WEBVTT 00:00:01.373 --> 00:00:03.854 [Deflagration] 00:00:03.869 --> 00:00:05.867 [Music and intro] 00:00:05.867 --> 00:00:09.384 [Off voice] Travel back in time to the Ancient city of Pompeii 00:00:09.384 --> 00:00:14.042 where sexual excesses and slavery were a regular part of everyday life. 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:18.770 What happened to its citizens when life was suddenly shattered by an explosion 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:21.731 more powerful than a nuclear bomb? 00:00:22.546 --> 00:00:24.218 It's one of the stories of the ages.(Ancient Mysteries) 00:00:24.218 --> 00:00:26.009 one of the ancient mysteries. 00:00:28.038 --> 00:00:31.309 [Leonard Nimoy] Before we unlock the future, we must find the keys to the past. 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:36.460 I'm Leonard Nimoy. Join us as we the door to Ancient Mystery, beginning now. 00:00:43.765 --> 00:00:48.200 [Leonard Nimoy] For an eternity, the volcanic cone of Mount Vesuvius 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:52.079 has dominated the landscape of Southern Italy. 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:54.980 Two thousand years ago, it would shape history. 00:00:54.980 --> 00:01:01.980 At that time, Rome was an all-powerful empire. 00:01:05.950 --> 00:01:12.619 Pompeii was one of its most prosperous provincialtowns, thriving at the foot of Vesuvius. 00:01:12.619 --> 00:01:14.220 (Explosion noise) 00:01:14.220 --> 00:01:20.790 Suddenly, a terrible explosion shook the earthand Vesuvius entered the annals of history 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:27.790 as one of the most devastating volcanic disastersever recorded. 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:35.960 The people ran for their lives. Some tookcover in their homes. Others tried fleeing 00:01:36.119 --> 00:01:38.290 to the nearby sea. 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:43.799 But thousands would not escape. 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:48.490 In a matter of hours, homes, buildings andthe people themselves were covered 00:01:48.490 --> 00:01:54.549 by a thick layer of volcanic ash and dĂŠbris. 00:01:54.549 --> 00:02:01.549 Everything was entombed and forgotten, tolie in undiscovered silence for centuries. 00:02:04.049 --> 00:02:11.049 Archeologists discovered the hollow cavitieswhich the decayed bodies left behind. 00:02:11.370 --> 00:02:15.390 These were used as molds to produce eerieplaster casts of the victims. 00:02:15.390 --> 00:02:22.390 And the once vital inhabitants of ancientPompeii now lie here, distorted in agony, 00:02:23.700 --> 00:02:27.090 exactly where they fell. 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:29.870 What secrets did the people leave behind? 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:32.290 What misteries are entombed with them? 00:02:32.290 --> 00:02:39.290 A journey into the ancient past to a cityfrozen in time. 00:02:44.220 --> 00:02:50.540 (Pompeii: Buried Alive) 00:02:50.540 --> 00:02:54.760 (Act I) 00:02:54.760 --> 00:03:01.080 (The Mountain Speaks) 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:03.180 [Music] 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:10.180 [Nimoy] Today, two million people live aroundthe foot of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, in 00:03:13.269 --> 00:03:15.610 Southern Italy. 00:03:15.610 --> 00:03:19.930 The inhabitants of modern-day Pompeii arevery much aware of the constant threat 00:03:19.930 --> 00:03:25.620 posed by this still active volcano. 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:31.220 Farmers tend fruitful fields where, just afew feet below, lie the remains of an ancient 00:03:31.220 --> 00:03:34.150 civilization. 00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:41.150 Sprawling over 160 acres, the layout of ancientPompeii is much like that of any modern city. 00:03:43.330 --> 00:03:47.459 Unequal among historical sites for its remarkablestate of preservation, 00:03:47.459 --> 00:03:54.129 Pompeii is a unique showcase of ancient artand architecture. 00:03:54.129 --> 00:03:58.049 There is an abundance of original mosaicsand frescoes, 00:03:58.049 --> 00:04:01.319 some as vivid as though they were createdyesterday. 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:08.209 The city offers archaeologists a once in anlifetime opportunity to explore the mysteries 00:04:08.209 --> 00:04:10.739 of those who once inhabited the Roman World. 00:04:10.739 --> 00:04:12.390 (The Roman Empire 79 C.E.) 00:04:12.390 --> 00:04:17.590 [Nimoy] During the 1st century of the CommonEra, Rome was a powerful empire, 00:04:17.590 --> 00:04:21.019 straddling Europe and the Near East, fromBritain to Egypt. 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:23.060 (Map of Italy, with Rome and Pompeii marked) 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:30.060 [Nimoy] Pompeii was a thriving commercialcenter with a population of 20,000. 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:37.199 Then, these streets leading to the city'sforum were bustling with farmers and merchants 00:04:37.470 --> 00:04:38.490 from afar, 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:44.490 trading produce and merchandise. 00:04:44.490 --> 00:04:51.490 Many of the local citizens were wealthy, enjoyinga relatively affluent and placid way of life. 00:04:54.250 --> 00:04:57.060 Mount Vesuvius always loomed in the background. 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:02.139 But as far as the people were concerned, itwas just another mountain, a good place to 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:03.190 cultivate vines. 00:05:03.190 --> 00:05:07.380 [Haraldur Sigurdsson - Professor of Oceanography,University of Rhode Island] The Romans living 00:05:07.380 --> 00:05:11.889 in the area were not aware of the fact thatthe mountain was a volcano. 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:17.919 For example, the most famous of these Romanswas Pliny the Elder, who was a great historian 00:05:17.919 --> 00:05:19.970 and a writer. 00:05:19.970 --> 00:05:25.699 And he described many volcanoes in Italy,but he never mentioned Vesuvius as a volcano. 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:32.190 [Nimoy] The 24th of August, in the year 79,was an ordinary Summer's day, 00:05:32.190 --> 00:05:38.820 with the people of Pompeii uneventfully goingabout their daily business. 