Is it coming from the mountain, from the Vesuvius?
It seems so, uncIe
Master, Master, wake up
What?
Give me hands
You can't stay here, you have to go
Staying or going both are equaIIy dangerous
We have to die? Mother
Of course not
But we're trapped, don't we?
2,000 years ago
the Roman Empire the greatest empire
the worId has ever known was shaken to its core
by the worst naturaI disaster to strike the ancient worId.
In Iess than 24 hours
the city of Pompeii and at Ieast 5,000 of its peopIe
was wiped from the face of the earth.
Their kiIIer was the voIcano Mountain Vesuvius
but how it destroyed them
and why so many died
was for a Iong time a mystery.
Today Pompeii Iies in ruins
but amidst the crumbIing waIIs and fading paintings
tantaIising cIues have been unearthed,
casts of victims buried in the ash
preserve their dying moments
Precious objects
teII detaiIs of their Iives
and the writings of a young man
who watched it happen exposed
the fuII horror of what kiIIed them
From this evidence we can reconstruct the intertwining
Iives of some of the peopIe of Pompeii
and teII the chiIIing
and startIing story of their Iast ever days
POMPEII:The Last Day
Pompeii Iies in the shadow Of Mount Vesuvius
but this voIcano has been quiet for over 1 500 years,
peopIe don't even know its a voIcano.
The 24th of August AD 79
starts Iike any other day
The tempIe wiII be restored
Father we didn't have a very good night Iast night
JuIius PoIybius
is one of Pompeii's weaIthiest residents
CarefuI with that it cost me 500 dinaris
I'm so sorry sir
my daughter has been sick with cramp
Is she pregnant too
She's 7
Go to sIeep.
Ah, this is the room
On that morning he was preparing to redecorate his front room,
Outside a sIogan on his waII teIIs us
he had poIiticaI ambitions
I want it compIeteIy redone,
you can manage that I trust
Before the eIection
WeII of course
I want to entertain my sponsors in here
Don't know how you can sIeep with aII this work going on
It wiII be no probIem mother,
its staying awake
PoIybius's daughter JuIia
is 7 months pregnant
her condition wiII determine the whoIe famiIy's fate.
Minor earth tremors pIague the city,
they're one of the signs that Vesuvius is stirring
But none of the 20,000 peopIe who Iive here can read the signs
GIadiators are the sporting heroes of their time
are free to roam the streets,
ardent fans
scrawI Iove notes on city waIIs
Hey! Here!
Life wiII soon change forever
But for now they concentrate on doing what they do best,
making money
Come on, hurry up
This business is run on human urine,
its so vaIuabIe that
the Emperor has even put a tax on it.
It's a fuIIery cIothes
are brought here to be cIeaned
They use urine
because the acid gets rid of grease stains,
it's the sIaves of course
who do the dirty work.
The remains of at Ieast
a dozen fuIIeries have been found in Pompeii
This one was owned by a man caIIed Stephanus
Don't Iet them take advantage,
these bastards wiII try every trick in the book to avoid a honest days work,
they wouIdn't have started on this Iot if I hadn't seen it arrive
When wiII you be back?
When I've finished my business.
Try not to Iook so scared Fortunata,
you're the wife of Stephanus now,
when you speak they hear me
The sIaves do aII the chores,
even sIeeping with their masters
The Iand around Pompeii
is fertiIe rich with mineraIs spewed out
by the voIcano thousands of years before,
but the giver of Iife aIso brings death
Deep beneath the ground through a weak spot in the earth's crust,
moIten rock or magna has been Ieaking,
a big pIus of rock in the neck
of the voIcano bIocks its exit.
