Tragic end of Pompeii was not solely caused by Mount Vesuvius

For centuries, the legendary eruption of Mount Vesuvius that decimated the ancient city of Pompeii has been a celebrated subject of historical accounts and study.

The catastrophic event has fascinated historians, archaeologists, and scientists alike, serving as a stark reminder of nature’s destructive power.

A complicated narrative in Pompeii

A new perspective has emerged, unraveling a more complicated narrative of the natural disaster that brought the city to its knees almost 2,000 years ago.

Recent research has shed light on previously overlooked aspects of the calamity, suggesting that the devastation was not solely due to the volcanic eruption but was also significantly influenced by concurrent seismic activities.

This nuanced understanding offers a richer, more intricate picture of the events that led to the tragic downfall of Pompeii, challenging long-held assumptions and opening new avenues for exploration and interpretation.

Vesuvius: A catastrophic eruption

The historical account of Pliny the Younger is the primary source of our knowledge about what transpired during the Vesuvius eruption.

The new insights offer a shift in perspective, suggesting an additional natural disaster might have amplified the tragic impact of the event.

An innovative study conducted by two renowned institutions uncovers the role of seismicity during the eruption, adding an essential piece to the grand puzzle of what occurred in 79 CE.

Researchers from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and Pompeii Archaeological Park took on the challenging task of uncovering the effects of concurrent volcanic and seismic activities that marked Vesuvius’s fatal eruption.

Dr. Domenico Sparice is a volcanologist at INGV-Osservatorio Vesuviano and first author of the study. The findings are pivotal in understanding the events of that fateful day.

“These complexities are like a jigsaw puzzle in which all the pieces must fit together to unravel the complete picture,” said Dr. Sparice.

Clues to the catastrophe

The revelation came about while the experts were excavating the Casa dei Pittori al Lavoro. They discovered peculiar characteristics of the collapsed buildings that ran contrary to the known effects of volcanic activity in Pompeii.

A different explanation had to be sought. The discovery of two skeletons with grave fracture and trauma injuries piqued their interest.

Dr. Fabrizio Galadini, a geologist and senior researcher at INGV noted: “Correctly recognizing the cause-effect relationship is essential to reconstruct the interplay between volcanic and seismic phenomena, and their effects on buildings and humans.”

Life and death in Pompeii

The ancient Pompeiians were living life as usual when the eruption occurred. Pumice lapilli – small rocks and ash particles – fell on the city for about 18 hours, prompting the inhabitants to seek shelter.

But then, devastating earthquakes started and the people who didn’t escape their shelters were potentially overwhelmed by the collapsing buildings.

“The people who did not flee their shelters were possibly overwhelmed by earthquake-induced collapses of already overburdened buildings. This was the fate of the two individuals we recovered”, said Dr. Valeria Amoretti, an anthropologist who heads the Applied Research Laboratory of Pompeii Archaeological Park.

A battle for survival

Although the researchers found several indications that the individuals didn’t die from inhaling ash or extreme heat, it remains unclear how many people in the city succumbed to volcanic-related causes or due to earthquakes.

Dr. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park noted: “New insight into the destruction of Pompeii gets us very close to the experience of the people who lived here 2,000 years ago. The choices they made as well as the dynamics of the events, which remain a focus of our research, decided over life and death in the last hours of the city’s existence.”

Pompeii’s tragic ending

The new insights into the Vesuvius eruption offer a more detailed and complex narrative of Pompeii’s tragic end.

The combined effects of volcanic and seismic activities paint a picture of a community caught in a relentless struggle for survival.

These findings not only deepen our understanding of one of history’s most famous volcanic eruptions but also serve as a reminder of the intricate and often interconnected nature of natural disasters.

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