00:05:38.820 --> 00:05:45.820 The slight rumbling sounds coming from Vesuviusin the early morning were largely ignored. 00:05:46.350 --> 00:05:48.270 [Ann Koloski-Ostrow - Assistant Professorof Classical Studies, Brandeis University] 00:05:48.270 --> 00:05:52.300 People proceeded as if everything was normal. 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:56.729 Women at home were probably getting theirchildren ready for short siestas, 00:05:56.729 --> 00:06:01.490 slaves were bustling about the kitchen, gettingeverything ready for what would be 00:06:01.490 --> 00:06:04.039 the evening hours at home. 00:06:04.039 --> 00:06:09.770 Men were thinking about spending an afternoonat the public baths, but the rumbling didn't 00:06:09.770 --> 00:06:11.789 stop. 00:06:11.789 --> 00:06:13.819 [Music] 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:20.819 [Nimoy] Suddenly, around 12 noon, a deafeningexplosion shook the entire city. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:26.130 The people watched, horrified, as Vesuviuserupted. 00:06:26.130 --> 00:06:27.680 Pillars of black volcanic ash 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:34.680 and of red-hot magma spewed miles high intothe sky. 00:06:35.479 --> 00:06:42.479 Then, a torrent of suffocating ash fell uponthe city, followed by complete darkness. 00:06:47.190 --> 00:06:49.130 [Music] 00:06:49.130 --> 00:06:55.199 At the same time, stones hailed down fromheaven. 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:59.870 Gradually, Pompeii became buried in whitepellets of solidified ash. 00:06:59.870 --> 00:07:04.389 [James L. Franklin, Jr. - Professor of ClassicalStudies, Stanford University] They hadn't 00:07:04.389 --> 00:07:06.360 seen an eruption before, 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:10.050 so I don't think that they had any idea - trueidea - of what they were encountering. 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:16.900 They must have been really terrified, however,with the addition of the eruption to the earthquake. 00:07:16.900 --> 00:07:20.870 And I suspect it took a lot of them an awfullylong time to figure out 00:07:20.870 --> 00:07:25.160 that they were actually going to be buriedby these pellets. 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:30.590 [Nimoy] Two men whose names have come downto us from their time were witness to the 00:07:30.590 --> 00:07:32.470 inferno: 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:39.470 Pliny the Elder, an admiral in the Roman Navy,died, attempting to rescue victims. 00:07:39.949 --> 00:07:46.949 His nephew, Pliny the Younger, wrote the onlyeye-witness report to have survived the disaster. 00:07:48.880 --> 00:07:55.880 *"On Mount Vesuvius, broad sheets of fireand leaping flames' blazed at several points,* 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:03.259 *their bright glare, emphasized by the darknessof the night.* 00:08:03.509 --> 00:08:09.440 *The buildings were now shaking with violentshocks and seemed to be swaying to and fro,* 00:08:09.440 --> 00:08:11.680 *as if they were torn from their foundations.* 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:18.139 *Outside, on the other hand, there was thedanger of falling pumice stones. It was a* 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:20.720 choice of fears." 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:27.720 [Koloski-Ostrow] Some huddled in corners,collecting their belongings with them there, 00:08:28.139 --> 00:08:32.630 and thought: "We'll wait it out, it will stop."But it didn't stop. 00:08:32.630 --> 00:08:39.380 And 17 hours later, it was still raining ashes,and many of the roofs of the town had collapsed 00:08:39.380 --> 00:08:45.519 from the weight of these ashes, some peoplethen were trapped in their cellars, 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:50.440 others were trapped in their homes, and manyothers still were trapped as they tried to 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:52.680 flee the city. 00:08:52.680 --> 00:08:59.680 [Nimoy] Pliny the Elder did not grasp theseverity of the situation until it was already 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:00.940 too late: 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:06.490 *"My uncle decided to go down to the shoreand investigate the possibility of an escape* 00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:07.070 by the sea. 00:09:07.070 --> 00:09:12.019 *The flames and smell of sulfur drove theothers to take flight.* 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:16.110 *And he stood, leaning on two slaves, andthen, suddenly collapsed,* 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:22.149 *I imagine because of the dense fumes stifledhis breathing and choked him."* 00:09:22.149 --> 00:09:28.290 [Nimoy] Pliny the Younger also describes hisown death-defying escape: 00:09:28.290 --> 00:09:35.290 *"You could hear the shrieks of women, thewailing of infants, the shouting of men.* 00:09:37.180 --> 00:09:42.370 *Then ashes began to fall again, this timein heavy showers.* 00:09:42.370 --> 00:09:46.750 *We rose from time to time and shook themoff.* 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:50.420 *Otherwise, we would have been buried andcrushed beneath.* 00:09:50.420 --> 00:09:56.810 *I derived some poor consolation in my beliefthat the whole world was dying with me, and* 00:09:56.810 --> 00:09:58.279 I with it." 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:02.670 [Nimoy] As the night wore on, thousands wouldperish. 00:10:02.670 --> 00:10:05.250 (Act II) 00:10:05.250 --> 00:10:10.390 (The Death Of Herculaneum) 00:10:10.390 --> 00:10:17.390 [Nimoy] Death and destruction rained downfrom the sky for an entire day and night. 00:10:19.160 --> 00:10:21.620 As Pompeii riled in agony,(Map of Italy with Rome, Vesuvius and Pompeii) 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:28.279 another town, lay in the direct path of thevolcano's fury, nine miles away, 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:35.279 neighboring Herculaneum was a seaside resortfor the Roman rich and famous. 00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:42.000 But even fame and wealth would not save theinhabitants, that terrible night. