A Tale of Two Men
Mt. Vesuvius erupted in the early afternoon on August 24th in 79 AD. The mountain was close to many cities including Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae, and Pompeii. Because of its location southeast of the mountain and population of 20,000, the impact on Pompeii was the most significant. Two men, Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger, were the only known accounts telling the story of the eruption. Pliny the Elder was a local Pompeiian military commander and author of Natural History, an innovative philosophical book of the time. When he
had received word of the nearby eruption, he led a rescue mission to save the townspeople. Although the mission led to his demise, he was a heroic figure known throughout those who survived the eruption. Below is a photograph of Pliny the Elder.
Pliny the Younger was the nephew and pupil of Pliny the Elder. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters that are documented as the historical source for the eruption during that time in Pompeii. Today, these letters are still intact and are used as evidence of the eruption. Pliny the younger is shown below.