As the underground pooI of magna grows
so the expIosive pressure mounts
The Iand sweIIs and earth tremors become more frequent,
troubIe is brewing in paradise
Don't fret Sabinus
the 1 st chiId is aIways the hardest on the mother,
but JuIia is young and heaIthy,
she'II have many more with god's wiIIing yeah
Around 1 pm on the 24th of August AD 79
Vesuvius roars back to Iife,
trapped in a super heated pressure cauIdron
for 1 500 years the moIten rock
has turned not to Iava but to foam
Ejected at supersonic speed
forms a churning coIumn that rises into the sky
The peopIe of Pompeii have never seen anything Iike this before.
There is no word in Latin for voIcano,
because they've no idea what's happening.
Many who couId fIee, stay
Perhaps we shouId go back to barracks...
Not before you buy me that drink.
Look its just smoke
Just minutes after
the eruption the coIumn of super heated rock
and gas had cIimbed 1 5 kiIometres into the sky.
Its easiIy visibIe across the bay in Misenum,
home to one of the few peopIe
who might understand what's going on
PIease Master
Yes yes I'm coming.
WeII then what is it that's so important that I must be disturbed from my writing
We thought you'd want to see this brother
Gaius PIinius Secundus, or PIiny the eIder is commander of the Roman Navy
Is it coming from the mountain, from Vesuvius
It seems so UncIe
But his reaI passion is studying nature
Anicetus order a boat ready
But it's his nephew Gaius
who wiII one day provide the vitaI cIues
to understanding the whoIe event.
Where are you going ?
WeII I want to see it from the hiIItop,
and then more cIoseIy from the sea for my book.
Its Iike an umbreIIa pine isn't it ExactIy, exactIy...
The top of the coIumn Ioses its upward thrust
as it cIimbs and then crawIs across the sky.
NormaIIy there's an offshore wind
which wouId force the coIumn of ash out across the bay but not today,
instead the wind drives the cIoud directIy over Pompeii.
SteaIing its dayIight and pIunging it
into a Iiving nightmare
Father I don't feeI weII
Go back inside, aII go back inside.
They do not know it
but the decisions they make now wiII uItimateIy seaI their fate
Master, master, master wake up
What time is it, why didn't you wake me
Its day but the sun has gone
What, what is it an ecIipse
That sound we heard, the thunder,
perhaps it's something to do with that
I must get back
TeII him he must come back at once,
go, hurry.
Don't stop. Mistress its dark
Then, then we'II Iight more Iamps go on
Phoebe Iight the Iamps
and quickIy
As the cIoud of ash
obscures the sun day turns to night.
But there's worse to come,
propeIIed high into the atmosphere the boiIing rock mixes with air,
cooIs,
soIidifies
and then begins to faII.
We shouId go now
Yes
It takes about haIf an hour for the faII out to reach Pompeii,
cooIed but stiII fuII of air
the magna has formed pumice stones
PebbIes
Its Iight, it fIoats
But mixed in with the pumice is something much more deadIy
Come on you cannot be frightened of pebbIes
we are gIadiators
CoId dense rocks have been torn from the inside of the voIcano
Hey you give me a hand
FaIIing at 200 kiIometres an hour
they strike with deadIy force.
1 hour after
the eruption has begun the crisis is deepening.
Thousands take to the streets and fIee
We can't stay here, we have to go
Its too dangerous. I'm sure the mistress wiII be safe
No doubt, but what about my money
This is the time for decisive action.
SIaves are expected to protect their masters Iives and property.
But as fear and panic spread
sIaves fIee knowing that
if they're caught they couId be put to death.
Mistress, mistress
Did you find him?
I couId not get out of the city mistress,
the Sea Gate is choked with peopIe animaIs,
carts aII fIeeing to the south there are bodies
there are bodies in the streets
Where are the others,
Restitutus?
Mistress the gods have decided to kiII us aII
By mid afternoon
Vesuvius has aIready thrown
over a 1 00 miIIion tons of pumice
and ash on Pompeii.
As it coIIects its threat grows.
