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The last days of Pompeii - Tourists

The Last days of Pompeii - article from "The Archaeological Journal", vol. 215, Sept.2045.

 

 

"On August 20, A.D. 2007, Pompeii was rocked by earth tremors.

The Pompeians were all looking at a soccer TV event (named "Trofeo Birra Moretti") involving their favourite team "Naples" and they did not recognize that these were signs of the imminent eruption of Vesuvius, as catastrophic as the one occurred in 79 a.c.

Therefore when the volcano went off between noon and 1pm on August 25, it caught everyone by surprise. According to TV news programs of that time, a 12-mile high cloud of ash and rock

was thrown into the air, blocking out the sun. By chance, the wind was blowing from the northwest, so when the volcanic matter began to fall, it was blown in the direction of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and other sites to the southeast. The eruption produced total darkness, as well as electrical discharges from atmospheric disturbances.

Ash, pumice, and rock fell, initially with a low density. This piled up in streets, on rooftops, and fell in through every open space such as windows.

In the fateful year of 79 AD, Pompeii was sadly buried under the stones and ash when the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted and after much looting, Pompeii was soon forgotten.

 

In the following weeks the lava magma turned into solidified rock and Pompeii layed buried until 12 feet of volcanic ash and debris for the next 30 years , until the ruins were discovered by a young Italian Architect named Paolo Casalis and his team of historians and archeologists.

His detailed excavations started in 2037 and a wealth of Pompeii history was soon dug up.

The major attention was given to the beutiful frescoes found in private houses and public spaces.

These frescoes depict scenes of the life and society of ancient Italy, and constitute valuable historical testimonials of the beginning of the 21th century.

Every fresco has been detached from the walls and transferred to wooden panels, so that now we can admire them in the world's best museums."

 

our correspondent - Naples - Monday, Sept. 14, 2045

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Uploaded on January 2, 2008
Taken on January 2, 2008