On the 24th of August in 79AD, the volcano Vesuvius roared violently to life, spewing ash and lighting the unnatural mid-day darkness with flames and flashes of lightning. The ground groaned and shook with earthquakes, the air was thick with the smell of sulfur. The sea churned, receding and advancing again. All who lived in the shadow of Vesuvius searched for a route of escape from the mountain that had, for so many centuries, loomed peacefully above them. As the eruption intensified, the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the suburban settlements of Terzigno and Oplontis, and much of the surrounding countryside were engulfed as wave after wave of superheated ash and gas raced down the sides of the volcano. By later the next day, August 25th, over 300 square miles were covered in a rain of ash, volcanic stone, and the pyroclastic surges that would harden to a concrete-like consistency. Pompeii and Herculaneum were no more.

Many residents fled, but all who were unable to escape perished-- the cataclysmic event obliterated all signs of life from the area. This exhibit, “Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption,” tells the stories of people caught in their last moments, struggling in vain to save themselves and the things they cherished most.

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