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:49.000 As Vesuvius erupted, Herculaneum was entombedin a layer of ash 40-feet thick. 00:10:49.040 --> 00:10:56.040 Today, beneath the rubble and debris, piecesof carbonized wood can still be seen. 00:10:57.910 --> 00:11:04.529 Such evidence enables volcanologists to reconstructthe city's final moments. 00:11:04.529 --> 00:11:09.410 Even complete window shutters and doors arepreserved. 00:11:09.410 --> 00:11:14.269 Artifacts like these reveal that Herculaneum'sdestruction was very different from that of 00:11:14.269 --> 00:11:14.760 Pompeii. 00:11:14.760 --> 00:11:20.810 [Sigurdsson] We know that around midnight,the style of the eruption changed dramatically. 00:11:20.810 --> 00:11:26.320 Instead of a very high eruption column, allof a sudden, the ash and pumice comes out 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:27.110 of the crater 00:11:27.110 --> 00:11:32.850 as a flow, a glowing avalanche, a dust cloudthat is moving like a nuclear blast 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:38.500 in all directions from the crater at a velocityof 100 to 200 miles per hour. 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:42.610 And within minutes, this cloud would havereached Herculaneum. 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:47.810 And this cloud is hot enough to carbonizewood and to melt glass. 00:11:47.810 --> 00:11:50.720 Obviously, it is lethal. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:57.720 [Nimoy] At Herculaneum's public baths, thismarble washing bowl now stands below the window, 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:01.730 where it once stood in ancient times. 00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:08.070 But when the bath was excavated, the bowlwas found hurled across the room. 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:13.410 Its impression can still be seen imprintedon the solidified volcanic magma. 00:12:13.410 --> 00:12:17.519 [Sigurdsson] The Vesuvius' eruption in 79A.D. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:23.240 was one of the largest volcanic explosionsin history. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:28.610 In terms of the energy, the amount of energyinvolved, it is much larger than any nuclear 00:12:28.610 --> 00:12:29.329 explosion 00:12:29.329 --> 00:12:31.769 that has been set off on the earth. 00:12:31.769 --> 00:12:38.380 [Nimoy] One of the great mysteries of Herculaneumis the absence of human skeletal remains in 00:12:38.380 --> 00:12:40.160 the town. 00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:45.510 The houses and streets seemed to be deserted. 00:12:45.510 --> 00:12:47.180 What happened to the people? 00:12:47.180 --> 00:12:52.720 Did they know something that their neighborsin Pompeii did not? 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:59.370 Were they forewarned of the disaster, andhad time to escape? 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:03.970 Archaeologists always thought so, until agrisly discovery was made. 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:09.170 [Koloski-Ostrow] More recent excavations,right at the sea shore of Herculaneum, 00:13:09.170 --> 00:13:16.170 have brought a much grimmer and sadder resultto our understanding of this mystery. 00:13:16.920 --> 00:13:23.920 Upwards of a hundred victims have been found,and some of them are so well-preserved 00:13:24.769 --> 00:13:29.820 and give us such poignant details of thosetragic final moments, 00:13:29.820 --> 00:13:35.769 that we can say quite a bit about their storiesand what happened to them at the end of the 00:13:35.769 --> 00:13:36.410 city. 00:13:36.410 --> 00:13:39.660 [Nimoy] This was the first time we ever comeface to face 00:13:39.660 --> 00:13:45.130 with human remains from the ancient Romanworld. 00:13:45.130 --> 00:13:48.760 As it was a Roman custom to always crematetheir dead, 00:13:48.760 --> 00:13:55.760 the other thing of the skeletons at Herculaneumand Pompeii was a rare discovery. 00:13:57.449 --> 00:14:03.810 This was once a soldier, found face down,watching the sand, his sword still with him. 00:14:03.810 --> 00:14:06.910 [Joseph J. Deiss - Professor of Classics,University of Florida] It's an extraordinary 00:14:06.910 --> 00:14:11.510 find, because no other Roman soldier has everbeen discovered anywhere. 00:14:11.510 --> 00:14:16.880 And he was wearing, he had his sword belt,he had his money belt, he had three gold coins, 00:14:16.880 --> 00:14:22.760 and he was all prepared to be rescued. Andit never happened. 00:14:22.760 --> 00:14:28.389 [Nimoy] Physical anthropologists examinedthe skeletons in detail. 00:14:28.389 --> 00:14:34.449 Through their work, we've gained a new insightinto the lives of these long-lost people. 00:14:34.449 --> 00:14:41.360 [Koloski-Ostrow] In one of the chambers, Imet a family of twelve victims. 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:48.360 We find a young woman, probably about 14,clutching very closely a baby of 7 months 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:50.680 in her arms 00:14:50.680 --> 00:14:57.290 trying to protect this child from the inevitabledeath that is soon to come. 00:14:57.290 --> 00:15:02.889 [Nimoy] At first, it seemed that this wasthe baby's older sister. 00:15:02.889 --> 00:15:08.680 Then, investigations pointed to a more poignantand tragic story. 00:15:08.680 --> 00:15:12.360 [Koloski-Ostrow] The baby is very likely anaristocratic baby, 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:18.899 it had in its ear a gold earring with a smallpearl on it, 00:15:18.899 --> 00:15:23.459 whereas the bones of the 14-year old girlare bones that show 00:15:23.459 --> 00:15:29.779 she has done far heavier labor than a girlof her age do. 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:36.779 She's not well-nourished, her teeth are inpoor condition, she very likely had a difficult, 00:15:37.660 --> 00:15:41.779 not to say, a terrible life. 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:48.550 [Nimoy] The conclusion was that this is theskeleton of an overworked slave girl. 00:15:48.550 --> 00:15:52.160 One of her duties may have been to protectand tend the baby. 00:15:52.160 --> 00:15:57.170 Her life style stood in stark contrast tothat of the more affluent citizens of the 00:15:57.170 --> 00:15:58.899 town. 