New technological tools (and new ways of thinking) now allow archaeologists and other researchers to discover things unimaginable just a few years ago.
If you look up the date of the eruption of Vesuvius, you will almost invariably find "Aug. 24–25" 79 AD. This is the traditional span of two days that most people accept, based on the dates provided for us by the eyewitness account of one Pliny the Younger. Pliny's story is a good one in and of itself. He decided to finish his homework rather than accompany his uncle (Pliny the Elder) in his fateful quest to investigate the natural disaster and to save the lives of others in the area. His account, written in letter form to the historian Tacitus, is remarkably vivid and gripping, and Pliny—unusual for him—offers up a date of the event.
New research, however, has essentially proven that the traditional date is mistaken. Dolia (large terracotta vessels) from the courtyard at the Villa Regina at Boscoreale were found to have contained wine and were sealed. Because of the location, it is likely that these dolia were not long-term storage, but had just been filled—an indication of a date in late autumn, after the harvest. Also, a coin found in 1974 but only studied in 2006 has raised more doubts; a denarius found in the House of the Gold Bracelet contains a title of the new emperor Titus, who took office on 23 June, 79 AD, that could only have been issued after the traditional date of the eruption. On it, there is the titulature "IMP XV" ("Hailed Triumphant General for the 15th time") which places the date after September of that year. The coin, however, is that it is hard to read and the identification is far from certain. Another point is that those who died in the eruption were wearing clothes more suitable for the late autumn months. Finally, a new, awesomely scientific article on the seasonal direction of trade winds suggests that if the eruption occurred between April and September, the direction of the ash would have gone north, and not south as in fact happened.
A good overview of the dating issue can be found in the following scholarly articles (thanks to Dora Vennarucci for suggesting the second two):
- G. Rolandi, A. Paone, M. Di Lascio, and G. Stefani, ‘The 79 AD Eruption of Somma: The Relationship Between the Date of the Eruption and the Southeast Tephra Dispersion,’ Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 169 (2007).
- Borgongino, M., Stefani, G., 2001. Intorno alla data dell'eruzione del 79 d.c. Rivista di Studi Pompeiani XII-XIII, 177-215.
- Stefani, G., 2006. La vera data dell'eruzione. Archeo. Attualita del passato XXII: 10-13.
Of course, Italian scholars have risen to defend Pliny and the traditional date. A study (summary here in English) of the contents of a jug full of remains of garum (a delicious fish-sauce much loved by the Romans) concludes that the fish that went into the sauce were most abundant in June-August. Because the state of the "boops boops" (the fish used) was in a pre-macerated phase, it is likely that the fish had just been jarred. But since the rate of decomposition has not been confirmed, this study is not entirely convincing. Paleobotanists also suggest that the pollens in Pompeii were typical of summer months.
This is an interesting case of how scholars of antiquity date events. One of the problems is that we are frequently bewitched by written texts that we are afraid to challenge them. In the case of Pliny's date above, when one looks at the manuscript tradition, one is immediately struck by the differences in the manuscripts (three other dates are found, all in different months). The items that are most likely to be corrupted in ancient texts (which, remember, were copied by hand until the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in the 15th century), in fact, are numbers and dates. We can in fact point to another place where Pliny's account is erroneous or corrupted. In a letter reporting the death of the daughter of one Fundanus (5.16), he gives her age as "almost fourteen," but we have an inscription (ILS 1030) that reports her age as 12 years, 11 months, and 7 days.
Now, researchers have apparently discovered a way to tell in which season the massive eruption of Thera (ancient Santorini) took place—the mighty bean weevil. Archaeologists studying the remains of sweet peas stored in an ancient jar discovered the insects and theorized—quite reasonably—that the window for this particular infestation was between June and early August. Radiocarbon dating also strengthened the traditional date of the eruption (around 1600 BC), which contributed greatly to the end of the Minoan Culture, offering a range from 1744–1538 BC (radiocarbon dating cannot be more precise). Click here for a summary article from National Geographic, based on a more scientific treatment in the June edition of the journal Naturwissenschaften. For an excellent, rather short narrative on the eruption and the archaeological site of Akrotiri on Crete, see this Dartmouth website. For a smattering of wall paintings from Akrotiri, click here. The mighty eruption and the destruction of Thera has been claimed to be the origin of Plato's myth of Atlantis. Looking at this NASA view of the caldera formed by the explosive eruption, one can see why; what you see is the rim of the ancient volcanic cone.
Weekly Tidbits:
The Guardia di Finanza, investigating the activities of tombaroli (tomb robbers) in Lanuvio (ancient Lanuvium), stumbled upon a previously unknown archaeological site, where they found buildings in opus reticulatum, terracotta votive, glazed ware and coin. Here is an Italian article with footage of the find.
6th–5th century BC Etruscan tombs were found near Norchia of the "Casetta" type—long, connected rows of square tombs (rather than round, separate tombs).
In Tarquinia, an Etruscan tomb has been found entirely intact. See here for pictures.
Here's a blast from the past. I stumbled onto this NY Times article from 1899 discussing Giacomo Boni's excavations in the Forum. Neat stuff.
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