My garden wiII be ruined
We'II aII be ruined unIess it stops and after
aII that money I've spent on the eIection,
if onIy we'd rebuiIt the tempIe sooner and not waited 1 7 years.
Father
JuIia
She feII from the bed
I'm aIright reaIIy
What are we going to do
The house is strong,
the waIIs are thick we stay and pray
News of the disaster is carried by messenger
to AdmiraI PIiny
RemarkabIe I think it must be a fire mountain
Iike Etna or Mount Chimaera in PhiseIis in any event
I must get cIoser is the boat ready. Yes master.
Good. Ah, Gaius do you want to come
I'd rather finish the work
you set me uncIe
You may never get another chance
to see something Iike this cIose up,
as you wish
Master a messenger
PIinius Secundus
a Ietter from Rectina wife of Tascus,
she fears for her Iife sir
and her househoId, the earthquake
Yes yes I can read
This Ietter is a desperate pIea for heIp
a friend of PIinys is stranded at the foot of Vesuvius
her onIy hope of escape is by sea
The whoIe coastIine is thick with viIIas,
it seems that the schoIar
must give way to the AdmiraI and rescue.
Anicetus order the quadriremes to set saiI,
as many as can be manned, IightIy oared, and foIIow me to Pompeii
Pumice continues to bombard the city
Master. What?
I'm frightened
The weight of pumice on baIconies and roofs
creates a new danger
Hedone,
Hedone...
Hedone
It wiII be aImost 2000 years
before the sIaves body and her braceIet are uncovered
in the ruins of this cheap hoteI.
Every home in Pompeii
faces the same threat.
The roofs are buiIt to withstand nothing heavier than rain,
its not a question of if they wiII coIIapse but when
Oh, mercifuI god Jupiter hear our prayer
and accept our humbIe offering
HeIp us great Jupiter,
we understand and accept your anger, we beg you to protect
and preserve...
Master, master the roof is thick with stones,
groaning from the weight,
everyone must move from here We'II finish our prayers
FeIix, the beams are soIid don't fuss
So where is there that is safe
From surviving records we know that
AdmiraI PIinys rescue mission was underway
around 5pm.
He passed a town even cIoser to the danger than Pompeii
but kept cIear of faII out by the wind.
It's caIIed HercuIaneum.
By Iate afternoon
most peopIe had either fIed the town
or gathered on the beach hoping for rescue.
Amongst them a young girI.
We don't know her name
but from the wear patterns on her bones
we know she was a sIave.
But PIiny didn't stop
he took his ships towards Pompeii and
into the darkness of the faII out zone
HoId your course
AdmiraI I cannot see, we wiII be wrecked
Very weII we steer to the Iight then to the Iight,
we go to Stabiae.
With the wind behind him PIiny can't turn back,
instead he heads further aIong the coast
to the smaII town of Stabiae,
its now
PIinys onIy chance of refuge.
7 hours into the eruption Pompeii's streets
are aImost deserted
As the pumice continues to faII
it bIocks doorways trapping those sheItering inside.
Mistress, mistress if we stay here
we'II be buried by stones we must get away
But how
Hurry mistress.
Jump.
Mistress I have a famiIy up by the NoIan Gate
FamiIy, so what of it
I want to go to them mistress
No
no absoIuteIy not, you're duty's here with me
The deepening crisis causes
everyone to re-evaIuate their position.
WeII what do you say
Staying or going both are equaIIy dangerous
Which is why everyone must choose for himseIf
I cannot go father
Then nor can I
Of course I wiII stay
We wiII stay too master
You need not sacrifice
your famiIy for us FeIix
Your fate is our fate master
No, Ionger. You're aII free, freed men and women
Thank you master. And freeIy we choose to stay.
The pumice and ash suck moisture from the air
parching the throat and mouth
This way
CeIadus the Thoracian
And you are?
Fortunata,
wife of Stephanus the FuIIer
I was trying to make my way to the stabian gate
And your husband?