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:05.410 The gleaming white teeth of some remains indicatehealthy nutrition, at least for most of the 00:16:05.410 --> 00:16:06.120 population. 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:12.009 [Deiss] This is the only find of Roman bodies,the only important find ever made. 00:16:12.009 --> 00:16:16.430 So, for the first time, we can find what Romanswere really like, 00:16:16.430 --> 00:16:21.639 not just the way they look from statues andfrescoes. 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:28.639 [Nimoy] Perhaps the most moving example tosurvive Pompeii's fearful night of destruction 00:16:29.350 --> 00:16:33.550 are these silent forms. 00:16:33.550 --> 00:16:39.410 After what must have been a terrible death,bodies decomposed, leaving eerie cavities 00:16:39.410 --> 00:16:44.490 within the hardened volcanic ash. 00:16:44.490 --> 00:16:49.560 These are casts made by archaeologists afterfilling the hollow spaces with plaster of 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:50.790 Paris, 00:16:50.790 --> 00:16:55.670 forever preserving the forms of the victims,exactly as they were caught at the moment 00:16:55.670 --> 00:17:02.670 of death. 00:17:06.419 --> 00:17:13.419 This man was wearing a wide belt identifyinghis status as a slave. 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:20.740 All slaves had to wear a heavy belt inscribedwith the name and title of their owner. 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:28.549 Two thousand years after death, the peopleof Pompeii still tell a haunting, yet silent 00:17:28.549 --> 00:17:30.380 tale. 00:17:30.380 --> 00:17:35.780 Can we ever understand the destruction ofan entire community, on such an unprecedented 00:17:35.780 --> 00:17:39.730 scale? 00:17:39.730 --> 00:17:46.730 (Act III) 00:17:47.630 --> 00:17:51.630 (In the Shadow of Vesuvius) 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:56.360 [Nimoy] The eruption of Vesuvius in the year79 is comparable to the drama of Mount St 00:17:56.360 --> 00:17:57.220 Helen's 00:17:57.220 --> 00:17:59.850 in the State of Washington in 1980. 00:17:59.850 --> 00:18:06.850 In both cases, volcanic ash was hurled highinto the air, followed by a devastating explosion. 00:18:09.830 --> 00:18:16.830 But the eruption of Vesuvius was 3 times morepowerful than that of Mount St Helen's. 00:18:21.260 --> 00:18:27.039 In just a few hours, two prosperous citiesdisappeared from the face of the earth, 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:34.039 taking with them the great works and accomplishmentsof their inhabitants. 00:18:34.750 --> 00:18:41.480 Where ash and lava once covered the cities,grass and vines slowly took possession of 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:42.730 the land. 00:18:42.730 --> 00:18:48.289 Gradually, the place faded from memory. 00:18:48.289 --> 00:18:52.660 More than 1,500 years would pass before Herculaneumwould be rediscovered. 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:56.030 It was totally by accident. 00:18:56.030 --> 00:19:03.030 In 1709, two monks were sinking a well, whenthey inadvertently struck the marble floor 00:19:03.850 --> 00:19:05.049 of an ancient theater. 00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:07.919 [John J. Dobbins - Associate Professor ofArchaeology, University of Virgina] Pompei 00:19:07.919 --> 00:19:10.150 was also discovered by accident. 00:19:10.150 --> 00:19:15.720 The digging of a canal actually produced partof the city, and it became clear that there 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:16.539 was something there, 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:20.520 and during the early days, excavation wasnot an archaeological enterprise, 00:19:20.520 --> 00:19:25.539 but was really a treasure-hunting activity,in order to provide objects for the royal 00:19:25.539 --> 00:19:26.410 collection. 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:33.410 [Nimoy] During the 17th and 18th centuries,kings from Vienna and Spain ruled Naples. 00:19:37.770 --> 00:19:43.470 To provide their courts with classical statues,Roman gold and silver, they ordered excavations 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:46.000 of the ruins. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:50.669 Plundering the area in search of ancient bounty,treasure-hunters secretly sank 00:19:50.669 --> 00:19:57.289 numerous shafts and tunnels, many of themstill visible today. 00:19:57.289 --> 00:20:04.289 It was only in 1861 that orderly scientificexcavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum began, 00:20:04.350 --> 00:20:08.419 and have continued unabated ever since. 00:20:08.419 --> 00:20:15.419 (Man chattering while typing on keyboard) 00:20:19.470 --> 00:20:26.470 [Nimoy] Today, cutting-edge computer technologyis used by John Dobbins at the University 00:20:27.809 --> 00:20:28.789 of Virginia 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:34.250 to rebuild ancient Pompeii. 00:20:34.250 --> 00:20:39.539 In binary building blocks, he's reconstructing,a 3-dimensional computer images, 00:20:39.539 --> 00:20:42.710 a series of public buildings from the city'sforum. 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:49.710 [Dobbins] There is not evidence of a colony,in front of the sanctuary of the end of Augustus 00:20:49.830 --> 00:20:53.740 So this seems to have been just an open areaat the... 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:57.980 [Nimoy] Modern technology provides uniquenew tools in the search to unravel 00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:02.750 the ancient mysteries of Pompeii and of itsinhabitants. 00:21:02.750 --> 00:21:09.070 [Dobbins] In many ways, Pompeii, more thanany other city in the classical world, demystifies 00:21:09.070 --> 00:21:10.270 ancient life. 00:21:10.270 --> 00:21:15.220 because it puts the modern viewer in closeproximity with all of those aspects. 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:20.880 There is an immediacy, it's possible to connectwith Pompeii, because it is preserved well, 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:25.020 the buildings are tri-dimensional, they aretaller than we are. 00:21:25.020 --> 00:21:29.370 You can go into those houses and have a feelingthat the people have just gone away. 00:21:29.370 --> 00:21:31.919 and that you're stumbling into someone's house. 