What happened when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD? | History - Pompeii

This dramatisation of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, described by Dr Margaret Mountford, gives a detailed description of this natural disaster which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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Dr Margaret Mountford gives a detailed description of the eruption of Vesuvius on 24th and 25th August 79 AD, which killed the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum. While Margaret describes what happened, the eruption is dramatised - showing the reactions of the inhabitants. New evidence studied by scientists and historians shows the real reason the eruption claimed so many lives; the cause of the eruption came from a build up of pressure underground and resulted in a massive cloud of ash and pumice being released during the eruption. As parts of this cloud collapsed under their own weight, they raced down the side of the mountain in repeated pyroclastic currents of increasing force, which eventually engulfed the two towns, killing the inhabitants instantly.

This clip is from Pompeii, a BBC series of short films for secondary schools examining the causes of death, the volcanic phenomenon known as a pyroclastic current, and the use of state of the art x-ray technology to help reconstruct two of the victims - the Anonymous Man of Pompeii, and Herculaneum\'s Bella Donna.

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For Class Clips users, the original reference for the clip was p0170brg.

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Teaching History?

This clip could be used as an introduction to a detailed case study about Vesuvius. Pupils could look at the scientific evidence that has been unearthed and compare this to what was originally thought by archaeologists. They could produce a piece of work showing the discoveries surrounding Pompeii over time, and how this changed how we view the eruption of Vesuvius.

This clip will be relevant for teaching History. This topic appears at KS3 and in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC KS4/GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA National 4/5 in Scotland.

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