How do we know what happened?
We know what happened in Pompeii by using a range of primary sources that have been discovered since the event as evidence of the events. A primary source is a document or an object which was written or created during the period being studied. A number of primary sources that have been discovered give us an idea of what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum during the time of the eruption. These pieces of evidence also give us an idea of what daily life was like for the Romans around 79AD. Primary sources that have been found from Pompeii and Herculaneum include buildings such as the baths, the amphitheatre, houses, brothels, temples and the forum, and others include artwork, statues, jewellery, pottery, cooking equipment and Pliny's letters.
Analyse relevant primary source material:
The main primary source that we have from the Mt Vesuvius eruption is Pliny’s letters. Pliny the Younger was a 17 year old boy at the time of the eruption, who was educated by his uncle Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Younger's full name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus and he wrote two letters to historian Tacitus with the purpose of his letters being to describe his uncle Pliny the Elder's death. The letters give a first hand description of the eruption and are one of the main primary sources used when studying the eruption.
We know what happened in Pompeii by using a range of primary sources that have been discovered since the event as evidence of the events. A primary source is a document or an object which was written or created during the period being studied. A number of primary sources that have been discovered give us an idea of what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum during the time of the eruption. These pieces of evidence also give us an idea of what daily life was like for the Romans around 79AD. Primary sources that have been found from Pompeii and Herculaneum include buildings such as the baths, the amphitheatre, houses, brothels, temples and the forum, and others include artwork, statues, jewellery, pottery, cooking equipment and Pliny's letters.
Analyse relevant primary source material:
The main primary source that we have from the Mt Vesuvius eruption is Pliny’s letters. Pliny the Younger was a 17 year old boy at the time of the eruption, who was educated by his uncle Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Younger's full name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus and he wrote two letters to historian Tacitus with the purpose of his letters being to describe his uncle Pliny the Elder's death. The letters give a first hand description of the eruption and are one of the main primary sources used when studying the eruption.
What does it tell us?
The first of Pliny’s letters was written to describe his uncles death and to describe the eruption over the 24 hours. The letter tells the conditions Pliny the Elder had to face when attempting to rescue which include darkness, ash covering everything, debris and pumice stones falling from the sky, smoke making it difficult to breath, and large rocks that had been burnt by fires. "Ash was falling onto the ships now, darker and denser the closer they went. Now it was bits of pumice, and rocks that were blackened and burned and shattered by the fire. Now the sea is shoal; debris from the mountain blocks the shore." Pliny’s letters also describe how people were begging for a way to escape, and how they decided to use pillows on top of their head to cover themselves from the falling rocks. "He launched the quadriremes and embarked himself, a source of aid for more people than just Rectina, for that delightful shore was a populous one." and "They tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock." Pliny described that the sea was covered by debris from the mountain, enough to make his uncle think about turning back instead of continuing through the turmoil. He described the darkness being darker than night, and that the air was so full of dust it obstructed his breathing, meaning Pliny the Elder died most likely due to smoke inhalation leading to respiratory failure.
The second letter tells us that Pliny had been experiencing shaking and tremors for a few days prior to the eruption in Campania, which was not cause for panic as it was a regular occurrence. It did however start to cause panic when the eruptions grew much stronger. He then goes on to say that the next morning after attempting to act as if it were a normal night, the day began “with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn” suggesting it was filled with thick smoke and ash. Pliny then writes that him and his mother were hesitant to follow their friend from Spain to safety, however they soon followed him after he scolded them for not getting themselves away from the danger. Pliny described the darkness as "not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms." He said that after the worst of the eruption was over and daylight slowly returned, "The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow."
How does it relate to our modern knowledge of volcanic eruptions?
Pliny’s letters relate to our modern knowledge of volcanic eruptions firstly by giving us a new name for a type of eruption called a Plinian Eruption. This is the name for a volcanic eruption marked by their similarity to the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. In his letter, Pliny described the eruption as "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." Pliny was very smart for his time, and from his letters we can see that he had a very modern way of thinking. We can relate his letters and our modern knowledge of volcanos by noticing that what he talks about in the letters to Tacitus is very similar to what we know about volcanoes today, although we now have a deeper understanding of them, as would be expected.