00:21:31.919 --> 00:21:37.000 [Nimoy] Once inside their homes, a searchfor their belongings brings us closer to the 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:41.110 people who once lived here. 00:21:41.110 --> 00:21:48.110 Walking these silent passages, we brush withphantoms from a long gone civilization. 00:21:49.419 --> 00:21:54.440 Complete dwellings can be explored, allowingthe visitor to vividly travel backwards in 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:57.799 time. 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:04.799 Even the frescoes and the mosaics seem toharbor a life of their own. 00:22:05.030 --> 00:22:10.260 Ancient technology and plumbing laid bare,revealing a remarkably advanced piping system 00:22:10.260 --> 00:22:13.480 for distributing water. 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:19.789 In the panic and confusion of the devastatingvolcanic eruption, everything was left exactly 00:22:19.789 --> 00:22:21.340 as it was, 00:22:21.340 --> 00:22:24.900 including this complete wine shop. 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:29.970 Intact objects of daily life were to be foundeverywhere. 00:22:29.970 --> 00:22:34.870 Even a loaf of ordinary bread, carbonizedby the hot gas of the explosion. 00:22:34.870 --> 00:22:41.870 [Koloski-Ostrow] Pompeii and Herculaneum becomeopportunities for us to time-travel 00:22:42.750 --> 00:22:49.750 to the ancient world: not just time-travelto a century, or to a period or to a decade, 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:57.789 but in fact, time-travel to one day in theancient world, to 24 August 79 C.E. 00:23:00.750 --> 00:23:06.010 and see the moment in which these people mettheir deaths. 00:23:06.010 --> 00:23:12.559 [Nimoy] Obvious everywhere is the enormouswealth and extravagance of the villas of the 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:17.190 well-to-do: 00:23:17.190 --> 00:23:24.190 wall paintings and mosaics of exquisite artistry, 00:23:29.250 --> 00:23:35.110 decorative cosmetic boxes, complete with delicateinstruments, fashioned from wood and ivory, 00:23:35.110 --> 00:23:41.720 solid gold jewelry, embellished with expensivegem stones. 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:48.429 All of these objects conjure the ghosts oftheir owners, recalling a once living, breathing 00:23:48.429 --> 00:23:49.270 society. 00:23:49.270 --> 00:23:55.140 [Dobbins] We actually have some sense of lifebreathed into those ruins by the writings 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:56.250 of Pliny the Younger, 00:23:56.250 --> 00:24:01.929 once again, who describes in tremendous detailthe pleasures of living in these villas. 00:24:01.929 --> 00:24:05.700 They enjoyed their meals, and they enjoyedthat in the proximity of their garden, 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:10.500 with fountains playing and the light comingin, the breeze, dining, water 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:15.370 music and all that. 00:24:15.370 --> 00:24:20.950 [Nimoy] The extent of the wealth enjoyed bysociety is not known. 00:24:20.950 --> 00:24:26.450 But clearly, only a small fraction of thepeople lived in plush opulence. 00:24:26.450 --> 00:24:29.640 [Franklin] There is an incredible difference 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:33.770 between the wealthy and everybody else, youknow, in the Roman world. 00:24:33.770 --> 00:24:38.590 There is essentially no middle class. Thereare only very wealthy people and very poor 00:24:38.590 --> 00:24:39.600 people. 00:24:39.600 --> 00:24:45.730 [Nimoy] The privileged few often spent theirtime in ornate atriums, lavishly decorated 00:24:45.730 --> 00:24:47.409 with art works, 00:24:47.409 --> 00:24:54.409 but mysteriously, much of the decor is essentiallyGreek in origin. 00:24:54.710 --> 00:25:01.120 Alexander the Great, the Greek warrior emperor,in battle. 00:25:01.120 --> 00:25:08.120 This mosaic was found in Pompeii, yet it isan exact copy of a similar work of art made 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:09.909 in Greece. 00:25:09.909 --> 00:25:16.000 Why? Why does so much of Pompeii and Herculaneumspeak so strongly of Greek influence? 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:23.000 [Franklin] The Romans were absolutely overwhelmed,I think, by the Greek World, and then, 00:25:23.590 --> 00:25:25.669 the world that follows Alexander the Great, 00:25:25.669 --> 00:25:31.549 the Hellenistic world of great sophisticationand culture that came to Italy. 00:25:31.549 --> 00:25:33.919 The Romans didn't fight it at all, they gavein and said: 00:25:33.919 --> 00:25:36.029 "Wow, if it's that good, let's make ten copies." 00:25:36.029 --> 00:25:40.750 [Nimoy] Another mosaic reveals a lively sceneof street musicians. 00:25:40.750 --> 00:25:47.750 A delicate work of extraordinary craftsmanship,it bears the signature of the artist who made 00:25:48.470 --> 00:25:49.510 it: 00:25:49.510 --> 00:25:53.559 "Dioscurides of Samos", in Greece. 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:59.600 [Koloski-Ostrow] The themes of the paintingswere frequently adapted from Greek literature. 00:25:59.600 --> 00:26:06.380 And we can understand that it's very likelymany of the painters were Greek slaves, 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:13.380 were actual Greeks who were brought to Pompeiito do the decoration of these houses. 00:26:14.830 --> 00:26:21.830 [Nimoy] Perhaps the most famous of all artworks discovered here are these bronze sculptures, 00:26:22.510 --> 00:26:27.440 depicting two young wrestlers. 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:33.720 Still in mint condition, the were found inthe garden of the Villa dei Papiri, near Herculaneum. 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:40.720 [Dobbins] These are wonderful pieces of artand they will have been done in Greece and 00:26:41.029 --> 00:26:41.580 shipped over. 00:26:41.580 --> 00:26:46.010 There was a major trade in shipping all sortsof statuary over from Greece. 00:26:46.010 --> 00:26:48.150 So, that surely, would be Greek. 00:26:48.150 --> 00:26:53.789 [Franklin] The Romans never were into statuaryand painting. 00:26:53.789 --> 00:26:56.620 This came to them from the Greek world. 