Pliny of Ancient Rome

On August 24, AD 79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, spewing out clouds of steam, poisonous gas and ash.  The town of Pompeii was covered with a layer of ash and mud 13 feet deep,

Pliny the Younger was 17 years old when it happened.  He was staying with his mother and uncle on the other side of the Bay of Naples.  Early in the afternoon his mother saw a huge, dirty cloud across the bay.  Then a sailor arrived, saying that villagers were trapped by lava pouring out of the volcano.  Pliny’s uncle was commander of the Roman fleet.  He set sail across the bay to save the villagers.

But, like many others, he was choked to death by poisonous gases.  The next day an earthquake forced Pliny and his mother to leave the coast.  They hurried inland, followed by a terrified crowd.  Many people believed that these events were the end of the word.

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