August 24? October 24? October 17? But what is the exact date of the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplonti and Stabia?
For centuries, it was believed that the date of the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii coincided with August 24, 79 AD. But new archaeological discoveries and scientific analysis have called this date into question, suggesting that the catastrophic event may have occurred at a later time.
But where does this date of August 24, 79 AD, emerge from?
The dating of the catastrophe was based primarily on a manuscript by Pliny the Younger, who described the eruption in two letters sent to his friend Tacitus.
The manuscript states that the volcano erupted “ 9 days before the Kalends of September” (this is how ancient Pompeians designated the days), which corresponds to August 24.
In fact recent discoveries have totally challenged this assumption. Endorsing the thesis that the date of the eruption had been transcribed erroneously by the copyists who had translated Pliny’s texts over the centuries. Texts that in the same letter also give different dates, reinforcing the hypothesis that the date was wrong.
In fact, the finding of typically autumn fruits (such as pomegranates, chestnuts, grapes), braziers lit during the eruption, and heavy clothing. It suggested that it was very unlikely that the eruption could have occurred during the summer period. But that it occurred at a time after the harvest was completed. Indeed, the finding of amphorae containing must also confirmed that wine production had already taken place.
Even in the case of an early harvest, the days between harvest, crushing and first fermentation allow the date to be moved forward.
But not only that, the finding of a coin testifying to the election of Titus as emperor that occurred between September 7 and 8 of that year also suggest that the eruption occurred in the fall.
Thus, with some confidence it could be said that the date of August 24 reported to date is incorrect. And that the text of Pliny the younger has been transcribed incorrectly.
Most likely the event occurred in the fall, perhaps on October 24 of that year.
But why is October 24, 79 A.D. now being mentioned as the new date for the eruption of Vesuvius?
The answer lies in one of the latest and most important discoveries in October 2018 in Pompeii.
In the Garden House in Regio V, a charcoal inscription was found that would seem to confirm that the eruption occurred in October.
The inscription reads in clear letters “the sixteenth day before the kalends of November” thus October 17.
This means that on that date all Pompeiians were still alive and that the eruption occurred a few days later.
Inscription that does not show the year of the eruption, but archaeologists are certain that the event occurred exactly in 79 AD. Inasmuch as charcoal inscriptions are not indelible unless they are rubbed over with something permanent. So they are very easily erased.
So it is very unlikely that the eruption occurred the year before, as the charcoal inscription would have erased.
At present, with extreme certainty on the basis of the latest discoveries it can be said that the date of the eruption of Vesuvius is October 24, 79 A.D. But Pompeii never ceases to amaze and amaze us, so let us expect new and possible other corrections of this current date.
Continued research and discoveries not only enrich our historical understanding, but also testify to the continuing importance of archaeological research.
The mystery of Pompeii continues to reveal new details, reminding us that history is never completely written and that every discovery can rewrite the past.
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