00:26:56.620 --> 00:27:00.929 The Romans got to the Greek world, whetherit's here on the bay of Naples or over in 00:27:00.929 --> 00:27:03.000 Greece, with armies 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:08.020 and practicality, and going in and fighting. 00:27:08.020 --> 00:27:13.029 [Nimoy] Most historians conclude that whilethe Romans were emulating and admiring the 00:27:13.029 --> 00:27:13.450 Greeks 00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:20.450 in art and literature, they themselves wereinnovative leaders in more practical fields. 00:27:23.789 --> 00:27:30.789 The extensive use of the arch and concretewere two of their great contributions to civilization. 00:27:35.730 --> 00:27:41.529 Romans conquered the world and built theirempire on the mighty power of the sword, 00:27:41.529 --> 00:27:48.529 but then reinforced it with massive civilengineering skills. 00:27:48.590 --> 00:27:50.690 Little in this world unfolds as we predict. 00:27:50.690 --> 00:27:54.980 The people of Pompeii could not have for seen 00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:59.419 the contributions they would make to the chainof humanity. 00:27:59.419 --> 00:28:06.419 In the first century before the Common Era,the wealthy lounged in luxurious indoor baths, 00:28:06.549 --> 00:28:08.279 illuminated by sunlight. 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:13.970 Thanks to an anonymous Roman, who had inventedglass windows. 00:28:13.970 --> 00:28:20.730 Villas with glass windows would spread throughoutthe Roman empire and the Mediterranean, 00:28:20.730 --> 00:28:26.080 eventually leading to the design of the greenhouse. 00:28:26.080 --> 00:28:30.510 In the ensuing centuries, the popularity ofthe greenhouse would soar, 00:28:30.510 --> 00:28:36.659 inspiring interest in harnessing the powerof the sun. 00:28:36.659 --> 00:28:39.640 This quest would reach bold new types in 1959,when Pioneer IV, 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:46.640 the United States' first solar-powered satellite,was launched into orbit. 00:28:50.529 --> 00:28:56.570 An enduring link to the modern world, Pompeiiand Herculaneum's architectural marvels still 00:28:56.570 --> 00:28:57.510 stand, 00:28:57.510 --> 00:29:01.440 just as they did two millennia ago. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:05.539 (Act IV) 00:29:05.539 --> 00:29:11.700 (The Oldest Obsession) 00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:18.700 [Nimoy] From the ashes of Pompeii, ghostlyeyes stare at us across the centuries. 00:29:21.260 --> 00:29:26.529 Tantalizing clues can be found here, revealingintimate details 00:29:26.529 --> 00:29:27.320 of the relationship between men and women. 00:29:27.320 --> 00:29:34.320 A lady of the house holding a stylus and writingtablet, 00:29:37.080 --> 00:29:40.350 indicating that she is literate and well-educated. 00:29:40.350 --> 00:29:47.350 Though long gone, we even know the names ofsome of these people: Terentius Neo, wife 00:29:48.610 --> 00:29:51.289 of the town baker; 00:29:51.289 --> 00:29:55.710 [Franklin] I would say that they are obviouslya loving couple. 00:29:55.710 --> 00:30:00.120 They have that quality that Roman marriagesare always looking for: 00:30:00.120 --> 00:30:04.779 a husband and wife who actually get alongand spend their lives together. 00:30:04.779 --> 00:30:10.200 Many Romans find true love in their lives,and when you read Roman tombstones, Roman 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:10.730 inscriptions, 00:30:10.730 --> 00:30:12.640 you find that expressed over and over: 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:17.520 "To my incredibly sweet wife, who lived withme without an argument for forty years." 00:30:17.520 --> 00:30:24.120 [Nimoy] This captivating portrait was discoveredin a mansion once owned by a woman 00:30:24.120 --> 00:30:26.240 we know only as Julia Felix. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:32.860 Could this be her? An independent, rich womanof property? 00:30:32.860 --> 00:30:37.510 From evidence that has transcended the centuries,we know that most women lived in a subdued 00:30:37.510 --> 00:30:44.510 and restricted life style, deeply secludedwithin the privacy of their home. 00:30:44.820 --> 00:30:49.020 Those who belonged to an aristocratic family,living in one of the lavish villas, 00:30:49.020 --> 00:30:53.980 would also be responsible for running theday to day affairs of the house and would 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:55.570 manage the slaves. 00:30:55.570 --> 00:31:02.570 But in spite of what we know, the true statusof women in ancient Rome still remains a mystery. 00:31:04.179 --> 00:31:08.809 [Dobbins] Women in the Roman world were noton the same power with men, 00:31:08.809 --> 00:31:13.700 they didn't have the same rights to hold office,they could not vote. 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:20.700 [Franklin] Well-born women at Pompeii, thematrons of these grand houses at Pompeii, 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:26.419 wielded their power very much within the realmof the private household, 00:31:26.419 --> 00:31:30.679 at dinner parties and among the family. 00:31:30.679 --> 00:31:35.600 They certainly would in no way even want acareer. 00:31:35.600 --> 00:31:39.529 It would be unheard of. When we are talkingabout women's liberation today, 00:31:39.529 --> 00:31:43.649 we often talk about the ability of a womanto go out and build a career. 00:31:43.649 --> 00:31:47.120 A Roman woman simply wouldn't want to do that. 00:31:47.120 --> 00:31:54.120 [Nimoy] But one career for women did flourish:the so-called oldest profession in the world. 00:31:56.460 --> 00:32:03.460 In the center of Pompeii stands a very conspicuoushouse: the town's main brothel. 00:32:03.580 --> 00:32:10.580 Six small darkly lit rooms greet the visitor,each one with its own stone bed. 00:32:10.610 --> 00:32:14.419 These would have been covered by fine blanketsand furs. 00:32:14.419 --> 00:32:20.240 But how do we know what activity really tookplace in these rooms? 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:25.970 The paintings on the walls reveal it all,in graphic detail. 00:32:25.970 --> 00:32:30.360 [Koloski-Ostrow] We mustn't over-glamorizethe institution, however. 00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:37.360 The young women were captured slaves, whoworked for a pimp, 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:43.350 no doubt were often abused and underfed, andbrutally treated. 