Here is an eyewitness account of the Mount Vesuvius eruption which buried Pompeii in 79 A.D.

Pliny, the younger, wrote of his uncle, Pliny, the elder, to rescue citizens from the destruction of Mount Vesuvius. The narrative was discovered in the 16th Century.

According to Wikipedia’s summary of Pompeii archeological findings, there was another eruption of November 23, 79 A.D., also mentioned by Pliny, the younger, in another account of the disaster.

Although the animation on the preceding page describes an eruption of August 24-25, 79 A.D., only, Wikipedia has noted that seasonal food and clothing found during excavations seem to correspond to a November date of eruption.

Wikipedia’s article on Mt. Vesuvius states that remains of over 1,000 people have been found, but the total number of people killed in the eruption is unknown. It is tempting to speculate that, at some point before ash rained down in earnest on Pompeii, whether in August or November, 79 A.D., there may have been an opportunity for some of the populace to flee the city.

Pliny, the younger, tells us how the populace responded to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 79 A.D.

The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD

On August 24, 79 Mount Vesuvius literally blew its top, spewing tons of molten ash, pumice and sulfuric gas miles into

A “firestorm” of poisonous vapors and molten debris engulfed the surrounding area suffocating the inhabitants of the neighboring Roman resort cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. Tons of falling debris filled the streets until nothing remained to be seen of the once thriving communities. The cities remained buried and undiscovered for almost 1700 years until excavation began in 1748. These excavations continue today and provide insight into life during the Roman Empire.

An ancient voice reaches out from the past to tell us of the disaster. This voice belongs to Pliny the Younger whose letters describe his experience during the eruption while he was staying in the home of his Uncle, Pliny the Elder. The elder Pliny was an official in the Roman Court, in charge of the fleet in the area of the Bay of Naples and a naturalist. Pliny the Younger’s letters were discovered in the 16th century.

Wrath of the Gods

A few years after the event, Pliny wrote a friend, Cornelius Tacitus, describing the happenings of late August 79 AD when the eruption of Vesuvius obliterated Pompeii, killed his Uncle and almost destroyed his family. At the time, Pliney was eighteen and living at his Uncle’s villa in the town of Misenum. We pick up his story as he describes the warning raised by his mother:

Eyewitness Account by Pliny, the Younger

My uncle was stationed at Misenum, in active command of the fleet. On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew his attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. He had been out in the sun, had taken a cold bath, and lunched while lying down, and was then working at his books. He called for his shoes and climbed up to a place which would give him the best view of the phenomenon. It was not clear at that distance from which mountain the cloud was rising (it was afterwards known to be Vesuvius); its general appearance can best be expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. In places it looked white, elsewhere blotched and dirty, according to the amount of soil and ashes it carried with it.

My uncle’s scholarly acumen saw at once that it was important enough for a closer inspection, and he ordered a boat to be made ready, telling me I could come with him if I wished. I replied that I preferred to go on with my studies, and as it happened he had himself given me some writing to do.

As he was leaving the house he was handed a message from Rectina, wife of Tascus whose house was at the foot of the mountain, so that escape was impossible except by boat. She was terrified by the danger threatening her and implored him to rescue her from her fate. He changed his plans, and what he had begun in a spirit of inquiry he completed as a hero. He gave orders for the warships to be launched and went on board himself with the intention of bringing help to many more people besides Rectina, for this lovely stretch of coast was thickly populated.

He hurried to the place which everyone else was hastily leaving, steering his course straight for the danger zone. He was entirely fearless, describing each new movement and phase of the portent to be noted down exactly as he observed them. Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames: then suddenly they were in shallow water, and the shore was blocked by the debris from the mountain.

To see the rest of Pliny, the younger’s remarkable narrative and the details of how the inhabitants of the area escaped the eruption, please visit this link: Pliny, the younger’s description of the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

To see the findings in 2010 of the real cause of death of those Pompeiians who were buried in the ash of Mount Vesuvius, visit the next page.