But it wasn’t until the year 1764 — nearly 1,700 years after the eruption — when one of the greatest Pompeii discoveries was made: the ruins of a beautiful temple. More dazzling artifacts were soon found.
The early diggers were more interested in snatching whatever treasure they could dig up. But by the 1800s, people realized that Pompeii’s artifacts must be preserved and studied. Today, most of Pompeii’s treasures are in museums. Excavations of the city have continued steadily ever since, though today at least one quarter of the city is still buried.
Why is Pompeii so important?
There are other places where you can see ruins of buildings from ancient Roman times. The city of Rome is filled with them. But there is no place in the world like Pompeii, which was buried in AD 79 and sealed for centuries, like a time capsule.
The ash and stone preserved more than just the buildings. Archeologists have unearthed thousands of artifacts — skeletons, petrified loaves of bread, statues, toys, furniture, chariots, gladiator helmets, silverware, cooking pots, shoes, earrings, and much, much more.
Most of what we know about life in ancient Rome comes from the discoveries made in Pompeii and a neighboring town called Herculaneum, which was also buried by Vesuvius in AD 79.
Will Vesuvius erupt again?
Yes.
Vesuvius is one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes — and also one of the most closely monitored. It has erupted many times over the past few centuries. None of those eruptions were nearly as powerful as the one that buried Pompeii. But experts have no doubt that another enormous eruption could happen soon.
And this disaster could be devastating. Today, an estimated two million people live in the dangerous “red zone” around Vesuvius. Just fifteen miles north is the crowded city of Naples, where nearly one million people live.
Hopefully, the mountain would give plenty of warning before a major eruption, and people would have time to evacuate. But today, nearly two thousand years after Pompeii was destroyed, we remain powerless against the destructive fury of a major volcanic eruption. Much of this beautiful region of Italy would likely be buried again.
And about the date, AD 79 …?
You might wonder what those letters “AD” stand for.
Today, most of the world uses a calendar that divides history into two big time periods — the time before Jesus Christ was born and the time after. The time before “year zero” is known as BC, which stands for “before Christ.” The time after is known as AD. Many people believe that stands for “after death” — because that would make sense. But AD is actually an abbreviation for the Latin words Anno Domini, which mean “in the year of our Lord,” indicating the time after Jesus was born. These terms came into use as Christianity spread across many parts of the world. Nowadays, you might see the terms BCE and CE used instead, which mean “Before the Common (or Current) Era” and “in the Common Era.”
My bookshelf is now groaning under the weight of dozens of amazing books about ancient Rome, Pompeii, gladiators, and volcanoes. Here are some of the books I discovered for readers your age.
Ashen Sky: The Letters of Pliny the Younger on the Eruption of Vesuvius, by Pliny, illustrated by Barry Moser
Pliny the Younger was a seventeen-year-old boy when he witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Years later, he described what he saw in two letters, which are the only eyewitness accounts we have of that eruption.
Bodies in the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii, by James M. Deem
Lots of great info about the disaster and the rediscovery of Pompeii.
Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives, by Elizabeth Rusch, photographs by Tom Uhlman
A thrilling look at some of today’s most dangerous volcanoes, and the men and women who study them.
The Buried City of Pompeii, by Shelley Tanaka
An amazing book about Pompeii and the AD 79 eruption, with beautiful illustrations and photographs, and a glimpse into the lives of people who might have lived in the city.
The Secrets of Vesuvius, by Sara C. Bisel
An archeologist shares her experience studying skeletons found in Herculaneum, the town also buried by Vesuvius.
PHOTO BY DAVID DREYFUSS
Lauren Tarshis is the editor of Scholastic’s Storyworks magazine and group editorial director for language arts for Scholastic classroom magazines, in addition to being the author of the I Survived series and the critically acclaimed novels Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. She lives in Westport, Connecticut, and can be found online at www.laurentarshis.com.
Text copyright © 2014 by Lauren Tarshis
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First printing, September 2014
Cover art by Steve Stone
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
e-ISBN 978-0-545-66286-4
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