00:32:43.350 --> 00:32:50.350 Yet it was an accepted part of society andany number of Roman gentlemen from all levels 00:32:50.399 --> 00:32:51.610 of society 00:32:51.610 --> 00:32:57.890 would have felt free to use the services thatwere offered there. 00:32:57.890 --> 00:33:01.899 [Nimoy] Paintings which would be termed pornographictoday 00:33:01.899 --> 00:33:06.640 were not restricted to the Roman brothel. 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:11.539 They're found in many private homes of distinguishedcitizens. 00:33:11.539 --> 00:33:16.390 In the entrance hall to the house of the well-establishedfamily named Vettii, 00:33:16.390 --> 00:33:20.600 the visitor is greeted by this explicit painting. 00:33:20.600 --> 00:33:26.120 Excavators also found a remarkable collectionof novel wind chimes, replete with their original 00:33:26.120 --> 00:33:28.120 bells. 00:33:28.120 --> 00:33:31.610 These winged phalluses were used as decorationsin the home, 00:33:31.610 --> 00:33:36.309 were suspended from columns in the garden. 00:33:36.309 --> 00:33:42.730 [Koloski-Ostrow] It shocks us, it makes uswonder about the morality of these people. 00:33:42.730 --> 00:33:49.000 Clearly, this particular figure and many representationsof the nude phallus 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:55.149 found throughout the city, were there as goodluck symbols, as symbols of fertility, 00:33:55.149 --> 00:34:02.149 symbols to shed fertile children and opportunityon a household, not as objects of perversion. 00:34:04.049 --> 00:34:08.549 [Franklin] We really do find ourselves ina completely different world here, 00:34:08.549 --> 00:34:15.549 than the ancients did, I supposed. Becausemany ancient cults are flagrantly orgiastic, 00:34:18.070 --> 00:34:24.079 involve sexuality, and it is used for religiousexpression. 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:31.079 That really got removed from religion, atleast as I understand it, but largely through 00:34:31.179 --> 00:34:31.829 Christianity. 00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:37.159 [Nimoy] Barely discernible fertility symbolscan still be found on many walls in and around 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:37.820 Pompeii. 00:34:37.820 --> 00:34:44.440 [Franklin] When, for example, the site wasbeing excavated in the 18th-19th century, 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:47.179 and the excavators took hatchets to theseand destroyed them, 00:34:47.179 --> 00:34:49.800 because they were obscene beyond belief, 00:34:49.800 --> 00:34:53.889 it tells you a great deal more about yourself,I mean, than it does about the objects, I 00:34:53.889 --> 00:34:54.139 mean 00:34:54.109 --> 00:34:58.540 we all know that there are phalluses in thisworld. 00:34:58.540 --> 00:35:04.570 Sexuality was an ordinary daily part of everyRoman's life, the way it is of most of our 00:35:04.570 --> 00:35:04.839 lives, 00:35:04.839 --> 00:35:07.640 though we don't like to talk about it openly. 00:35:07.640 --> 00:35:13.420 And the idea that you would be hiding sexualityin any way, to an ancient Roman, would just 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.150 - 00:35:14.150 --> 00:35:15.450 would seem absurd. 00:35:15.450 --> 00:35:22.450 [Nimoy] What might seem outrageous today wasconsidered perfectly normal 20 centuries ago. 00:35:23.430 --> 00:35:27.339 (Act V) 00:35:27.339 --> 00:35:34.339 (Roman Life Roman Death) 00:35:35.160 --> 00:35:42.160 [Nimoy] As Pompeii and Herculaneum slowlyyielded their treasures to the modern world, 00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:49.060 what did the artifacts reveal about the workingsof ancient Roman society? 00:35:49.060 --> 00:35:53.800 In confronting the cities' rich aristocrats,we may envy them for their flamboyant life 00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:54.470 style. 00:35:54.470 --> 00:35:59.109 Yet there is a dark side to the story. 00:35:59.109 --> 00:36:06.109 The cities' opulent habits were founded uponhuge reserves of human labor. 00:36:07.579 --> 00:36:13.020 And this, in turn, required a constant provisionof slaves . 00:36:13.020 --> 00:36:16.960 As the Roman Empire marched in triumph acrossconquered territory, 00:36:16.960 --> 00:36:23.589 it consumed vast human resources, absorbingslaves as the spoils of war. 00:36:23.589 --> 00:36:29.380 [Koloski-Ostrow] All the time, capturing citiesmeant killing the men 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:35.910 and taking into slavery the women and childrenof the town, and bringing them wholesale into 00:36:35.910 --> 00:36:36.510 Rome. 00:36:36.510 --> 00:36:41.150 They came from Egypt, they came from Greece,they came from Tunisia. 00:36:41.150 --> 00:36:47.609 They would - it was as much a slave tradeas there was a trade in cloth, in wine, 00:36:47.609 --> 00:36:52.540 and in other articles produce. 00:36:52.540 --> 00:36:59.540 [Nimoy] In this massive structure, many aslave saw his last moments on earth. 00:37:01.820 --> 00:37:07.650 Together with many prisoners of war and convictedcriminals, death would come violently 00:37:07.650 --> 00:37:14.650 as victims were forced to compete in the arena. 00:37:17.560 --> 00:37:22.599 Known as the gladiator games, they took placehere, in a massive amphitheater, 00:37:22.599 --> 00:37:27.210 which accommodated up to 20,000 spectators. 00:37:27.210 --> 00:37:32.849 All of Pompeii's population would gather toenjoy the bloody spectacle of people fighting 00:37:32.849 --> 00:37:39.849 for their lives. 00:37:40.390 --> 00:37:45.490 One of the most popular forms of entertainmentwas the fight-to-death contest. 00:37:45.490 --> 00:37:52.490 A heavily armed gladiator, wearing a bronzehelmet and shield, bearing only a short sword, 00:37:52.619 --> 00:37:57.540 would be pitched against a completely nakedopponent equipped with a long spear and a 00:37:57.540 --> 00:37:58.359 net. 00:37:58.359 --> 00:38:05.359 It was brutal, a source of cheap thrills forthe blood-thirsty audience. 00:38:05.930 --> 00:38:12.930 [Dobbins] This was an institutionalized violence, 00:38:13.900 --> 00:38:20.119 as there are many institutionalized acts ofwhat we would call violence in our own society: 00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:27.119 executions and wars. And yet we consider thatthose are appropriate under certain circumstances. 