庞贝是一座古罗马城市，位于那不勒斯湾岸边。公元79年，这座古罗马帝国最繁荣的城市因维苏威火山爆发而在19小时之后彻底消失。
　　“你可以听到女人们在抽泣、孩子们在哭叫、男人们在呼喊。许多人把他们的手举向天神，然而更多的人却不再相信有天神的存在，而认定这是世界的一个无尽黑夜。 ——小普林尼
　　
　　一切持续了19个小时。
　　随后，这里便只留下一场漫长而死寂的沉默。庞贝被掩埋了近1700年，直到1748年考古学家才逐渐开始从九英尺深的火山灰下发掘出这座古城。
　　人们从凝固了的火山灰里拯救出这所城市大约五分之三的部分。然而仍然有许多问题在长时间内无法解答。火山之下的生活是怎样的呢？公元79年的那个夏日到底发生过什么？
　　
　　八月里的两天
　　
　　公元79年8月24日
　　下午1时：一柱浓烟从维苏威火山喷射而出，直冲9英里的天空。人们四处环望，十分惊恐。当第一团火山灰落到屋顶上时，他们意识到这是该逃生的时候了。大部分人都停下来收拾尽可能多的物品：钱财、珠宝，还有家犬。每个人都朝街道奔去。有些人认为海是他们通往安全的道路，而那些没有坐船逃生的人则聚集在海滩上。
　　午夜：火山灰堆积而成的烟云弥漫在空中，足足有19英里厚，熔岩的洪流从维苏威火山上奔腾而下。
　　
　　公元79年8月25日
　　凌晨1点：气体和火山灰覆盖了这个城镇，维苏威火山炙热的空气在转瞬之间就夺去了逃亡者的性命。他们身陷900华氏度（约482℃）的烟云围困中，即时因热冲击而死。
　　上午7时：一阵猛烈的火山爆发夺走了庞贝城剩余居民的生命。
　　上午8时：寂静笼罩了庞贝城和赫库兰尼姆城。
　　
　　被掩埋的庞贝城
　　维苏威火山喷发的年代，庞贝城还是一个富庶的罗马商贸城镇，以其鲜鱼酱和华丽的别墅闻名。庞贝城的两万名居民中有一半是儿童。城中的妇女平均身高为4英尺半（约1.4米），寿命为39岁。而男人则稍高几英寸，寿命可达到41岁。
　　庞贝人把他们的积蓄都倾注到住房上。在富裕人家的住宅里，我们可以找到美丽的花园，装饰着绘有植物和花朵的壁画。此外那里还有许多先进的便利设施。流通于空心墙和地板下的暖气为每个房间供热，而居民在当时已经可以享受到自来水。
　　整个城市有一个很好的控水和供水系统。水从一个大储水池流出，经过地下管道进入排水系统，再汇入沟渠。最后，水在城中住宅、公共建筑和喷泉中再流出。
　　有些设备甚至与现代机器惊人地相似。比如，任何一个出行的庞贝人都知道自己走了多远的路程。这是因为他们使用一种系在车轮上的设备，每走一里，就有一颗小石子掉进小盒子里。
　　
　　让最古老的庞贝城重见天日
　　墙壁的痕迹说明这所城市自公元前6世纪以来就被占领。但最有趣的发现却是埋藏在今天游客们瞻仰的遗址之下的那些3世纪的房屋遗址。这便带出了一个3世纪的地下聚居地—一座未被维苏威火山湮没的庞贝城。
　　当时，庞贝处于萨姆尼人的统治之下—这是一个神秘的古老民族，居住在意大利中南部的山区，并于公元前6世纪左右扩张至庞贝地区。
　　从公元前343年开始，萨姆尼人和罗马之间发生过三次战争。他们丧失了对意大利中南部的控制权，最后在公元前82年被路奇乌斯·柯尔涅里乌斯·苏拉彻底击败。萨姆尼人被击败以后，庞贝在公元前80年沦为罗马的一个殖民地，后来成为罗马富人最喜欢的一个地方。然而，近来的发现却显示萨姆尼人早在维苏威火山喷发的三个世纪之前就已经使庞贝成为一个繁荣的城镇了。
　　萨姆尼人统治下的庞贝城建在朝南递降的梯级上，这种设计便于疏导雨水。通过对半人马之屋的挖掘，人们发现了美妙的马塞克地板。屋子有一个宽敞的中庭，中庭屋顶中央敞开，以便把雨水汇集到一个池塘里。
　　


　　在接下来的那个世纪里，庞贝逐渐发展成今天每年有两百万游客到访的城镇。阶梯和狭窄的街道消失了，而新房子在老房子的顶上盖起来，使这所城镇显得较为平坦和规则。
　　
　　赫库兰尼姆古城
　　
　　赫库兰尼姆古城在18世纪被发现，当时它被75尺凝固的火山灰覆盖着。赫库兰尼姆古城的重要性无法得到突显，这是由于挖掘所遇到的难题。这座城市在庞贝和维苏威火山的映衬之下显得黯然失色。然而在古代，赫库兰尼姆却是一座梦幻般的城市。从赫库兰尼姆古城俯瞰，整个那不勒斯湾尽收眼底，城中布满了美丽的别墅和花园。
　　对这古老的海滨城市进行长达18年的挖掘之后，人们终于得出在这次史上最著名的火山爆发中受难者死因的确证。