What limitations do we have to consider when using primary source evidence?
Whenever we use primary source material, such as Pliny's letters, we must acknowledge that there are limitations that could effect our understanding of the event. For example, when Pliny wrote the letters to Tacitus, it was approximately 25 years after the eruption. This means his memory of the event could be altered and some aspects of the letter could be untrue. Also, it was his intention by writing the letters to glorify his uncles death, and he wanted his uncle to be remembered as a hero. Although some of his knowledge about his uncle in Pompeii comes from other sources like Pomponianus, his letters are mostly from his perspective which means his retelling of the story most likely has a bias.
There are limitations on most primary sources which can also alter our knowledge of past events. For example, artworks or buildings could be incomplete (this is the case in many primary sources from Pompeii and Herculaneum), authors of documents may not be alive meaning there is no way to verify their writings, and documents may not consider other views or perspectives on the same event.
The first of Pliny’s letters was written to describe his uncles death and to describe the eruption over the 24 hours. The letter tells the conditions Pliny the Elder had to face when attempting to rescue which include darkness, ash covering everything, debris and pumice stones falling from the sky, smoke making it difficult to breath, and large rocks that had been burnt by fires. "Ash was falling onto the ships now, darker and denser the closer they went. Now it was bits of pumice, and rocks that were blackened and burned and shattered by the fire. Now the sea is shoal; debris from the mountain blocks the shore." Pliny’s letters also describe how people were begging for a way to escape, and how they decided to use pillows on top of their head to cover themselves from the falling rocks. "He launched the quadriremes and embarked himself, a source of aid for more people than just Rectina, for that delightful shore was a populous one." and "They tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock." Pliny described that the sea was covered by debris from the mountain, enough to make his uncle think about turning back instead of continuing through the turmoil. He described the darkness being darker than night, and that the air was so full of dust it obstructed his breathing, meaning Pliny the Elder died most likely due to smoke inhalation leading to respiratory failure.
The second letter tells us that Pliny had been experiencing shaking and tremors for a few days prior to the eruption in Campania, which was not cause for panic as it was a regular occurrence. It did however start to cause panic when the eruptions grew much stronger. He then goes on to say that the next morning after attempting to act as if it were a normal night, the day began “with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn” suggesting it was filled with thick smoke and ash. Pliny then writes that him and his mother were hesitant to follow their friend from Spain to safety, however they soon followed him after he scolded them for not getting themselves away from the danger. Pliny described the darkness as "not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms." He said that after the worst of the eruption was over and daylight slowly returned, "The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow."
How does it relate to our modern knowledge of volcanic eruptions?
Pliny’s letters relate to our modern knowledge of volcanic eruptions firstly by giving us a new name for a type of eruption called a Plinian Eruption. This is the name for a volcanic eruption marked by their similarity to the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. In his letter, Pliny described the eruption as "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." Pliny was very smart for his time, and from his letters we can see that he had a very modern way of thinking. We can relate his letters and our modern knowledge of volcanos by noticing that what he talks about in the letters to Tacitus is very similar to what we know about volcanoes today, although we now have a deeper understanding of them, as would be expected.
What limitations do we have to consider when using primary source evidence?
Whenever we use primary source material, such as Pliny's letters, we must acknowledge that there are limitations that could effect our understanding of the event. For example, when Pliny wrote the letters to Tacitus, it was approximately 25 years after the eruption. This means his memory of the event could be altered and some aspects of the letter could be untrue. Also, it was his intention by writing the letters to glorify his uncles death, and he wanted his uncle to be remembered as a hero. Although some of his knowledge about his uncle in Pompeii comes from other sources like Pomponianus, his letters are mostly from his perspective which means his retelling of the story most likely has a bias.
There are limitations on most primary sources which can also alter our knowledge of past events. For example, artworks or buildings could be incomplete (this is the case in many primary sources from Pompeii and Herculaneum), authors of documents may not be alive meaning there is no way to verify their writings, and documents may not consider other views or perspectives on the same event.