Events · Roman Empire Daily
When Vesuvius buried Pompeii in 79 AD, a teenager named Pliny the Younger watched and later wrote it down.
Deep dive
From across the Bay of Naples, Pliny described the towering eruption cloud and the chaos as ash fell. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, died during a rescue attempt. The letters are among the earliest detailed eyewitness accounts of a volcanic eruption.
Source: Pliny the Younger, 'Letters,' 6.16 and 6.20 (to Tacitus).
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