Monday, 24 September 2018

Interesting Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Pompeii: Part 1

We’ve all heard of the tragic story of Mount Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption that wiped out the city of Pompeii in the year 79 AD. The once bustling city was covered in about 5 meters of volcanic ash, burying the inhabitants and everything else for many years until its discovery in 1599. These are the main facts we know about this ancient city, but what else is there to know about it? Let’s take a look:

1. The term ‘volcano’ only came to be after the disaster

The citizens of Pompeii had no idea what a volcano was, that is until it was too late. The word was only created after the fact, deriving from “Vulcan”, who was the God of Fire. Of course, nowadays, the word is very well known and instantly making us think of lava and fire - all thanks to the massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

2. Buried, Discovered, Reburied, Rediscovered

About 1,500 years after the deadly eruption in Pompeii in the year 1599, the great city was discovered. Many artifacts were unearthed, particularly frescos revealing some sexual content. Famous Italian architect, Domenico Fontana, decided that they were not appropriate in a time where censorship was prominent. He buried them again, concealing Pompeii once again only for it to be rediscovered in 1748.

3. What about Herculaneum?

The Pompeii disaster is very well-known throughout the world, but it wasn’t the only place affected by the volcanic eruption. Herculaneum was another ancient Roman town that was buried and preserved by volcanic ash. It was thought that the citizens of Herculaneum had evacuated because, after the first eruption, only a few centimeters of ash fell on the town. Most inhabitants fled, but in recent years, a few hundred skeletons have been discovered which changes everything. It was much worse than we thought there.

There’s so much more we don’t know about what occurred in the ancient times, but all we have is the remains to base our opinions on. If you’re interested in learning some more interesting facts about Pompeii, stay tuned for part 2! In the meantime, try reading From Pompeii, by Ingrid D. Rowland. It’s a great look into the city that was forgotten for so long. Feel free to browse through our online library, www.genretop.com, for more classic content!

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