　　挖掘过程中发现了300具尸体，它们是赫库兰尼姆人口重要而珍贵的样本。成年人的尸体在表层处被发现，其中许多还带着钱和贵重物品；更深一层则是儿童和婴儿。
　　最引人注目的是，科学家们发现了80具几乎完好无缺的尸体。长期以来人们都推测这些受难者死于窒息。但是，一项对骨折情况和残骸位置的研究却显示，当岩浆热浪席卷海滩那一瞬间，逃亡者们即时死于其所造成的热冲击。赫库兰尼姆在数秒之间陷入炽烤之中。
　　这80个人并未展示任何进行自我保护的反应或者痛苦的迹象。他们还没来得及作出反应，就已经失去了性命。
　　
　　Pompeii What Lies Beneath
　　by Rossella Lorenzi
　　
　　“You could hear women weeping, children crying, men shouting. Many raised their hands to the gods, and even more believed that there were no gods any longer and that this was one endless night for the world.”—— Pliny the Younger
　　
　　It all lasted 19 hours.
　　Then, there was only a long, deathly silence. Pompeii lay buried for nearly 1,700 years. It wasn't until 1748 that 1)archaeologists began slowly uncovering the ancient city, nine feet under 2)volcanic ash.
　　About three-fifths of the city has been saved from the 3)solidified volcanic ash. But many questions remained unanswered for a long time. What was life like under the volcano? What exactly did happen that summer day in A.D. 79?
　　
　　Two Days in August
　　
　　Aug. 24, A.D. 79
　　1 PM: When the people saw a 4)column of smoke 5)bursting from Vesuvius, reaching nine miles into the sky, they looked around, astonished. As the first ash fell on the roofs of their houses, they understood it was time to run. Most stopped to gather as many belongings as they could: money, jewels, the family dogs. Everybody rushed into the streets. Some thought the sea was their 6)route to safety; those who didn't try to escape on boats gathered on the beach.
　　Midnight: The cloud reached almost 19 miles into the sky, and a flood of 7)lava poured down Vesuvius.
　　
　　Aug. 25, A.D. 79
　　1 AM: A cloud of gas and ash 8)plunged down on the town; the hot breath of Vesuvius killed the 9)fugitives in 10)a fraction of a second. They were surrounded by a 900-degree Fahrenheit (about 482℃)cloud, and died of 11)thermal shock immediately.
