Pompeii (the City of the Dead) and Mount Vesuvius.

Onward we go, still in Ancient Rome via Bob Jones University World History.

Here are a few facts that are good to know.

image from the web.

~Mount Vesuvius is a volcano near the bay of Naples, Italy (southern Italy).

~The volcano is hundreds of thousands years old.

~Mount Vesuvius is said to have had a Plinian eruption, which just means that the eruptions are in

image from the web

columns of volcanic ash and gas that extends high into the stratosphere.  (The stratosphere is a higher layer of the atmosphere).  Along side the volcanic ash and gas, a large amount of pumice is ejected with highly powerful blasts of gases.  Sometimes this can continue for months.

~The city of Pompeii was built at the base of the Mount Vesuvius.

~Vesuvius has erupted at least 50 times, some say more.

image from the web

~In 79 A.D., Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman city of Pompeii.  This eruption brought on a firestorm of sulfuric gas, molten debris, molten ash, and pumice.  This combination literally suffocated the people of Pompeii.

~It is believed that the air temperature after the blast was around 250 degrees Celsius.  That is equal to 482 degrees Fahrenheit. That recent lesson on temperature and degrees paid off.

~Vesuvius pretty much took out everyone and everything living in Pompeii at the time.  Several thousand people died.

~Mount Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944.

~This is one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes.

image from the web

~There are around three million people currently living within a 20 mile range of the volcano's crater.

~In 1748, a group of explorers and workers were sent to build a palace for King Charles III and they just happen to stumble upon it.

image from the web

~They found well-preserved buildings, household items, jars of fruit preserves, loaves of bread, and skeletons that were frozen where they had fallen.

~Wealthy people visited Pompeii before the volcano destroyed it.  It was considered a "resort" by many.  Pompeii had two theaters, temples, an amphitheater, and an aqueduct system.

Today, more than two million people visit Pompeii.  I will add this to my bucket list.

Ducksters
Trivia Fun
Pompeii on Pinterest
Harcourt School Pompeii
Coroner's report video-History.com
National Geographic