Societas Via Romana - Discussion Archives

Salvete

With the aftermath of the tsunamis from last week, some people have lost their faith because of what happened there. How tragic and horrible those events were, people still look up to the skies for answers why this happened and why than. I think what those events thaught us is that we are not invincible as we thaught, because nature is a force a hell alot more powerful than any human force. I was wondering how Romans saw natural disasters like the vulcanic eruption of mnt Vesuvius in 79 A.D. How devastating and deadily it was, I wondered what people thaught of these things when it happened? Do we have any records of this?
valete

Quintus

Salve Orce,

Concerning the Vesuvian disaster in 79 AD, we have the following sources (click on them to read the text in English translation) :

Most importantly, two letters by Pliny the Younger, an eye-witness :

Pliny Epistle 6.16
Pliny Epistle 6.20

And also later descriptions by Dio Cassius and Martialis :

Dio Cassius 66.21-23
Martial Ep. 4.44

I don't know if there are any more sources. The ones I mentioned come from prof. Cynthia Damon's syllabus concerning Pompei and Herculaneum @ http://www.amherst.edu/~classics/class36/sylcl36.html

Vale,

Atticus

Salve Attice

After reading Pliny's letters and Dio Cassius' letter, only Dio Cassius mentions that some Romans questioned their faith. He did mention that it appeared to the Romans that the Earth was lifted into the sky and the sun disappeared into the Earth. So I suppose there was some hysteria about the whole ordeal, that perhaps they thaught their world was going to end.
With the coming of the pestillence after the ashes were gone, probably didn't do any good either to reassure people that everything was allright although Pompey and Herculaneum were gone.
Natural disasters are already frightening and dangerous enough.
vale

Quintus