Why is Pompeii so famous? Read this article to learn more!
In the year 79 CE, a massive volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius buried the city of Pompeii, Italy in a fury of ash and debris. Remarkably, this disaster preserved the city for over 2000 years.
Pompeii was overtaken in two phases, the first being what is expected from a volcano. Showered in ash, debris, and pumice, Pompeii was buried to a depth of around 9 feet. This phase would have trapped people inside buildings and destroyed their homes. The second phase introduced pyroclastic flows, extremely hot flows of gases, rock fragments, and ash that suffocated the remaining residents.
Many victims from Mount Vesuvius’s eruption were preserved in their final moments. Their bodies left imprints in the ash which were recovered by archaeologists through plastering techniques. However, findings were more striking in the nearby town, Herculaneum. Here, the eruption preserved skeletons and even remnants of some organs.
A recent study published in Nature examined the formation of a “glass brain” which resulted from the high temperatures of Mount Vesuvius’s pyroclastic flows. So far, this is the only known case of glass preservation happening to a human brain. The scientists explained that this had occurred through the process of vitrification, in which a material is rapidly cooled and turned into glass without crystallization. According to the study, the extreme heat from the pyroclastic flows carbonized the brain tissue and preserved it in a glass-like state. This study is groundbreaking because the “glass brain” allowed for the preservation of networks of neurons. That is, 2000-year-old neurons! Such findings provide us with a glimpse of an older time and open avenues for more in-depth future studies on how brain cells were affected by the conditions from the Mount Vesuvius eruption.
The preservation of Pompeii and its neighbouring cities, like Herculaneum, provide us with a fascinating and wonder-evoking snapshot of what life was like many centuries ago. Many homes, bakeries, and libraries have been so well preserved—with tile mosaics looking like they were recently laid out, and carbonized Herculaneum papyri of poetry and philosophy. This provides us with cultural insights into what life was like for the Romans.
How come so many people weren’t able to escape on time? This has been a question for which many explanations have been offered, but it largely remains a mystery. Perhaps Mount Vesuvius wasn’t seen as a threat or perhaps there weren’t adequate escape procedures enforced.
The Mount Vesuvius eruption and the preservation of life forms not unlike ourselves, demonstrate how unpredictable our existence is. On a broader scale, 2000 years later, we can reflect on how this mass destruction occurred unexpectedly and practice gratitude for the present