Pompeii: It Left an Impression

Authors:  Avery and Meghan

By Avery

Pompeii was forgotten but also not forgotten.  In the morning of 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, a volcano, erupted and buried the city in ash, so that is why it is forgotten, but I guess only temporarily.  Let me tell you why not.  It is not forgotten because archeologists dug through all the ash and found Pompeii.  Did you know the ash was up to 4-6 metres in the sky when Vesuvius erupted?  The archeologists are still digging for treasures within Pompeii and have already found many including people of all different ages.

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Did you know animals can sense that something bad is about to happen, like a volcano erupting?  This is why they have only found one animal within Pompeii.  It was a dog.  The reason they found it was because this dog was chained up so it could not run away.

When we went to Pompeii, I could tell something definitely happened there but I could not tell that a volcano had buried the city.  I wondered what it would have been like to have a volcano destroy your city.  This is what I thought it would be like if I was someone who survived.

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“I was in school.  I felt I felt something hit me.  All of a sudden millions of rocks smashed against me.  It felt like rolling on gravel!  I did not know what it was about.  All of a sudden I heard, ‘Ahhhhhh!’  We all ran outside.  I got knocked down on the ground with footsteps being indented in my back. I closed my eyes in pain and the footsteps stop but the noises and rocks don’t!

I got up and saw ash coming out of the volcano.  Who was it?  Which god was mad?  I started to breath slower because of all the gas in the air.  I tried to run to the sea.  I ran as fast as I had ever run in my life without turning back.  I got knocked over again.  Stumbling to my feet, slowly breathing, someone touched me.  They were also running to the sea.  

Turning around for the first time, I saw red, orange and yellow invading my town!  Heading forward I heard the loudest yelp I had ever heard so I turned around and saw my Mom running for her life, as she was being chased by lava!  I ran for her as fast as I could but it was too late.  It got her.  

I cried as loud as I could.  I think Florence even heard me!  I turned around still crying and saw my Grandma in my Dad’s arms.  I ran to them and said, ‘Mom.  It got her.’  My Dad gasped and dropped my Grandma.  Yelling burst through my ears blocking my hearing as everyone screamed.  

Minutes later,  I felt water touch my skirts.  I could not believe it.  All 3 of us made it to the sea!  Only 1 out of 4 of my family died.  I was so happy but sad because of my Mom.  

This is how I survived the Mount Vesuvius eruption.”

​A lot of people thought the gods were angry and were curious when the volcano began to erupt.  I looked at the volcano and thought maybe the volcano was sorry for what it did.  Not a lot of people survived.  I thought all those stepping stones, chariot ruts, homes and gardens were cool.  I enjoyed the day a lot! 

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By Meghan

Driving around the corner we saw it:  Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii.  

Pompeii was mind blowing!  Walking through the ancient ruins was so cool!  My mind couldn’t process it.  Every building, corner, street, house, bar and chariot rut had once been covered in ash, I kept thinking.  Nature had helped protect it.   I found it interesting to see the people in the positions of how they died.  It was like everything was frozen in time.

I imagined what it might have been like to be there...

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​“First it was the rocks.  They started to plummet to the ground hitting everything in their path.  It’s the volcano gods punishing us.  Horrific screams echo through the stone buildings.  Feeling the toxic air spread through my throat, I can’t bear to take another step towards the sea.  Small rocks hit my bare skin, ash sprayed in my eyes everything got blurry.  I heard screaming and fast footsteps running towards the sea.  ‘Do I run?’ I thought.  I fall down and close my eyes.  My breaths get shorter, I am determined to get up but I can’t.”