00:38:27.950 --> 00:38:34.140 [Nimoy] Most slaves were kept, not as fighters,but as servants. 00:38:34.140 --> 00:38:39.960 Large villas had up to 50 slaves, eternallyembroiled in the hustle-bustle of household 00:38:39.960 --> 00:38:40.560 service. 00:38:40.560 --> 00:38:46.020 [Franklin] There are so many slaves in Romanantiquity and in Pompeii in particular, 00:38:46.020 --> 00:38:48.190 because that was a way to keep alive. 00:38:48.190 --> 00:38:54.609 The wealthy needed a whole household of slavesbecause there was no middle class, 00:38:54.609 --> 00:38:56.390 no industry the way we have it. 00:38:56.390 --> 00:39:02.710 So they couldn't go to the tailor: there essentiallywere no tailors, you had to have 00:39:02.710 --> 00:39:07.810 a dress-maker, a tailor, a shoemaker, allof that, on your personal staff. 00:39:07.810 --> 00:39:12.730 [Nimoy] To better understand the people ofPompeii, it is important to remember that 00:39:12.730 --> 00:39:17.660 two thousand years ago, the law was supreme. 00:39:17.660 --> 00:39:20.869 Civic responsibility was taken very seriously. 00:39:20.869 --> 00:39:27.790 Sometimes, these concepts drove people apart,including fathers and their sons. 00:39:27.790 --> 00:39:32.890 [Franklin] The father has complete legal power. 00:39:32.890 --> 00:39:37.790 He could kill any of his children at any timefor disobedience, 00:39:37.790 --> 00:39:42.640 and there are great episodes, particularlyin early Roman history, which makes one wonder 00:39:42.640 --> 00:39:47.690 about the veracity of them, of fathers doingexactly that. 00:39:47.690 --> 00:39:53.130 A consul orders his son not to engage theenemy in battle. 00:39:53.130 --> 00:39:57.390 The son engages the enemy in battle and hasa great success, 00:39:57.390 --> 00:40:02.270 and he comes back and his father kills him,because the father had told him not to engage 00:40:02.270 --> 00:40:02.670 the enemy. 00:40:02.670 --> 00:40:06.630 And there's nothing that can be said aboutit: that his right as a father. 00:40:06.630 --> 00:40:13.200 [Nimoy] Although, today, we subscribe to lawsand virtues similar to those of the Pompeians, 00:40:13.200 --> 00:40:18.730 they held their own beliefs about the sanctityof human life. 00:40:18.730 --> 00:40:25.730 [Franklin] They don't have this sacred viewfor life - the way we do - 00:40:25.869 --> 00:40:30.230 I'm sure each of them had it for his own life,but when it came to life in general, 00:40:30.230 --> 00:40:31.339 well, people die. 00:40:31.339 --> 00:40:38.339 There were so many poor people that you seedeath all of the time. 00:40:41.040 --> 00:40:48.040 [Nimoy] Their attitudes on death and justiceseems foreign to us today. 00:40:50.750 --> 00:40:54.319 Roman values were quite different from theJudeo-Christian tradition 00:40:54.319 --> 00:41:01.050 that was being introduced to the Western Worldat that time. 00:41:01.050 --> 00:41:08.050 [Koloski-Ostrow] There is no text or bookor Bible with a set of morals that the Romans 00:41:08.839 --> 00:41:09.810 follow. 00:41:09.810 --> 00:41:13.480 Religion, to the Romans, is very much a ritual. 00:41:13.480 --> 00:41:20.480 And without that moral superstructure, withouta text or a set of relgious rules and regulations 00:41:20.940 --> 00:41:27.940 that you're following in some way, it makessociety much freer in terms of what's allowed. 00:41:28.260 --> 00:41:35.260 [Nimoy] In the years since 79, when Pompeiiand Herculaneum met their doom, 00:41:35.530 --> 00:41:38.660 Vesuvius has erupted more than 70 times. 00:41:38.660 --> 00:41:44.030 [Journalist] Vesuvius once again strikes terrorinto the surrounding Italian countryside. 00:41:44.030 --> 00:41:51.030 A giant wall of lava, in some places 30-feethigh, circles irresistibly forward through 00:41:51.109 --> 00:41:52.390 field and farm. 00:41:52.390 --> 00:41:59.390 [Nimoy] In 1944, as Italy reeled from theclosing phases of World War II, Vesuvius erupted 00:42:00.210 --> 00:42:01.150 again. 00:42:01.150 --> 00:42:05.349 But unlike the eruption that devastated Pompeii,this time, 00:42:05.349 --> 00:42:09.849 the volcano spewed deadly molten lava as wellas ash. 00:42:09.849 --> 00:42:16.849 The flow moved at a swift 12 feet per minute,destroying entire towns and villages in its 00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:26.980 path. 00:42:26.980 --> 00:42:33.980 The worst eruption occurred in 1631, when18,000 lost their lives. 00:42:36.980 --> 00:42:43.980 [Journalist] Vesuvius, unpredictable and unconquerable,has had its way. 00:42:47.869 --> 00:42:54.869 [Nimoy] Today, the mountain is silent onceagain, its anger long vented. 00:42:57.250 --> 00:43:01.250 And Vesuvius broods like a great sentinelabove the landscape. 00:43:01.250 --> 00:43:08.250 At its feet lie only the ruins and remainsof a once proud Roman heritage 00:43:08.270 --> 00:43:12.400 in which many mysteries yet prevail. 00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:19.369 [Franklin] The mystery is that although wehave all of these objects, 00:43:19.369 --> 00:43:22.440 like we have no place else in all of the Romanworld, 00:43:22.440 --> 00:43:27.859 these people are still just beyond our grasp. 00:43:27.859 --> 00:43:32.130 The human element there, which we share withthem helps, but they are - 00:43:32.130 --> 00:43:34.930 they're just beyond our grasp. 00:43:34.930 --> 00:43:41.930 [Koloski-Ostrow] Pompeii offers a wonderfulpoetic magic for all of us. 00:43:42.310 --> 00:43:46.800 It makes us touch our own feelings about lifeand death, 00:43:46.800 --> 00:43:51.440 yet at the same time that we feel that emotionand that we feel 00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:55.819 such sympathy for the victims of that eruption, 00:43:55.819 --> 00:44:01.490 as we uncover the pumice stones and removethe pyroclastic mud flows, 00:44:01.490 --> 00:44:07.170 we have to realize we're coming into a worldof enormous cultural difference and this - 00:44:07.170 --> 00:44:12.260 the quest for that truth is what the archaeologist'smission must be. 00:44:12.260 --> 00:44:19.260 [Nimoy] In one dreadful night, a volcano entombedan entire ancient community. 00:44:20.770 --> 00:44:25.819 But in spite of the evidence that lies here,it is difficult to comprehend a society so 00:44:25.819 --> 00:44:28.430 remote from our own. 00:44:28.430 --> 00:44:32.300 The people of Pompeii may continue to remaina mystery to us for all time.