Pliny's Letters
The events of the Mt Vesuvius eruption would possibly still remain unknown to us if it wasn't for the letters written by Pliny the Younger. Pliny's letters tell of his experience during the eruption, as he stayed in the home of his uncle in Misenum, Pliny the Elder. Pliny's letters were discovered in the 16th century. Pliny was 17 at the time of the eruption, and he wrote the letters 25 years after the event. He wrote the two letters to the historian Cornelius Tacitus, the first of which was describing his uncle's journey to Pompeii, and the second one telling the story of himself and his mother.
Pliny's First Letter:
In the first letter, Pliny describes the cloud of ash Mt Vesuvius produced. "The cloud was rising from a mountain - at such a distance we couldn't tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long "trunk" from which spread some "branches." I imagine it had been raised by a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that its own weight caused it to spread sideways. Some of the cloud was white, in other parts there were dark patches of dirt and ash. The sight of it made the scientist in my uncle determined to see it from closer at hand." Pliny recounts the cloud as reminding him of a 'pine tree' that was 'spreading sideways'. This helps us to imagine what it would have looked like, and also provides knowledge of why Pompeii received most of the damage, despite Herculaneum being closer to the volcano. This excerpt also tells us that his uncle, Pliny the Elder, was extremely intrigued by the situation at hand, and wanted to have a closer look. This also shows that at that time, knowledge of volcanoes was nonexistent.
"In order to lessen the other's fear by showing his own unconcern he asked to be taken to the baths. He bathed and dined, carefree or at least appearing so (which is equally impressive). Meanwhile, broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night. To alleviate people's fears my uncle claimed that the flames came from the deserted homes of farmers who had left in a panic with the hearth fires still alight." Pliny describes his uncle as being relatively unconcerned about the looming danger, but whether he was, or if he was simply trying to reassure the scared residents is unknown. However, from this excerpt, the lack of volcanic knowledge is again reinforced. On his way to the house of Pomponianus in Stabiae, Pliny the Elder faced many obstacles, such as the darkness created by the ash, falling pumice and the rough sea - but he seemingly lacked fear when he reached the bay. However, Pompanianus convinced Pliny the Elder to leave the house, as the tremors became stronger and they feared the building would collapse.
"They tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock. It was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night. But they had torches and other lights. They decided to go down to the shore, to see from close up if anything was possible by sea. But it remained as rough and uncooperative as before. Resting in the shade of a sail he drank once or twice from the cold water he had asked for. Then came an smell of sulfur, announcing the flames, and the flames themselves, sending others into flight but reviving him. Supported by two small slaves he stood up, and immediately collapsed. As I understand it, his breathing was obstructed by the dust-laden air, and his innards, which were never strong and often blocked or upset, simply shut down. When daylight came again 2 days after he died, his body was found untouched, unharmed, in the clothing that he had had on. He looked more asleep than dead." This passage describes how they fought against the wrath of Vesuvius. Pliny the Elder and his companions used pillows as protection against the falling pumice, and used their torches as means of light, since the cloud of ash had now obscured all light. Despite Pliny the Elder's efforts, he didn't survive the eruption; Pliny the Younger describing his death as if he had inhaled smoke, therefore stopping his breathing and killing him. It is believed that Pompanianus survived, thus providing Pliny the Younger with these details.
Pliny's Second Letter:
The second letter describes Pliny's own activities during the eruption. Pliny's uncle had invited him to go to Pompeii with him, however Pliny the Younger declined, as he would rather study. Despite the disaster happening just across the bay, Pliny and his mother went about their day as if it was normal. He had a bath, ate dinner, and then went to read, while his mother rested. "Up comes a friend of my uncle's, recently arrived from Spain. When he sees my mother and me sitting there, and me even reading a book, he scolds her for her calm and me for my lack of concern. But I kept on with my book." This excerpt tells us that Pliny the Elder's friend was extremely worried about the events happening at Pompeii, and was annoyed with Pliny and his mother for not feeling the same. Eventually, some of their friend's worries reaches them, and they fear that the buildings surrounding them will soon collapse. Because of this, they begin to leave with the masses of other people also fleeing Misenum.
"The carts that we had ordered brought were moving in opposite directions, though the ground was perfectly flat, and they wouldn't stay in place even with their wheels blocked by stones. In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea creatures were left on dry sand. Behind us were frightening dark clouds, rent by lightning twisted and hurled, opening to reveal huge figures of flame. These were like lightning, but bigger." This excerpt shows the telltale signs of an earthquake, leading up to a tsunami. The dark clouds refers to the ash from the eruption. Despite these obvious dangers, Pliny and his mother are still reluctant to escape, as they do not want to leave without Pliny the Elder. Their Spanish friend continues to urge them to go, but they refuse, and he gives up trying to persuade them, leaving them behind. This jolted Pliny and his mother, and they rethink their decision. "My mother began to beg and urge and order me to flee however I might, saying that a young man could make it, that she, weighed down in years and body, would die happy if she escaped being the cause of my death. I replied that I wouldn't save myself without her, and then I took her hand and made her walk a little faster. She obeyed with difficulty, and blamed herself for delaying me."
