Mount Vesuvius is one of the most densely populated places in Europe. Many of Pompeii’s neighboring communities, most famously Herculaneum, furthermore suffered damage or destruction during the 79 eruption. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the death of 10,000 to 25,000 people. For more Vesuvius Pompeii Herculaneum information, keep reading!
Bay of Naples
The Bay of Naples, resting in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, is home to the archaeological sites of Pompei and Herculaneum, Sorrento, and the islands of Ischia and Capri. View of the Bay of Naples are breathtaking, especially from various places on Posillipo hill, the top of Vesuvius or along the Sorrentine Peninsula. The Gulf of Naples is a 10-mile wide gulf located in the south western coast of Italy, (province of Naples, Campania region).
Cities of Vesuvius Pompeii Herculaneum
The crater of Vesuvius stands 1,282 meters above sea level, 230 meters deep, and has a diameter of about 650 meters. This volcanic eruption is the first to be described in detail. The letter-writing Pliny the Younger was stationed about 18 miles away in Misenum from which vantage point he could see the eruption and feel the preceding earthquakes. Inside the crater itself, it is plausible to see glimpses of steam rising from the side of the crater demonstrating that Mt Vesuvius is an active volcano. Unearthed after being buried in ash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii is a fascinating archeological site.
Pliny The Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus -or, to use his English name, Pliny- was born in 23 or 24 at Novum Comum (modern Como), a small city in the region known as Gallia. Many contemporary sculptures are described and discussed by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia published in 77 AD.
Pliny the Younger
Campi Flegrei, moreover known as the Phlegraean Fields (from Greek meaning burning fields), is a large 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) wide caldera situated to the west of the city of Naples. Pliny was here with his Uncle when the eruption of Mt Vesuvius happened. The only eye witness account account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, 79 AD. belongs to Pliny the Younger whose letters describe his memories during the eruption.
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Wine fermenting jars had been sealed over, and this would have happened around the end of October. The black cloud represents the general distribution of ash and cinder. Modern coast lines are shown.
Campi Flegrei - The Phlegraean Fields
The area of Campi Flegrei was known to the Greeks, who had a colony nearby at Cumae. Campi Flegrei has had only one historical eruption, in AD 1538, and even though its volcanic history has been studied in relaxing detail Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) is a quaternary caldera located west of the city of Naples in an area of regional extension.
Volcano Mt Vesuvius Pompeii & Herculaneum
It was during the famous AD79 eruption that poisonous vapors and molten debris engulfed the surrounding area suffocating the inhabitants of the neighboring Roman resort cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD.
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