Vesuvius, Pompei, Herculaneum: a lesson in natural history

Authors

  • Roberto Scandone Università  Roma tre
  • Lisetta Giacomelli University of Roma Tre, Rome

Abstract

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius of 79 AD destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, but preserved them from the deterioration of time. A large patrimony of knowledge was obtained with the development of new techniques of archeological excavation, which began in these areas in 1700. At the same time, the persistent activity of the volcano stimulated the birth of modern volcanology with the building of the first volcanological observatory in the world in 1841. The effects of the different volcanic phenomena during the eruption of 79 AD also made it possible to investigate the causes of death during an explosive eruption. Overall the volcano and its activity have stimulated the advancement of different branches of human knowledge and the preservation of a cultural patrimony unrivaled in the world. This information can be used to develop interdisciplinary projects in schools aimed at better understanding the nature of volcanic hazard.

Author Biography

Lisetta Giacomelli, University of Roma Tre, Rome

Dipartimento di  Matematica e Fisica

References

Cioni R., Santacroce R. and Sbrana A., “Pyroclastic deposits as a guide for reconstructing the multi-stage evolution of the Somma-Vesuvius caldera”, Bulletin of Volcanology, 61, 4, 1999, pp. 207-222.

Delibrias G., Di Paola G.M., Rosi M. and Santacroce R., “La storia eruttiva del complesso Somma-Vesuvio ricostruita dalle successioni piroclastiche del Monte Somma”, Rendiconti della Società Italiana di Minera-logia e Petrografia, 35, 1979, pp. 411-438.

Giacomelli L. and Scandone R., Vesuvio, Pompei, Ercolano: eruzioni e escursioni, Milan, BE-MA, 2001.

Giacomelli L., Perrotta A., Scandone R. and Scarpati C., “The Eruption of Vesuvius of 79 AD, and its Impact on Human Environ-ment”, Episodes, 26, 3, 2003, pp. 234-237.

Pesaresi C., Marta M., Palagiano C. and Scandone R., “The evaluation of ‘social risk’ due to volcanic eruptions of Vesuvius”, Natural Hazards, 47, 2008, pp. 229-243.

Pesaresi C. and Scandone R., “Nuovi scenari di rischio nell’area vesuviana”, in Paratore E. and Morri R. (Eds.), Proceedings in honor of Cosimo Palagiano, Semestrale di Studi e Ricerche di Geografia, 1, 2013, pp. 225-241.

Scandone R., Giacomelli L. and Gasparini P., “Mount Vesuvius: 2000 Years of Volcanological Observations”, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 58, 1993, pp. 5-25.

Sigurdsson H., Carey S., Cornell W. and Pescatore T., “The Eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79”, National Geographic Research, 1, 1985, pp. 332-387.

Tanguy J.C., Ribiere C., Scarth A. and Tjetjep W.S., “Victims from Volcanic Erup-tion: a revised data base”, Bulletin of Volcanology, 60, 2, 1998, pp. 137-144.

Downloads

Published

2014-12-12

Issue

Vol. 2 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

The Author assigns to the Nuova Cultura and to Italian Association of Geography Teachers all rights under copyright that can exist in and to the submitted paper. The Author warrants that the paper and images (photos, maps, graphs etc.) are original and that he/she is the Author of the submitted contribution and its parts; in the case of images taken by other publications, the Author must provide a specific authorization and must pay in advance any copyright.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.