Talk:Pompeii
Add topicDate of destruction:
Recent analysis argues that the eruption and devestation took place in the fall rather than in August. The evidence for the later date includes a graffito with "October 17th" (in today's dating) written in it and the presence of autumn fruits, coins minted in September of the year of the eruption (though, it has been suggested that the dates are scribal(?) errors [1], and the wearing of autumnal clothing [2] and the EnglishWikipedia article on the city, which cites "Stefani, Grete (October 2006). La vera data dell'eruzione. Archeo." This contradicts the traditional dating based on Pliny's eye-witness account written decades later, which is translated as including the naming of the day he saw the eruption as August 24th (Epistulae VI.16, VI.20 on http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2811/2811-h/2811-h.htm). See also https://www.thoughtco.com/mt-vesuvius-worlds-most-famous-volcano-120404 . On the other hand, https://www.wired.com/2008/09/condiments-nail-down-plinys-vesuvius-eruption-date/ re-affirms the original dating, citing analyses of fish sauce (the cited sources do not come up for me). The detailed study of the fish sauce and conclusions related to the season are at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oa.2783 .
- The evidence for the autumn date is pretty strong, but our article is probably confusing to uninformed readers since it begins giving the autumn date but later says, "Recent research has questioned the day of the eruption, with some scholars arguing for an autumn date." Apparently, the August date was in an earlier version of our article, thus instigating the "questioning" -- of some-thing that is no longer there. I suggest that this later sentence be removed or changed after giving the traditional, August date, with a discussion of the transcription issue and the food and graffito evidence.Kdammers (talk) 16:45, 31 May 2026 (UTC)