Pompeii: A Victim of Vesuvius' Fury?
One argument says that the people were "simply cooked, instantly" by the heat. They died very suddenly, and had no chance to escape. However, the problem with this argument is that a great many people DO appear to have escaped. As a result, it is highly possible that this was not what happened, and that instead the people were killed by the poisonous sulphur cloud as they attempted to escape. "Pompeii, which was on the other side of Vesuvius, did not suffer from pyroclastic flows ( avalanches of hot ash, pumice and gas) like Herculaneum. Instead it was showered with lapilli (debris of rock fragments formed in the volcano). At first the situation did not seem as serious as it was in Herculaneum, and people tended to seek protection from the falling lapilli by taking shelter in their houses. It was not long before the weight of the lapilli on the roofs became so heavy that buildings began to collapse. People now realized they had to abandon Pompeii. For many it was too late. Vesuvius was now belching out sulphur fumes and many were poisoned while trying to flee. Of the 15,000 population, an estimated 2,000 died in the disaster."One argument says that the people were "simply cooked, instantly" by the heat. They died very suddenly, and had no chance to escape. However, the problem with this argument is that a great many people DO appear to have escaped. As a result, it is highly possible that this was not what happened, and that instead the people were killed by the poisonous sulphur cloud as they attempted to escape. "Pompeii, which was on the other side of Vesuvius, did not suffer from pyroclastic flows ( avalanches of hot ash, pumice and gas) like Herculaneum. Instead it was showered with lapilli (debris of rock fragments formed in the volcano). At first the situation did not seem as serious as it was in Herculaneum, and people tended to seek protection from the falling lapilli by taking shelter in their houses. It was not long before the weight of the lapilli on