We tend to imagÂine PomÂpeii as a city frozen in time by the erupÂtion of Mount VesuÂvius, inhabÂiÂtants and all, but most PomÂpeiÂians actuÂalÂly surÂvived the disÂasÂter. “The volÂcano’s molten rock, scorchÂing debris and poiÂsoÂnous gasÂes killed nearÂly 2,000 peoÂple” in PomÂpeii and nearÂby HerÂcuÂlaÂneum, writes Live SciÂence’s LauÂra Geggel. Of the 15,000 and 20,000 peoÂple in total who’d lived there, “most stayed along the southÂern ItalÂian coast, resetÂtling in the comÂmuÂniÂties of Cumae, Naples, Ostia and PuteÂoli,” accordÂing to the latÂest archaeÂoÂlogÂiÂcal research. VesuÂvius may have made refugees of them, but hisÂtoÂry has revealed that they made the right choice.
PomÂpeiÂians in parÂticÂuÂlar, as the TED-Ed lesÂson above depicts it, faced three choicÂes: “seek shelÂter, escape to the south on foot, or flee to the west by sea,” the latÂter made a viable propoÂsiÂtion by the town’s locaÂtion near the coast.
The video’s aniÂmaÂtion (scriptÂed by archaeÂolÂoÂgy Gary Devore) draÂmaÂtizes the fates of three sibÂlings, Lucius, MarÂcus, and Fabia, on that fateÂful day in A.D. 79. “Fabia and her brothÂers disÂcuss the recent tremors everyÂone’s been feelÂing,” says the narÂraÂtor. “Lucius jokes that there’ll always be work for men who rebuild walls in PomÂpeii.” It is then that the long-rumÂbling VesuÂvius emits a “deafÂenÂing boom,” then spews “smoke, ash, and rock high into the air.”
GathÂerÂing up his own famÂiÂly from HerÂcuÂlaÂneum, MarÂcus goes seaÂward, but the waves are “brimÂming with volÂcanic matÂter, makÂing it imposÂsiÂble for boats to navÂiÂgate close enough to shore.” As subÂseÂquent phasÂes of the erupÂtion furÂther devÂasÂtate the towns, the luckÂless Lucius finds himÂself entombed in the room where he’d been awaitÂing his fiancĂ©e. ShelÂterÂing with her husÂband and daughÂters, and hearÂing the roof of her home “groan under the weight of volÂcanic debris,” Fabia alone makes the choice to join the stream of humanÂiÂty walkÂing southÂeast, away from the volÂcano. This sounds reaÂsonÂable, although when Wired’s Cody CasÂsidy asks UniÂverÂsiÂty of Naples FedÂeriÂco II forenÂsic anthroÂpolÂoÂgist Pier PaoÂlo Petrone to recÂomÂmend the best course of action, the expert sugÂgests fleeÂing to the north, toward HerÂcuÂlaÂneum and finalÂly Naples — and more immeÂdiÂateÂly, toward VesuÂvius.
“The road between PomÂpeii and Naples was well mainÂtained,” Petrone tells CasÂsidy, “and the writÂten records of those who surÂvived sugÂgest that most of the sucÂcessÂful escapees went north — while most of the bodÂies of the attemptÂed escapees (who admitÂtedÂly left far too late) have been found to the south.” Should you find yourÂself walkÂing the thirÂteen miles between between PomÂpeii and Naples in the midst of a volÂcanic erupÂtion, you should “avoid overexÂerÂtion and take any opporÂtuÂniÂty to drink fresh water.” As Petrone writes, “only those who manÂaged to underÂstand from the beginÂning the gravÂiÂty of the sitÂuÂaÂtion” — the FabiÂas, in othÂer words — “escaped in time.” The likes of Mount VesuÂvius would seem to rank low on the list of danÂgers facÂing humanÂiÂty today, but nearÂly two milÂlenÂnia after PomÂpeii, it is, after all, still active.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
ArchaeÂolÂoÂgists DisÂcovÂer an Ancient Roman Snack Bar in the Ruins of PomÂpeii
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.