The continuing discoveries at Pompeii

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the erupting Mt. Vesuvius covered the bustling Roman metropolis of Pompeii in volcanic ash. Archaeologists are still uncovering buried portions of the city, piecing together a tantalizing puzzle about life before the disaster. Correspondent Seth Doane reports.
#pompeii

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[katfox]

I just saw a documentary about Pompeii's sister city, Herculaneum. It had a part that completely broke my heart
They showed a set of skeletons that they had found huddled together in one of the boat sheds
It was a mother who was about 6-8 months pregnant, you could see the tiny bones of the baby she was carrying, she was holding a young boy about 4-6 years old, and the little boy was dog.
A dog that looked just a little bit bigger than my Rat Terrier at home, it even had the same pointy face
And you really have to think about that. You grab the thing most precious to you when you have to run for your life. The mother grabbed her son, but it's not like the little boy could have grabbed his dog and ran. Did the dog love his master so much that he stayed with him while they ran through the streets? Did his mother scoop him up AND the dog?
Was his father and her husband one of the many male skeletons they found outside of the boat sheds? If so, did his father grab the dog? Did the little boy refuse to leave without his best friend?
Even remembering that part makes me tear up. It's such a human thing. A little boy and his dog

[InnaGottaDavida]

I once went to a travelling exhibit on Pompeii and was surprised by how moving it was. I had expected it to be fascinating and it was, but it also touched me far deeper than I was ready for. There was one plaster casting that hit me particularly hard. It was a casting of a child sitting on their mother's lap. To think that they died this way, a mother comforting her scared child, brought the reality of this great tragedy to heart. Hollywood has never done this story justice and likely never will.

[randyseay]

I visited Pompeii and Herculaneum in 2019. It’s an extraordinary experience. Anyone who has the opportunity to visit should.

[Miranda]

This is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. It really shows the might of planet Earth but also the power of man to rediscover our history. So fascinating.

[kennethfharkin]

I toured Pompeii last year and it is truly amazing to be standing there where 2, 000 years ago people were living their lives until suddenly they were cut short. It appears most of the people took shelter inside their homes, cellars, etc. only to eventually pass out from the gasses and die before being buried under ash and preserved. The little pieces of everyday life preserved are what really hit you.

[Greenpoloboy]

A great show the BBC did a few years ago was called Pompeii - The Last Day. Was terrific and found it so moving. In this video, Seeing the final moments of these people via their casts, the objects they owned, their homes where they lived, ate and slept. Just so moving. It earns your total respect.

[charleswalker]

I first was introduced to Pompeii in the fourth grade..how fascinating it continues to be..thank you!!

[stephaniestanley]

As a child in South Bend Indiana I never traveled. I could never imagine in September 2016 walking the many miles in this ancient city. It was a privilege that I will treasure always.❤

[FlexibleFlyer]

We visited Pompeii in 1974. We had the quick tour around some of the key sites However, we could have spent a few days there. We have always hoped to return, but seeing this video brings back the memories and the lives snuffed out by a monumental act of nature.

[terrifromm]

I visited in 1993. Amazing city and also hard to comprehend the terror those people experienced.

[primrosed]

While visiting it started raining like a storm was coming in, I had to wait in one of the ruins, to wait it out. A few minutes passed and it was sunny again. I could see Mt. Vesuvius in the horizon and I realized how quickly things must have changed for Pompeiians on that day.

[letsgobrandon]

Seeing it on Tv or YT is one thing but going there and experiencing it in person is another. I had that opportunity a little while back and it was truly moving. Almost as if you could hear echos in the wind of the people and everyday noises on the streets. Remarkable and the area is huge too even with all the crowds.

[francesmalzahn]

Pompeii is fascinating! I was there last summer. It's actually much larger than I expected.

[funwithFred]

Wow....right?! Just I thank Youtube for ability to see such recent documentaries, et al in archaeology, etc. Fascinating. Love "Sunday interesting vignettes of life.

[EmilyJelassi]

Pompeii and Herculaneum are both fascinating and tragic. The stories that are uncovered by the excavations are a tiny peek into what life was like for the people right before the volcano snuffed it all out.

[carriee.]

Those poor people who perished in the eruption 😔. This brings them to light though and how they lived their lives. 💜

[kyleembler]

Fascinating and so incredible to witness history being uncovered in real time.

[hinthegroove]

Grandiose back then, eye opening today.

[anodyne]

The phenomenon that ended life in Pompeii, a pyroclastic event, is ironically the reason that we know and can see so much of the world of the people, and the people themselves through their preserved remains...or what remained once their organic bodies disappeared.

[aprillundberg]

Of course seeing some of the (now) plaster bodies in the moment of their terrifying death could be scary to experience. That would be like if, for some reason, a mass shooting was frozen in time as it happened and the people of the future discover it and see the faces of all the scared victims. It would be a lot of things and "scary" would be one of them. I actually really liked how he responded when the dude laughed. You can tell he cares for these people and he cares about their lives and their stories. He empathizes with them as fellow humans in the midst of a traumatic death and not just an interesting museum-style display.