The vibrant life evoked by these images stands in stark contrast to the remains of homes and humans found in Pompeii’s urban center.  On that terrible day, tens of thousands of Pompeians went about their business in shops that sold glassware, pottery, wine, produce, fish, and cloth.  The streets echoed with the voices of farmers, carpenters, cleaners, boat builders, and gamblers. And now, excavations tell a grim story of attempted escapes during the nineteen hours of constant assault from nearby Vesuvius.

In the midst of the first rain of volcanic material, probably during the afternoon, at least some number of the inhabitants decided to flee as they realized that the eruption and seismic shocks were not diminishing.  But they were met with many obstacles: darkness caused by the dense cloud of eruptive matter emitted by the volcano, difficulty in breathing the ash-filled air, and a continuous rain of pumice and lapilli that blocked their way.  Refugees ran in different ways; some Pompeians sought refuge in Moregine.  Others went in the direction of the territory of Nuceria.  And still others fled to the seaport in the present location of Bottaio.  But there, like those who had fled from the other towns in Vesuvius’ path, they realized that escape by sea was futile.


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