The City That Was Ruined by a Volcano

Aug. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- If you're wondering where Pompeii is, then you'll need to look in the Italian region of Campania, near Naples.  Close to the bay of Naples, with the coast to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the east, Campania is a fertile plain, traversed by two major rivers and blessed with soil rich.  Pompeii (along with sister city Herculaneum) is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city, it was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophe.

Mount Vesuvius at one point was very active volcano, though it had remained dormant for as long as humans could remember. There was no evidence of any form of destruction before and the people of the city didn't realise there was any potential for danger. The first warning sign of the volcano was on February 5th 62 AD, around midday a long muffled roar shook the whole town and nobody knew what it is or where it had come from. After, the earth began to tremble and buildings started to collapse. This led to people rushing out of town - only to fall prey to deep chasms that ripped open the countryside without warning. The first earthquake lasted for a short period, however an hour later there was another one that seized the area. This continued to happen until nightfall.

For the next 17 years Pompeii concentrated on repairing the damages the earthquake had caused, determined to make their town even more splendid than before. Campania was peaceful and prosperous once more, and their maritime trading industry continued to be successful. Signs of the upcoming eruption began at the beginning of August in AD.79. Small tremors shook the ground, but the quakes were so insignificant and caused so little damage that few paid any attention to them. Springs and wells also dried up, which in ancient times was often interpreted as a sign of the gods' displeasure.

The first signs of the destruction of Pompeii started to show on August 20th: the earth started to rumble and crack, while the calm sea turned into giant waves and animals started to become unsettled as if they could foresee the future. On the morning of August 24th the volcano blew its top, it spewed loads of molten ash, pumice and sulphuric gas miles into the atmosphere. A fire storm of poisonous vapours and molten debris engulfed the surrounding area suffocating the inhabitants. The mud seeped down the sides to Vesuvius farms, orchards and villas swallowing them all in its way.

Artefacts were discovered by people who lived on the land, scholars have hypothesized they found from the famous la Citta.  Excavations didn't occur until the eighteenth century, when Herculaneum was rediscovered by a peasant digging a well. Pompeii was finally found on March 23, 1748, and from that date on excavations are still being done to in order to still reveal this mysterious city's secrets.

You can visit the ruins as it has been a popular destination for the past 250 years. There are tours and it is part of a national park. It is a World Heritage site and Pompeii is the driving force behind the economy of the nearby town of Pompei. Also, many residents are employed in the tourism and hospitality business. Being so close to Naples - which has some of the best villas in Italy - there is no excuse why this site is on your to do list.