"We had scarcely sat down when a darkness came that was not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms. You could hear women lamenting, children crying, men shouting. Some were calling for parents, others for children or spouses; they could only recognize them by their voices." Pliny describes the terror that had befallen the Bay of Naples. The cloud of ash enveloped the whole bay, plunging it into pitch black darkness, and people who had previously tried to remain composed let fear take over them. Some prayed for death, some prayed to the Gods, and some cursed the Gods for presenting them with this horror.
"It grew lighter, though that seemed not a return of day, but a sign that the fire was approaching. The fire itself actually stopped some distance away, but darkness and ashes came again, a great weight of them. We stood up and shook the ash off again and again, otherwise we would have been covered with it and crushed by the weight." Here what Pliny is seeing would have been the pyroclastic surge that obliterated Pompeii. This passage reinforces the power and strength of the eruption, as the ash devastated Miseum despite it being over the bay from Mt Vesuvius.
The end of the event is described in this passage, when daylight was once again a reality. "At last the cloud thinned out and dwindled to no more than smoke or fog. Soon there was real daylight. The sun was even shining, though with the lurid glow it has after an eclipse. The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow. We returned to Misenum and took care of our bodily needs, but spent the night dangling between hope and fear. Fear was the stronger, for the earth was still quaking and a number of people who had gone mad were mocking the evils that had happened to them and others with terrifying prognostications." The tremors continued on for a while longer, increasing the fear in those who survived the eruption, and for the next few hours they proceeded about their lives with extreme caution.
Pliny's letters have been incredibly valuable, providing knowledge, historically, of the 79 AD eruption, and also geographically expanding knowledge of volcanoes. Eruptions likewise to the Mt Vesuvius one are known as 'Plinian Eruptions', and because of Pliny's letters, scientists now know what to look for to predict these eruptions in the future. However, there are limitations to these letters that must be considered. Since Pliny wrote the letters 25 years after the event, it is probable that he had forgotten important parts of his story, or that the memory of the event has been altered slightly. However, the information in these letters have been extremely important to shaping the knowledge scientists and historians have today.
SOURCES:
Pliny the Younger's letters
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm
Pliny's First Letter:
In the first letter, Pliny describes the cloud of ash Mt Vesuvius produced. "The cloud was rising from a mountain - at such a distance we couldn't tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long "trunk" from which spread some "branches." I imagine it had been raised by a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that its own weight caused it to spread sideways. Some of the cloud was white, in other parts there were dark patches of dirt and ash. The sight of it made the scientist in my uncle determined to see it from closer at hand." Pliny recounts the cloud as reminding him of a 'pine tree' that was 'spreading sideways'. This helps us to imagine what it would have looked like, and also provides knowledge of why Pompeii received most of the damage, despite Herculaneum being closer to the volcano. This excerpt also tells us that his uncle, Pliny the Elder, was extremely intrigued by the situation at hand, and wanted to have a closer look. This also shows that at that time, knowledge of volcanoes was nonexistent.
"In order to lessen the other's fear by showing his own unconcern he asked to be taken to the baths. He bathed and dined, carefree or at least appearing so (which is equally impressive). Meanwhile, broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night. To alleviate people's fears my uncle claimed that the flames came from the deserted homes of farmers who had left in a panic with the hearth fires still alight." Pliny describes his uncle as being relatively unconcerned about the looming danger, but whether he was, or if he was simply trying to reassure the scared residents is unknown. However, from this excerpt, the lack of volcanic knowledge is again reinforced. On his way to the house of Pomponianus in Stabiae, Pliny the Elder faced many obstacles, such as the darkness created by the ash, falling pumice and the rough sea - but he seemingly lacked fear when he reached the bay. However, Pompanianus convinced Pliny the Elder to leave the house, as the tremors became stronger and they feared the building would collapse.