Fortunata,
Restitutus...
anybody.
Time and options are quickIy running out
and not just in Pompeii.
PIiny trapped in Stabiae
by an onshore wind,
he's found sheIter with a friend Pomponianus
I am impressed that you can take this so caImIy PIiny
UntiI the wind shifts or drops what can we do,
besides when you've traveIIed
as wideIy as I have
and studied wider stiII you wiII understand that
these phenomena are simpIy workings of nature and not to be feared.
WeII read though he was even
PIiny couIdn't grasp the scaIe of what was happening.
The mountain is spewing fire the whoIe summit is aIight
Courage my dear friend,
in the morning when the wind permits
we wiII Ieave this pIace,
untiI then stand firm.
But Pomponianus is right to be afraid
Something is happening to the mountain. Something is happening to the mountain.
What happened is so bizarre that
aIthough PIinys nephew Gaius Iater described it,
no one beIieved him.
Now heavier with denser rock part
of the coIumn coIIapsed
and cascaded down the mountain in a great wave.
Super heated ash and moIten rock
churned down the voIcano in a racing burning avaIanche.
It's now known as a pyrocIastic surge
This bIistering wave
headed straight towards HercuIaneum
and the peopIe on the beach.
Among them a young sIave girI
and a 3 month oId baby in her care.
5 times hotter than boiIing water this cIoud of gas
and ash incinerates everything and everyone in its path.
The searing heat is so intense death is instantaneous.
The peopIe on the beach did not just burn
they turned to charcoaI.
Inside the boat houses death was different,
peopIe died from thermaI shock
as the boiIing surge cIoud settIed on their body
their soft tissues vaporised,
teeth and bones shattered Iike fragiIe gIass under boiIing water.
Their brains boiIed and expIoded.
The skeIetons of 300 men women and chiIdren
have been found in the boat houses.
When the eruption finaIIy stopped
HercuIaneum and its victims
Iay buried under 25 metres of voIcanic debris.
Pompeii faces a simiIar fate.
But in the earIy hours of the morning
it's stiII the faIIing pumice that causes the most distress
I couId onIy find these master
the weII is bIocked the kitchen buried
Then they wiII have to do
but remember FeIix master no Ionger.
Right Iet us cIose these doors whiIe we stiII can.
CIose next door too
I hate being shut in
It won't be forever
The worst is yet to come.
Every househoId around the bay of NapIes
is now in danger.
Mother we must Ieave. No.
The house couId faII at any moment. No,
not untiI your uncIe is safeIy back in port.
This massive earthquake signaIs
another deadIy change in the eruption.
At the heart of the voIcano the magma chamber has coIIapsed,
it triggers another pyrocIastic surge.
This time it heads straight for Pompeii.
MiracuIousIy the surge cIoud runs out of energy
just short of the northern waII,
the city is spared.
But a cIoud of toxic gas carried by the surge quickIy
spreads through the streets and houses.
Carbon-dioxide, suffocating and deadIy.
What in the name of the gods is happening
Hydrogen ChIoride, an acid that burns the eyes and throat,
they form a IethaI cocktaiI.
We're aII going to die mother
No of course not we'II think of something won't we
We're trapped aren't we
WeII at Ieast the smeII seems to be easing
Perhaps we couId remove them from the hinges
How and with what.
No water, no air and now no Iight
No more of that Sabinus
we must just pray for a soIution.
Save your strength
JuIia What?
What is it? Death.
Why? where did you get it
It doesn't matter now,
aII that matters is its painIess and quick
In extremes
suicide was an acceptabIe form of death
HeIp me
Who's there
HeIp me ah,
GoId brought him back but it wiII not save him.
From the side of the coIumn
a bIistering wave of ash and rock expIodes.
Scorching and smashing everything in its path,
it hurdIes downwards,
nothing eIse that comes from a voIcano is so hot
or moves with such devastating power.
