Pompei: The Day the Sun Hid

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The vibrant mosaic tiles of the bath house became monochrome as thick grayness shrouded it, hiding the sun behind a wall of dust and ash. The bathwater, previously still and clear, rippled and reflected the dark sky. A glaring spew of fire lit the darkness, taking over the top of Mount Vesuvius. Nothing cascaded from the volcano except for rocks and ash. People stood up, confused as to where the day went. But soon, debris dropped from the sky like pebbles thrown from the heavens, covering the town and causing destruction in its path. Panicked, people ran everywhere, some to the roads and some to the harbor, searching for a clear sky to stand under. Mount Vesuvius had been dormant for hundreds of years, but suddenly erupted on August 24th, 79 C.E. Pompeii was a resort town in the Roman Empire, filled with summer homes of wealthy people and shops, entertainment and dining. Tiles adorned the streets and mosaic made up the walls, basking the town in an artistic beauty. But the everyday life of the citizens stopped harshly in their tracks as people dropped what they were doing to find safety and each other. Soon, the life within Pompeii was buried with its disaster. The culture of Pompeii, as well as Mount Vesuvius’ history and impact, destruction of Pompeii and the reaction that it brought throughout Italy is looming in that area, and their past is still being unearthed in modern times.

With shops lining the streets and entertainment right around the corner, Pompeii was a cultural hub. Originally a small coastal town, Pompeii soon grew as merchants set up trade routes and the Roman Empire continued its expansion, handing Pompeii more wealth and allowing the small town to grow. The Etruscans dominated the city and Greek influences w...

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... 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

Ball, Jessica . "Mount Vesuvius - Italy." Mount Vesuvius, Italy: Map, Facts, Eruption Pictures, Pompeii. Geology.com , n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.

Henderson, Amy. “Fools for Lava; The Timeless Beauty, and Obvious Danger of Vesuvius.” The Weekly Standard. The Weekly Standard, 11 June 2012. Web. 8 Mar, 2014

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Lost City of Pompeii. New York: Benchmark Books, 2000. Print.

Senatore, Maria Rosaria, Annamaria Ciarallo, and Jean-Daniel Stanley. “Pompeii Damaged by Volcaniclastic Debris Flows Triggered Centuries Prior to the 79 A.D. Vesuvius Eruption.” Pompeii Damaged by Volcaniclastic Debris Flows Triggered Centuries Prior to the 79 A.D. Vesuvius Eruption. Geoarchaeology, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

Sonneborn, Liz. Pompeii; Unearthing Ancient Worlds. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. Print.

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