Date when Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii? Evidence

[guy]

I keep vacillating on the precise date in AD 79 (September or October) when Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum (see previous post below). Listening to the excellent podcast by Tom Holland, I could be convinced about a later date in October:

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rest-is-history/id1537788786?i=1000622818014

 

Holland puts a lot credence on the graffiti that mentions October 16 (but not the year) and the heavier clothes some victims we’re wearing.

Quote

 

While not listing a year, the graffiti reads: “XVI K Nov,” meaning the 16th day before the calends of November, or October 17 in the modern calendar.

Since charcoal is a “fragile and evanescent” material, it is very unlikely it could have been able to survive long, according to archeologists.

 

 

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/style/article/pompeii-eruption-inscription-date-intl/index.html

 

There are some strong argument for and against the August 24 date, however.

Quote

Just a few months ago, excavators at Pompeii added another piece to the puzzle: they discovered a charcoal graffito dated XVI K Nov, the 16th day before the kalends of November—i.e., October 17. Could this seemingly fresh message have been written just days before an eruption on October 24? Or might it have been written the previous year and remained on the wall for 10 months before an eruption in August preserved it?

 

Quote

 

Ever since the rediscovery of the buried Vesuvian cities in the 18th century, some scholars have argued that the eruption occurred in autumn. Their evidence? The heavy clothing worn by some of the victims, still visible in plaster casts made from the cavities left in the volcanic ash by their bodies. Likewise, braziers were discovered in many houses in the region. Neither would be appropriate for the summer heat of southern Italy.

Other scholars have countered that victims might have donned heavier clothing as they fled the fiery falling ash. And braziers were used for cooking as well as heating, so may well have been used in summer.

 

 

Quote

 

Scientific research has also contributed to both sides of the debate. Analysis of the remains of ancient fish sauce called garum found in Pompeii seems to support the traditional date in August, because the fish from which it was made were most plentiful in summer.

Archaeobotanical evidence, on the other hand, points to the opposite: pomegranates and walnuts, which would not have been harvested until autumn, were also found.

Atmospheric studies, meanwhile, have suggested that the fallout pattern of volcanic ash reflects high-altitude south-easterly winds, which today are prevalent in the region in autumn. Wind patterns may, however, have changed in the almost 2,000 years since the eruption.

 

 

 

https://www.getty.edu/news/when-did-vesuvius-erupt-august-october-24

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by guy

[caesar novus]

I have done some climatic research myself comparing Sept to Oct in that region. Nowadays Oct can not only be off and on cold but especially rainy. I wonder what Romans wore in the rain.

I was on the lookout for that tiny window after tourist hordes before weather turns bad. It seemed to be only about the first week of October when there was sort of an uncrowded Indian summer before off and on cold downpours. It was so pleasant, with casual nudity at our Capri hotel pool being a symptom of a carefree break.

Fall seemed to have too brief and sharp shoulder season for visiting so I switched to the more gradual and consistant spring ramp up (even their May 1 labor day is manageable). But fall changes so quick that it may offer clues to decoding Pompeii.

P.S. this site is improving in capability with less restrictions. Thanks to whoever is doing this.