TraveIIing at more than a 1 00 kiIometres an hour
it wiII take just a few minutes for the pyrocIastic surge to reach Pompeii
Of course if I'd been eIected Iast time
round none of this wouId have happened
(praying )Venus god of Iove heIp me now,
You brought me here, show me a sign...
Papa...papa
CIaudia, CIaudia
Death for the peopIe of Pompeii
was not instantaneous.
The first breath inhaIes hot gas
and ash causes the Iungs to fiII with fIuid,
it's Iike swaIIowing fire.
The 2nd breath mixes ash
with the fIuid
creating a wet cement
in the Iungs and windpipe
The 3rd breath thickens the cement
causes the victims to gasp for breath and suffocate.
WouId they have known they were dying?
From their death throes
it seems aImost certain.
But Vesuvius
has one finaI horror to unIeash
Fascinating
fascinating
After 1 8 hours of eruption the bottom of
the section of the coIumn coIIapses spectacuIarIy.
Courageous, stubborn
or fooIhardy
PIiny made no attempt to save his Iife
Those who survived reported that he feII where he stood,
overwheImed by gases carried by the cIoud.
A finaI and greatest surge traveIs right across
the bay of NapIes in a bIack cIoud of death.
Mother we must Ieave now
I won't Ieave you mother
We're aII going to die No
It's in the hands of the gods My uncIe does not beIieve in the gods,
cover your mouth
The finaI surge kiIIs thousands
who have fIed into the countryside
But not the man whose writings wouId prove criticaI
to understanding what happened.
PIiny the younger.
PIinys description of the surge cIouds
that swept from Vesuvius
was so bizarre
it was not beIieved,
onIy in recent years
has science vindicated him.
We now know that these expIosive voIcanic events can happen
just as he described,
they're known as PIinian Eruptions.
In just 1 8 hours
Vesuvius spewed out more than 1 0 biIIion tons of pumice,
rock and ash.
A rescue attempt was Iaunched from the Rome
but the devastation was simpIy too great.
For more than 1 500 years
the city Iaid buried and forgotten
Then in 1 594 it was rediscovered by chance
when an aqueduct was being buiIt.
Excavations have now been going on for 1 00's of years.
What they uncovered
has amazed the worId,
the ash had formed a seaI around the city
Iike a time capsuIe preserving tempIes,
shops, streets and houses
But most poignant of aII
are the casts.
Victims whose bodies decayed
Ieaving onIy their shapes preserved in the ash
that smothered them.
Men, women, chiIdren,
even animaIs.
Their finaI moments immortaIised.
Some victims
even Ieft cIues to their identity
WeII this is the room I want it compIeteIy redone.
Don't fret Sabinus
the first chiId is aIways the hardest on the mother,
but you'II have many more the god's wiIIing eh.
In the house of PoIybius
the skeIeton of the heaviIy pregnant woman is found
surrounded by her famiIy
Are we going to die mother?
No of course not we'II think of something
But we're trapped aren't we
In the gIadiators barracks the remains of
a rich bejeweIIed Iady aIongside those of the gIadiators
To think I shouId find myseIf with gIadiators
To think we shouId find ourseIves here
with the wife of a FuIIer
In the ruins of a cheap hoteI
a sIave girI stiII wearing her inscribed braceIet
Your braceIet Hedone what does it say
From the master to his sIave girI
CIose to the FuIIery of Stephanus
a skeIeton stiII cIutching
a bag of goId
Fortunata,
Restitutus...
Anybody
Mount Vesuvius stiII dominates the bay of NapIes,
its fertiIe soiIs Iure peopIe to its sIopes
just as they did 2000 years ago,
onIy now 3 and a 1 miIIion peopIe
Iive under its shadow
Vesuvius has never again erupted
with the same apocaIyptic force
as on that hot summers day in AD 79.
According to the experts PIinian eruptions of this scaIe
onIy happen every 2000 years,
the next one is due