Category: Herculaneum
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Pliny the Elder: Eyewitness to the fury of Vesuvius
A Plinian eruption is the name given to any volcanic eruption of the ferocity of the one which destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii in 79AD, and which subsequently cost Pliny his life. He, his sister and nephew (Pliny the Younger) were living in a villa in Misenum, across the Bay of Naples from Mount Vesuvius at…
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Herculaneum’s Villa of the Papyri
The Villa of the Papyri is the name given to a private house that was uncovered in the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum. This town, along with nearby city of Pompeii, is perhaps best remembered for its destruction during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Because of this natural disaster, most, if not…
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AI reads ancient scroll burned by Vesuvius
US Military photograph of the 1944 eruption This article was written by Ian Sample the Science Editor, published in the Guardian newspaper on Thursday 12 Oct 2023 The University of Kentucky challenged computer scientists to reveal contents of carbonised papyrus, a ‘potential treasure trove for historians’. When the blast from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius…