Eyewitness Account of Vesuvius Eruption
Pliny the Younger saw what happened when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. A famous Roman historian named Tacitus asked him to write a description. The original letter was written in Latin, the language of ancient Rome. What follows is not an exact translation of his letter but a retelling of it that puts all of the information together. Pliny the Younger is describing what he saw and telling what happened to his uncle, Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Elder was a famous scientist and military commander.
My uncle was in command of a fleet of ships that was in a port called Misenum. At about 1:00 pm on August 24 [79 AD], my mother wanted my uncle to see an unusual cloud. My uncle was resting after having lunch, but he got up right away to look at this cloud.
The cloud appeared to come out of the top of a mountain that was a long way away. The best way to describe it is to say that it looked like a pine tree. It shot straight up like a very tall trunk. At the top of the trunk, the cloud spread out like branches. Parts of the cloud were very bright, and parts were quite dark. The different colors were caused by the amount of cinders in the different parts of it.
My uncle, who was a man of science, thought that this cloud was something that needed investigation. He ordered one of his smaller ships to be readied, and told me that I could go with him if I wanted to. I told him that I needed to finish some work that he had given me.
As he was getting ready to go onto his ship, he received a note from Rectina, the wife of his friend Bassus. She was very frightened by the danger that threatened. Her huge house was at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and there was no way for her to escape except by sea. She begged him to come and save her. So my uncle's expedition changed from a scientific journey to a rescue mission.
As he was getting ready to go onto his ship, he received a note from Rectina, the wife of his friend Bassus. She was very frightened by the danger that threatened. Her huge house was at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and there was no way for her to escape except by sea. She begged him to come and save her. So my uncle's expedition changed from a scientific journey to a rescue mission.
My uncle Pliny ordered his ships to sail across the bay to rescue the people not only in Rectina's house, but in all the houses and towns that lined the shore near Mount Vesuvius. He hurried toward the danger that people were already running from. As he sailed, he dictated notes about what he observed to a scribe, who wrote them down.
My uncle Pliny sailed so close to the mountains that the hot cinders from the volcano fell onto the ships. Besides the cinders, there were also big chunks of burning rock. The ships were in danger from the rocks, by the sudden retreat of the sea from the area caused by the volcano, and from the huge boulders that were rolling down the mountain.
He thought about turning back, and the pilot of the ship he was on thought that was a good idea. But my uncle said, "Fortune favors the brave." He ordered the pilot to steer toward Stabiae, which is the port of the city of Pompeii. Stabiae is about 16 kilometers away from Mount Vesuvius. When they arrived at Stabiae, my uncle met his good friend, Pomponianus and tried to calm him down.
Even as my uncle was doing this, broad sheets of flame were coming out of Mount Vesuvius. Night had fallen so these flames could be seen more clearly than they would have been during the day. In order to calm his friend, my uncle told Pomponianus that they were just flames from burning villages on the slope of the mountain.
After this everyone went to bed at Pomponianus's house. They had slept only a short time, but the ash and stones were falling so thickly that they were rapidly filling the courtyard. If they stayed any longer, they would not be able to get out of the house. My uncle was a sound sleeper and had to be awakened. My uncle and his friends debated whether it would be better to stay in the house or go out into the open fields. There they might be hit by the stones and rocks that were being thrown out of the depths of the mountain.
They decided to go into the fields. It was now time for day, but everywhere around them it looked like darkest night. They went down to the sea to see if it was safe to set sail, but the ocean was still very rough. My uncle found some sail cloth and lay down on the shore. He called for some cold water. As he was drinking it, flames surged out of the volcano, and with them came a strong smell of sulfur. Everyone began to run, but my uncle had not taken two steps when he was overcome by the sulfur fumes and died.
The darkness during the daytime lasted for another day. On the third day there was light again.
All this time my mother and I were in the town of Misenum across the bay.
