Pompeii
peoples bodies were covered and preserved in ash
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nobody knows exactly when Mt. Vesuvius erupted
It was originally Greek
Pompeii's citizens did not know that it was a volcano
On the day of the eruption the wind happened to be blowing towards Pompeii
A lot of the people in a certain radius were killed instantly from the heat
Pompeii was not discovered until over 1500 years later
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This was not the only time Mt. Vesuvius erupted
Pompeii was a flourishing resort for Rome’s most distinguished citizens
It also erupted most recently in 1944, killing 26 people
The city was home to around 20,000 people just prior to the eruption
The city was covered in 60 feet of ash and volcanic material
It was long-believed Vesuvius erupted at around 1pm on 24 August 79 AD
It first blocked out the sun completely, turning day to night, before ash started to rain down on the city. Yet the worst was still to come.
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Animals were also killed in the eruption and have been frozen in ash
Pompeii was not originally a Roman city
The bodies of men, women, children and animals were trapped in their last pose before they were turned to charcoal by the pyroclastic flow.
It is almost as if the people were frozen in time
The people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to twelve different layers of tephra, in total, up to 6 metres (19.7 ft) deep.
The heat of Mount Vesuvius’ pyroclastic flow was five times hotter than boiling water
The city had more than 20,000 citizens prior to the eruption
The gasses went up many miles in the air and it started to rain rocks
It was more of a gas disaster than a lava one
People are still discovering more of Pompeii and digging more of it up
The soil in Pompeii was black
The people had no idea that it was going to happen
Pompeii was a lavish city home to wealthy residents and luxurious buildings, villas, decor + artwork
One of the most famous of the body casts is one of a person who looked to be crawling away
A lot of what we know comes from Pliny the Younger
The eruption lasted 18 hours
Mt. Vesuvius is still active today