"They tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock. It was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night. But they had torches and other lights. They decided to go down to the shore, to see from close up if anything was possible by sea. But it remained as rough and uncooperative as before. Resting in the shade of a sail he drank once or twice from the cold water he had asked for. Then came an smell of sulfur, announcing the flames, and the flames themselves, sending others into flight but reviving him. Supported by two small slaves he stood up, and immediately collapsed. As I understand it, his breathing was obstructed by the dust-laden air, and his innards, which were never strong and often blocked or upset, simply shut down. When daylight came again 2 days after he died, his body was found untouched, unharmed, in the clothing that he had had on. He looked more asleep than dead." This passage describes how they fought against the wrath of Vesuvius. Pliny the Elder and his companions used pillows as protection against the falling pumice, and used their torches as means of light, since the cloud of ash had now obscured all light. Despite Pliny the Elder's efforts, he didn't survive the eruption; Pliny the Younger describing his death as if he had inhaled smoke, therefore stopping his breathing and killing him. It is believed that Pompanianus survived, thus providing Pliny the Younger with these details.
Pliny's Second Letter:
The second letter describes Pliny's own activities during the eruption. Pliny's uncle had invited him to go to Pompeii with him, however Pliny the Younger declined, as he would rather study. Despite the disaster happening just across the bay, Pliny and his mother went about their day as if it was normal. He had a bath, ate dinner, and then went to read, while his mother rested. "Up comes a friend of my uncle's, recently arrived from Spain. When he sees my mother and me sitting there, and me even reading a book, he scolds her for her calm and me for my lack of concern. But I kept on with my book." This excerpt tells us that Pliny the Elder's friend was extremely worried about the events happening at Pompeii, and was annoyed with Pliny and his mother for not feeling the same. Eventually, some of their friend's worries reaches them, and they fear that the buildings surrounding them will soon collapse. Because of this, they begin to leave with the masses of other people also fleeing Misenum.
"The carts that we had ordered brought were moving in opposite directions, though the ground was perfectly flat, and they wouldn't stay in place even with their wheels blocked by stones. In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea creatures were left on dry sand. Behind us were frightening dark clouds, rent by lightning twisted and hurled, opening to reveal huge figures of flame. These were like lightning, but bigger." This excerpt shows the telltale signs of an earthquake, leading up to a tsunami. The dark clouds refers to the ash from the eruption. Despite these obvious dangers, Pliny and his mother are still reluctant to escape, as they do not want to leave without Pliny the Elder. Their Spanish friend continues to urge them to go, but they refuse, and he gives up trying to persuade them, leaving them behind. This jolted Pliny and his mother, and they rethink their decision. "My mother began to beg and urge and order me to flee however I might, saying that a young man could make it, that she, weighed down in years and body, would die happy if she escaped being the cause of my death. I replied that I wouldn't save myself without her, and then I took her hand and made her walk a little faster. She obeyed with difficulty, and blamed herself for delaying me."
"We had scarcely sat down when a darkness came that was not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms. You could hear women lamenting, children crying, men shouting. Some were calling for parents, others for children or spouses; they could only recognize them by their voices." Pliny describes the terror that had befallen the Bay of Naples. The cloud of ash enveloped the whole bay, plunging it into pitch black darkness, and people who had previously tried to remain composed let fear take over them. Some prayed for death, some prayed to the Gods, and some cursed the Gods for presenting them with this horror.
"It grew lighter, though that seemed not a return of day, but a sign that the fire was approaching. The fire itself actually stopped some distance away, but darkness and ashes came again, a great weight of them. We stood up and shook the ash off again and again, otherwise we would have been covered with it and crushed by the weight." Here what Pliny is seeing would have been the pyroclastic surge that obliterated Pompeii. This passage reinforces the power and strength of the eruption, as the ash devastated Miseum despite it being over the bay from Mt Vesuvius.
The end of the event is described in this passage, when daylight was once again a reality. "At last the cloud thinned out and dwindled to no more than smoke or fog. Soon there was real daylight. The sun was even shining, though with the lurid glow it has after an eclipse. The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow. We returned to Misenum and took care of our bodily needs, but spent the night dangling between hope and fear. Fear was the stronger, for the earth was still quaking and a number of people who had gone mad were mocking the evils that had happened to them and others with terrifying prognostications." The tremors continued on for a while longer, increasing the fear in those who survived the eruption, and for the next few hours they proceeded about their lives with extreme caution.
Pliny's letters have been incredibly valuable, providing knowledge, historically, of the 79 AD eruption, and also geographically expanding knowledge of volcanoes. Eruptions likewise to the Mt Vesuvius one are known as 'Plinian Eruptions', and because of Pliny's letters, scientists now know what to look for to predict these eruptions in the future. However, there are limitations to these letters that must be considered. Since Pliny wrote the letters 25 years after the event, it is probable that he had forgotten important parts of his story, or that the memory of the event has been altered slightly. However, the information in these letters have been extremely important to shaping the knowledge scientists and historians have today.
SOURCES:
Pliny the Younger's letters
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm