The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD is one of the most famous and deadly natural disasters in history.
According to a new study, the raging volcano claimed thousands of lives in Pompeii in just 15 minutes.
Most of the victims died asphyxiated by the giant cloud of ash and burning volcanic gases that erupted.
Researchers believe most would have survived if the lethal feathers, known as pyroclastic flows, had only lasted a few minutes, but their model suggests the city was surrounded for nearly 20 minutes.
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Herculaneum’s proximity to Vesuvius meant that the residents had no hope. But researchers believe the inhabitants of Pompeii, which was miles away, could have survived if the toxic cloud of ash and volcanic gases from the eruption had lasted less.
In the 1st century, Pompeii was a thriving industrial center with luxurious private villas.
The eruption of Vesuvius on October 24, 79 AD, however, buried Pompeii and the nearby cities of Oplontis, Stabiae and Herculaneum under fragments of ash, mud and rock.
It is estimated that at least 2,000 people lost their lives as a result of the eruption.
Some died due to rain of pumice and volcanic rock known as lapilli, others may have been trampled by frantic panic.
The speed and timing of the pyroclastic flow caused most people in Pompeii to suffocate in their beds or gather at home for safety. Pictured: charred corpse in Pompeii,
In 79 AD, Pompeii was submerged under the pyroclastic flows of burning gas and volcanic ash from the eruption of Vesuvius, as depicted in John Martin’s 1821 work entitled “Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum”, pictured
The speed and timing of the pyroclastic flow caused most people in Pompeii to suffocate in their beds or gather at home for safety.
But most drowned to the pyroclastic flow, a dense collection of carbon dioxide and volcanic ash flowing down the side of an erupting volcano.
Clouds are more dangerous to humans than lava because they travel faster (up to 450 mph) and can reach temperatures of 1,800 ° F.
According to previous researchers, the first pyroclastic climbs would begin at midnight and would have made the six-mile journey from Vesuvius to Pompeii in a few minutes, circling the city almost as quickly.
Working with colleagues at the University of Bari and the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh, Roberto Isaia, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Rome, developed a model to quantify the effect of pyroclastic flows on inhabitants.
It is estimated that at least 2,000 people lost their lives as a result of the eruption
In Herculaneum, at the foot of the volcano, the temperature and strength of the pyroclastic flow were so high “that survival was impossible,” the researchers wrote in a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Pompeii was further away, so survival would have been possible if the flow had lasted a few minutes or less.
According to his model, however, the cloud engulfed the city for about 17 minutes, “long enough to let the breath of ash suspended in the stream lethal.”
“We conclude that in the distal areas where the mechanical and thermal effects of pyroclastic density currents are reduced, flow duration is the key to survival,” they wrote.
The speed and weather of the cloud meant that most people were suffocated in bed or crowded home for safety.
Pliny the Younger described a column of smoke “like an umbrella pine” coming out of Vesuvius and returning nearby cities as black as night. Archaeologists discover the ancient Roman SNACK BAR in Pompeii. Pictured: Roman ruins in Pompeii
“Those 15 minutes inside this hellish cloud must have been endless,” Isaiah told The Guardian. The inhabitants could not imagine what was happening. The Pompeians lived with earthquakes, but not with eruptions, so they were surprised and dragged by that cloud of incandescent ash.
In contemporary letters describing the disaster from a distance, the Roman author Pliny the Younger said that a column of smoke “like an umbrella pine” came out of Vesuvius and turned the surrounding cities as black as night. although the eruption had begun at 1 p.m.
For two days, the volcano released more than 100,000 times the thermal energy of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It also triggered an avalanche of hot ash, rock and poison gas that ran down the side of the volcano at speeds in excess of 100 mph, ultimately burying residents, livestock, buildings and all vestiges of life up to 30 feet of ash and rubble.
The city remained hidden for about 1700 years until Pompeii was rediscovered by Spanish military engineers in the mid-18th century.
Today, the ruins of Pompeii are a popular tourist attraction, attracting one million visitors a year.
According to the researchers’ modeling, the city was surrounded by pyroclastic flow for 17 minutes, “long enough to make the breath of ash suspended in the stream lethal.” In the image: A view of the archaeological site of Pompeii
Located on the west coast of Italy, Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe.
Contrary to popular belief, the eruption that ravaged Pompeii did not kill all the inhabitants.
Today, the ruins of Pompeii are a popular tourist attraction, attracting one million visitors a year. Located on the west coast of Italy, Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe.
An estimated 2,000 people died in Pompeii and Herculaneum, but the cities had a population of nearly 20,000.
According to a 2019 report published in the journal Analecta Romana, the survivors settled in other communities on the southern coast of Italy and many married other survivors.
Centuries after its rediscovery, archaeologists continue to make new discoveries: in December, the head of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Massimo Osanna, announced the discovery of a thermopolium, an ancient Roman version of a fast food restaurant.
The murals of ducks, roosters and other animals suggest what was on the snack bar menu, as well as remains of goats, pigs, fish and snails.
“We know what they ate” when Visuvious exploded, Osanna said.
WHAT HAPPENED TO POMPEII?
Assembly Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying Pompeii, Oplontis and Stabiae under ash and rock fragments, and the coastal city of Herculaneum under a stream of mud.
Pompeii was hit with 1Pyroclastic flows of 000 ° F, dense collection of hot gas and volcanic materials flowing down the side of an erupting volcano at high speed.
They are more dangerous than lava because they travel faster, at speeds of about 450 km / h.
Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying Pompeii, Oplontis and Stabiae under the ashes and rock and Herculaneum under a stream of mud.
People ran for their lives with torches, screams and some cried while the rain of ash and pumice fell for several hours.
While the eruption lasted about 24 hours, the first pyroclastic floods began at midnight, causing the volcano’s column to collapse.
An avalanche of hot ash, rock and poison gas rushed down the side of the volcano at more than 100 mph, burying victims and remnants of everyday life.
Hundreds of refugees took refuge in the arcades back in Herculaneum, taking their jewels and money, and died instantly.
The Orto dei fuggiaschi (The Garden of the Fugitives) shows 13 bodies of victims buried in the ashes while trying to flee Pompeii
When people fled or hid in their homes, their bodies were covered in waves.
An estimated 2,000 people died in Pompeii and Herculaneum alone.
What have they found?
This event ended life in the cities, but preserved them until their rediscovery by archaeologists almost 1700 years later.
The excavation of Pompeii, the industrial center of the region and Herculaneum, a small beach resort, has given an unparalleled view of Roman life.
Archaeologists are continually discovering more of the ash-covered city.
In recent years, they have discovered an alley of magnificent houses, with balconies left mostly intact and still in their original tones.
A plaster dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, 79 AD. It is believed that about 30,000 people died in the chaos, although bodies are still discovered to this day.
Some of the balconies even had amphorae: tapered terracotta vases that were used to hold wine and oil in ancient Roman times.