closely. There’s an old Italian saying that would have probably been salvific to him in that situation: “La troppa curiosità spinge l’uccello nella rete” (“Too much curiosity pushes the bird into the net”). But who knows, maybe it was worth it, in spite of the not so happy ending.
The interesting, and ironic, part about this story – provided that the narration is far from being monotonous – is that much of the information we have about the eruption comes from letters by Pliny the Younger, Pliny the Elder’s nephew, who was watching the event from Miseno, near Naples. They were addressed to Tacitus, a Roman historian and politician.
AFTER
For over 1500 years, Pompeii and its population remained buried and unknown, as if the eruption had covered not only the entire city, but also all the memories related to the place.
Finally, late in the 16th century, an Italian architect, Domenico Fontana, discovered the ruins of Pompeii, but the actual excavations begun only in the mid-18th century, marking the start of the modern science of Archaeology.
Buildings, artefacts and human bodies were brought back to light and analysed for decades to discover what was the real history behind the disaster. But still nowadays an aura of mystery lingers around the streets of Pompeii and researchers keep wandering if we will every be able to find an answer to all the questions.
In 1863, a young archaeologist named Giuseppe Fiorelli came up with the idea of injecting plaster into the holes left by the corpses within the ash layers to get plaster casts of the bodies. The results were extraordinary and made it possible to understand more about the last moments of their lives.
NOW
Up to now, only two thirds of the city have been unearthed, however archaeologists have decided not to fully complete the excavations so that future generations can conduct them with more efficient and advanced technologies.
In 1997, Pompeii (as well as the archaeological sites of Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata) was given the status of World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, for the following reason: “Pompeii, with its well-preserved buildings in an excavated area of 44 ha, is the only archaeological site in the world that provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city” and how could we agree more with the decision?
Even the Pink Floyd, one of the most popular rock band in the world, chose Pompeii as their background to record one of their incredible live performances.
TOURS AT JWT TRAVEL
ESCORTED TOURS: Italy Escorted Tour 2024
SCHOOL TRIPS: Rome, Pompei, and Bay of Naples
LEARN MORE
book
- The Three Days of Pompeii, Alberto Angela (2017)
- Pompeii, Robert Harris (2003)
movie
- Pompeii, Paul W. S. Anderson (2014)
If this story has fascinated you, you can get in touch with our travel experts to join our Italy Escorted Tour or plan a school trip to Rome, Pompeii, and Bay of Naples
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