The cinders on venus destiny1/4/2023 ![]() In the 1860s, Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli discovered that mounds of ash often contained the moulds of those who perished in the catastrophe. This is why in Italian up till now a snack bar is called tavola calda (hot table). In the taverns food was stored in jars built in the counter, to keep them warm, and to be served. In the bakers house one could find a fresco of a man selling bread. Shops were clearly marked with carved signs: a goat for the dairy, grapes for the winery, bread for the bakery. Pompeii had outdoor food taverns where its citizens could enjoy a snack and a cool drink. To maintain the food at constant temperatures, all but the top of a jar was buried in the ground. People in ancient times used mill wheels to grind flour, and they stored food in large terra-cotta jars. We are thus able to understand their culture, having an insight of the ancient world otherwise impossible. We know their habits, their customs, even their political graffiti, or their love messages. The sacrifice and horrendous sufferings of its inhabitants resulted in a generous gesture, as they donated us the means to understand not only the architecture of their houses, buildings and infrastructures, but also their paintings, the furniture, and even the ordinary objects for everyday use. Silent for thousands of years, Pompeii and Herculaneum are now living museums of life in the Roman Empire during the first century of the Common Era. First the wealthy homes were without water, then the public baths. When water supplies were low, the town stopped the flow of water streams in order of priority. People in Pompeii even had a version of indoor plumbing, but they did not have a good sewer system.įlowing through lead pipes from a central water tower (called the Castellum Aquae), the water delivery system was ingegnious for its day. One stream went to public fountains, another to public baths, and a third traveled to homes of wealthy residents. It had a three-stream running water system. Surprisingly sophisticated, Pompeii had a grid lay-out (right photo). ![]() Once a seaside resort with 5,000 inhabitans, the former town became inland, and is now surrounded, actually surmounted by the modern city of Ercolano. Now, much of Pompeii has been excavated and it has revealed much about how people lived during that time (and how they died during the eruption). Archeological excavations began in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1595, excavations discovered artifacts at Pompeii and centuries of pillaging followed. The city was abandoned and its location forgotten. per second (nearly 100 Km or 60 miles per hour, as the bird flies), it took less than four minutes for the boiling mud to flow from Vesuvius to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, a sea port distant about 7 kilometers (4 miles).Īs mentioned, up to 4 meters (13 ft.) of ash and rocks fell on Pompeii, burying everything except the roofs of some buildings. ![]() ![]() In the next stage of the eruption, a superhot cloud of steam and mud (called "pyroclastic") flowed down the side of Vesuvius. (Left): Aerial view of Pompeii, with the Vesusius in the background. The heaps of small rocks that landed on the houses caused many roofs to collapse, although the process was relatively slow, allowing most people to excape. In areas near the eruption, the amount of these materials can be enormous.ĭuring the first eight hours of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD they fell on Pompeii to depths of 2 to 4 meters (8-10 ft.). No lava flows occur during the plinian stage. ![]() This stage may last for hours or even days. Volcanologists now use the term "plinian" for the first stage of devastating volcanic eruptions, as the one occured in the Pompeii eruption, in which dust, ashes, cinders, and rocks erupt high into the air, and in time settle back to earth. From 30 km (18 miles) west of the volcano, Pliny the Younger witnessed the eruption and later recorded his observations in two letters. The eruption was the first ever to be described in detail. Herculanum underwent the same destiny, although it was immediately destroyed by hot toxic gasses, and only later covered with layers of lava. By the time Vesuvius stopped belching poisonous gas, the bustling city of Pompeii was silent, completely buried by volcanic ash and debris. ![]()
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