　　7 AM: A powerful surge killed the remaining 12)inhabitants of Pompeii.
　　8 AM: Silence fell on Pompeii and Herculaneum.
　　
　　The Buried Pompeii
　　At the time Mount Vesuvius 13)erupted, Pompeii was a wealthy Roman trading town, famous for its fish sauce and grand 14)villas. Of Pompeii’s 20,000 inhabitants, half were children. The average Pompeian woman was 4 1/2 feet (about 1.4 meters) tall and lived to the age of 39. The average man was a few inches taller and could expect to live to the age of 41.
　　Pompeians poured their savings into their houses. Inwealthy people’s homes, we can find beautiful gardens 15)decorated with 16)frescoes of plants and flowers. There were plenty of modern 17)conveniences. Each room was heated by hot air running through 18)cavity walls and spaces under the floors. Inhabitants could enjoy running water at that time.
　　The whole city had a very good system for the control and 19)distribution of water. From a great 20)reservoir, water flowed through underground pipelines into 21)drainage systems and into 22)aqueducts. It reappeared in the city’s houses, public buildings and fountains.
　　Some of the equipment show a surprising similarity to modern machines. For example, any Pompeian taking a trip knew how far he had traveled. They used equipment 23)attached to the wheel of a cart. For every mile, it dropped a 24)pebble into a box.
　　
　　Bringing the Oldest Pompeii to Light
　　Traces of walls show that the city was 25)occupied since the sixth century B.C. But the most interesting findings are the remains of third-century houses beneath the ones that visitors admire today. This brought to light an underground third-century settlement - the Pompeii that Mount Vesuvius did not bury.
　　At that time, Pompeii was ruled by the Samnites - a 26)mysterious ancient people who inhabited the mountains of southern central Italy, and expanded to the Pompeii area around the sixth century B.C.
　　Beginning in 343 B.C., the Samnites fought three wars with Rome. They lost control of central and southern Italy, and were finally crushed in 82 B.C. by Lucius Cornelius Sulla. As the Samnites were 27)defeated, Pompeii became a Roman colony in 80 B.C. and later a favorite place for wealthy Romans. However, recent finds have shown that the Samnites made it a successful town three centuries before Vesuvius erupted.
　　The Samnite Pompeii was built on steps 28)degrading toward the south, in order to make rainwater flow down easily. Digging beneath the House of the 29)Centaur showed a wonderful mosaic floor. It had a large 30)atrium with its roof open in the middle to collect rainwater in a pool.
　　In the following century, Pompeii slowly turned into the town that 2 million yearly visitors admire today. The steps and the narrow streets disappeared, while new houses were built on top of the old ones, making the town more 31)even and regular.
　　
　　Herculaneum
　　
　　The ancient Roman city of Herculaneum was discovered in the 18th century, buried under 75 feet of solidified ash. Herculaneum could not stand out in all its importance because of problems with digging. It has always been 32)overshadowed by Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Yet, in ancient times, Herculaneum was a dream town. Overlooking the Bay of Naples, it had a 33)cluster of wonderful villas and gardens.
　　An 18-year dig near the ancient seashore has provided the 34)conclusive evidence on how the 35)victims of history’s most famous volcanic explosion died.
　　The excavation uncovered 300 bodies, an important and precious sample of Herculaneum’s population. Bodies of adults were found on the surface, many carrying money and valuable objects; deeper down were children and newborns.
　　Most of all, scientists found 80 nearly undamaged bodies. It has long been assumed that the victims died from 36)asphyxiation. But a study of the bone 37)fractures and the position of the remains shows that the fugitives died immediately from thermal shock when the surge rained down on the beach area. Herculaneum was 38)baked in seconds.
　　These 80 people do not show any evidence of self-protective reaction or suffering. They were killed before they had time to display a reaction.
　　
　　注：对庞贝的末日最可信和最详细的记录来自罗马学者小普林尼。在一封给罗马历史学家塔西图（Tacitus）的信中，他写下了维苏威火山爆发时的情景。文章开头的那段描述就是摘自他的这封信。