Vesuvius, beyond Pompeii
Vesuvio (current Italy), c. 24 August 79. The strong eruption of the volcano destroyed Pompeii and Herculan, and the ashes preserved for centuries one of the most important deposits of the Roman era. Therefore, Vesuvius is better known for his relationship with Pompeii. But one of the most active and violent volcanoes in Europe has a broad history before and after the destruction of Pompeii. Today it is considered the most dangerous volcano in the world, as three million people live around the bay of Naples.
In the area where the African tectonic plate and Eurasian plaque converge, volcanic activity began some 400,000 years ago and the volcano was formed some 25,000 years ago. We know that 18,000, 16,000 and 11,000 years ago there were Plinian eruptions. And it was one of the most violent eruptions that Europe has known 3,800 years ago. It destroyed several villages of the Bronze Age. But in 2006 archaeologists found numerous remains of abandoned humans and animals, and only three remains of dead bodies; unlike nearly 2,000 years later, on this occasion most of the population managed to flee.
The fertile volcanic lands of the fertile slopes of Vesuvius have drawn the population, as the eruptions have ruined, when the volcano sleeps.
It also exploded in the years 472 and 512. And the 1631 was like the eruption that destroyed Pompeii: the pyroclastic flow reached fifteen kilometers from the crater and the gigantic cloud of ashes covered, among other things, the sky of Constantinople. The 19th century was particularly active, as the volcano exploded eight times.
In 1943, again on 24 August, there was the second destruction of Pompeii, but this cannot be attributed to the volcano; American and English planes then launched the Vesuvius, with 190 bombs of 400 kilos each at the site. The following year, in 1944, the volcano resumed its activity and destroyed part of the population of San Sebastian. And this has been the last Vesuvius eruption, at the moment.
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