In the immediate aftermath of my cursory glance at Pompeii, I had wanted to visit its sister city - Herculaneum. Unfortunately, neither time nor money had afforded me the chance. I returned to Albion's shores and confined Herculaneum to the inner recesses of my mind.
In subsequent years I satisfied my travel curiousity by island hopping across the vast azure stretch the Roman's named mara nostra - the Mediterranean. Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes were principal locations. A blog delineating my adventures in Crete can be found here. However, nothing quite resonated in the same way as that initial trip to Southern Italy.
The tragedy that befell, Pompeii, Herculaneum and two smaller coastal villages is well documented. For the purposes of this blog, I will outline my own account extrapolated from the primary sources. The story, as the Mad Hatter instructed Alice starts at the beginning. Contrary to more orthodox minds, it does not commence on the Italian mainland, but some 1000 miles away in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
In 70 CE, the Roman general Flavius Titus besieged Jerusalem. For 4 long and gruelling years, the Jews had withheld the onslaught of the world's greatest military machine. Despite myriad internal divisions and a lack of strong leadership, they had hoped to redeem Jerusalem and preserve their independence from the pagans. Alas it was not to be. According to the historian Josephus, Titus gave unequivocal instructions to destroy the city, but leave the Temple unmolested. In a moment of zealous fury, the Roman legionaries now drunk with a blood lust paid little heed to their commanders prime directive. The Temple began to burn on the 7th Av. Two days latter it had been reduced to ash. Ever since that fateful event, global Jewry has commemorated the tragedy as a fast day.
As the last embers of revolt were quashed on the fort of Masada, the defeated Jews continued to hope for Divine intervention. Their situation had never been worse. They were forced from their country in a mass dispersion. The choice their Roman overlords gave them was decidedly unpalatable. Either they could embrace death as those last rebels on Masada, or they could persevere in servitude. In the event, 50000 Jews were relocated to Italy. There they were tasked with building monuments. Amongst the constructions was the amphitheatre Flavius, known today, albeit inaccurately, as the Colosseum.
There is anecdotal evidence to support the theory that Jews lived in both Pompeii and Herulaneum. If their masters were in charitable mood they could eventually achieve manumission. As free men, they were permitted to indulge in all Roman life had to offer. They took foreign wives, but certain Jewish characteristics remained ingrained. Dietary restrictions - koshrut - were adhered to.
It stands to reason that in the ancient world, little was understood about earthquakes and volcanic activity. Facets of the unknown were simply bracketed under the remit of the gods. There was also a collective resignation regarding an earthquakes destructive capacity. The Roman senator Seneca dismissed the idea of abandoning towns and cities. If a populace were relocated, what could stop an earthquake hitting their new environs?
Although a lack of understanding clearly benighted the people of Pompeii et al, mother nature itself provided them with a clarion call. In 62 CE, the region was hit by a massive earthquake. It was so devastating that 17 years later repairs were still underway on some of the structures. But in spite of their precarious situation, the city persisted. One appealing factor was the arable land. Vineyards were a good source of income and grew in abundance on the slopes of Vesuvius.
Eventually, however, the inevitable could be delayed no longer. On 25th August 79 CE, exactly 9 years after the Jerusalem Temple had been set alight, Vesuvius erupted enveloping everything in its path. By the time the dust settled two days later, a microcosm, a whole way of life had been wiped off the map.
In subsequent years I satisfied my travel curiousity by island hopping across the vast azure stretch the Roman's named mara nostra - the Mediterranean. Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes were principal locations. A blog delineating my adventures in Crete can be found here. However, nothing quite resonated in the same way as that initial trip to Southern Italy.
The tragedy that befell, Pompeii, Herculaneum and two smaller coastal villages is well documented. For the purposes of this blog, I will outline my own account extrapolated from the primary sources. The story, as the Mad Hatter instructed Alice starts at the beginning. Contrary to more orthodox minds, it does not commence on the Italian mainland, but some 1000 miles away in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
In 70 CE, the Roman general Flavius Titus besieged Jerusalem. For 4 long and gruelling years, the Jews had withheld the onslaught of the world's greatest military machine. Despite myriad internal divisions and a lack of strong leadership, they had hoped to redeem Jerusalem and preserve their independence from the pagans. Alas it was not to be. According to the historian Josephus, Titus gave unequivocal instructions to destroy the city, but leave the Temple unmolested. In a moment of zealous fury, the Roman legionaries now drunk with a blood lust paid little heed to their commanders prime directive. The Temple began to burn on the 7th Av. Two days latter it had been reduced to ash. Ever since that fateful event, global Jewry has commemorated the tragedy as a fast day.
As the last embers of revolt were quashed on the fort of Masada, the defeated Jews continued to hope for Divine intervention. Their situation had never been worse. They were forced from their country in a mass dispersion. The choice their Roman overlords gave them was decidedly unpalatable. Either they could embrace death as those last rebels on Masada, or they could persevere in servitude. In the event, 50000 Jews were relocated to Italy. There they were tasked with building monuments. Amongst the constructions was the amphitheatre Flavius, known today, albeit inaccurately, as the Colosseum.
There is anecdotal evidence to support the theory that Jews lived in both Pompeii and Herulaneum. If their masters were in charitable mood they could eventually achieve manumission. As free men, they were permitted to indulge in all Roman life had to offer. They took foreign wives, but certain Jewish characteristics remained ingrained. Dietary restrictions - koshrut - were adhered to.
It stands to reason that in the ancient world, little was understood about earthquakes and volcanic activity. Facets of the unknown were simply bracketed under the remit of the gods. There was also a collective resignation regarding an earthquakes destructive capacity. The Roman senator Seneca dismissed the idea of abandoning towns and cities. If a populace were relocated, what could stop an earthquake hitting their new environs?
Although a lack of understanding clearly benighted the people of Pompeii et al, mother nature itself provided them with a clarion call. In 62 CE, the region was hit by a massive earthquake. It was so devastating that 17 years later repairs were still underway on some of the structures. But in spite of their precarious situation, the city persisted. One appealing factor was the arable land. Vineyards were a good source of income and grew in abundance on the slopes of Vesuvius.
Eventually, however, the inevitable could be delayed no longer. On 25th August 79 CE, exactly 9 years after the Jerusalem Temple had been set alight, Vesuvius erupted enveloping everything in its path. By the time the dust settled two days later, a microcosm, a whole way of life had been wiped off the map.
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