We know that Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 CE, and buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. We've been digging through the rubble for almost 300 years, documenting the deaths of their residents. But what about the people who survived that disaster? Pompeii had 30,000 residents, and we've only uncovered a small fraction in excavations. There is evidence that many people fled. Where did they go?
Professor Steven L. Tuck has spent the last decade tracing down the residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum who did not perish when Mount Vesuvius blew its top. The Romans kept pretty good records, considering that was almost 2,000 years ago. Many of the refugees were wealthy tradesmen and merchants, and settled in nearby towns to continue their lives, and there are records of not-so-wealthy survivors, too. Read how they coped and made new lives elsewhere, where their descendants may still live, in an article at the Conversation.
(Image credit: Matthias Süßen)
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