Vesuvius by the Numbers
"I cannot give you a more exact description of its appearance than by comparing to a pine tree; for it shot up to a great height in the form of a tall trunk, which spread out at the top as though into branches ... Occasionally it was brighter, occasionally darker and spotted, as it was either more or less filled with earth and cinders."
- Pliny the Younger
"Natural History" is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77-79 by Pliny the Elder. It's about the Roman Empire, and one chapter described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, his nephew, were witnesses to the natural disaster. But the elder philosopher didn't live long to witness its aftermath. (He died from natural causes.) The young administrator did, recounting his experiences to Tacitus, one of the greatest Roman historians, through letters. Many still survived, which became historically important.
Vesuvius erupted many times, but historians agreed that the year AD 79 was the most significant. The numbers would tell:
3 The number of Italy's volcanoes (Mount Etna, Stromboli, and Mount Vesuvius) which have erupted in the last hundred years
4 The depth (in meters) of rocks and ashes that buried Pompeii
9 The distance (in kilometers) between Vesuvius and Naples
17 Pliny's age when the cataclysmic event happened
19 The length of time of the eruption
20 The depth (in meters) of ash that buried Herculaneum
24 The day in August, on AD 79, when Vesuvius violently exploded
29 The number of active and extinct volcanoes in Italy
33 The height (in kilometers) of deadly clouds, ash, and stones that Vesuvius spawned
61 The year Pliny the Younger was born
62 The year a massive earthquake hit Pompeii, which many believed was a prelude to the eruption
79 The year Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and the nearby ancient towns
88 The year the poet Martial wrote an epigram suggesting that Venus and Hercules were worshipped in the region near Vesuvius
240 The distance (in kilometers) from Pompeii to Rome
472 The year Vesuvius had another outburst and its ash traveled eastwards and blanketed Constantinopole
512 The year Theodoric the Great granted the inhabitants of Pompeii exemptions from taxes due to an eruption
1044 The number of casts made from impressions of bodies in the ash deposits that had been recovered in and around Pompeii
1281 The height (in meters) of Vesuvius
1748 The year Pompeii was accidentally discovered by architect Domenico Fontana
1908 The year Naples was supposed to hold the Summer Olympics when Vesuvius erupted, prompting authorities to divert funds to the reconstruction of the city and the International Olympic Committee to choose London as the new host
1944 The year Vesuvius had its last major eruption
1995 The year Vesuvius was declared a national park
16,000 The number of inhabitants of Pompeii who died from hydrothermal pyroclastic flows
17,000 The estimated age of Vesuvius
3,000,000 The present number of people living near the volcano
