Tragedy for Pompeii: Triumph for Archaeology
Author(s): Piper Taylor Grandjean
Year: 1997
Summary
In A.D. 79, early one afternoon in August, a volcano to the north of the Roman city of Pompeii began an eruption that continued through the night. When the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was finished, more than 20,000 people had been killed, and entire cities were lost (Time-Life Books 1992:10). Although this tragedy cost the lives of many people, through the archaeological record we can recover valuable information about the civilization and appreciate how these people lived. In this essay, I am going to describe the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the tragedy of the volcanic eruption. I will also explain how archaeologists have worked to enlarge our understanding of Roman culture through their excavations at Pompeii. Finally I will discuss ways in which Pompeii’s tragedy has proven a triumph for the study of history.
Cite this Record
Tragedy for Pompeii: Triumph for Archaeology. Piper Taylor Grandjean. The Wyoming Archaeologist. 41 (1): 23-27. 1997 ( tDAR id: 476562) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8476562
Keywords
Material
Building Materials
•
Ceramic
Site Name
Herculaneum
•
Pompeii
General
Roman
•
Vesuvius
•
Volcanic Eruption
Geographic Keywords
ITALY
Temporal Keywords
Late Archaic
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Marcia Peterson
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997_41_1_Grandjean.pdf | 579.09kb | Jul 20, 2023 2:08:42 PM | Public |