This ends Pliny's letter. Historians and scientists have studied the letter and the events Pliny the Younger described. Because no one in the group that was with Pliny the Elder seemed to have suffered from the gases, scientists and historians have concluded that Pliny the Elder probably was not overcome by any gases. Pliny the Elder probably died of a heart attack caused, in part, by the stress of what was happening around him.
My uncle was in command of a fleet of ships that was in a port called Misenum. At about 1:00 pm on August 24 [79 AD], my mother wanted my uncle to see an unusual cloud. My uncle was resting after having lunch, but he got up right away to look at this cloud.
The cloud appeared to come out of the top of a mountain that was a long way away. The best way to describe it is to say that it looked like a pine tree. It shot straight up like a very tall trunk. At the top of the trunk, the cloud spread out like branches. Parts of the cloud were very bright, and parts were quite dark. The different colors were caused by the amount of cinders in the different parts of it.
My uncle, who was a man of science, thought that this cloud was something that needed investigation. He ordered one of his smaller ships to be readied, and told me that I could go with him if I wanted to. I told him that I needed to finish some work that he had given me.
As he was getting ready to go onto his ship, he received a note from Rectina, the wife of his friend Bassus. She was very frightened by the danger that threatened. Her huge house was at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and there was no way for her to escape except by sea. She begged him to come and save her. So my uncle's expedition changed from a scientific journey to a rescue mission.
As he was getting ready to go onto his ship, he received a note from Rectina, the wife of his friend Bassus. She was very frightened by the danger that threatened. Her huge house was at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and there was no way for her to escape except by sea. She begged him to come and save her. So my uncle's expedition changed from a scientific journey to a rescue mission.
My uncle Pliny ordered his ships to sail across the bay to rescue the people not only in Rectina's house, but in all the houses and towns that lined the shore near Mount Vesuvius. He hurried toward the danger that people were already running from. As he sailed, he dictated notes about what he observed to a scribe, who wrote them down.
My uncle Pliny sailed so close to the mountains that the hot cinders from the volcano fell onto the ships. Besides the cinders, there were also big chunks of burning rock. The ships were in danger from the rocks, by the sudden retreat of the sea from the area caused by the volcano, and from the huge boulders that were rolling down the mountain.
He thought about turning back, and the pilot of the ship he was on thought that was a good idea. But my uncle said, "Fortune favors the brave." He ordered the pilot to steer toward Stabiae, which is the port of the city of Pompeii. Stabiae is about 16 kilometers away from Mount Vesuvius. When they arrived at Stabiae, my uncle met his good friend, Pomponianus and tried to calm him down.
Even as my uncle was doing this, broad sheets of flame were coming out of Mount Vesuvius. Night had fallen so these flames could be seen more clearly than they would have been during the day. In order to calm his friend, my uncle told Pomponianus that they were just flames from burning villages on the slope of the mountain.
After this everyone went to bed at Pomponianus's house. They had slept only a short time, but the ash and stones were falling so thickly that they were rapidly filling the courtyard. If they stayed any longer, they would not be able to get out of the house. My uncle was a sound sleeper and had to be awakened. My uncle and his friends debated whether it would be better to stay in the house or go out into the open fields. There they might be hit by the stones and rocks that were being thrown out of the depths of the mountain.
They decided to go into the fields. It was now time for day, but everywhere around them it looked like darkest night. They went down to the sea to see if it was safe to set sail, but the ocean was still very rough. My uncle found some sail cloth and lay down on the shore. He called for some cold water. As he was drinking it, flames surged out of the volcano, and with them came a strong smell of sulfur. Everyone began to run, but my uncle had not taken two steps when he was overcome by the sulfur fumes and died.
The darkness during the daytime lasted for another day. On the third day there was light again.
All this time my mother and I were in the town of Misenum across the bay.
This ends Pliny's letter. Historians and scientists have studied the letter and the events Pliny the Younger described. Because no one in the group that was with Pliny the Elder seemed to have suffered from the gases, scientists and historians have concluded that Pliny the Elder probably was not overcome by any gases. Pliny the Elder probably died of a heart attack caused, in part, by the stress of what was happening around him.