Century, “History is not the past. It is the stories we tell about the past. How we tell these stories – triumphantly or self-critically, metaphysically or dialectally – has a lot to do with whether we cut short or advance our evolution as human beings.” If history is not the past, then how may we unveil the truth behind past predicaments, and how they were handled, without the blight of bias? How may we acknowledge our ancestors, and learn from their experiences? What are we if not our history?

The (approximately 20,000) citizens of the prosperous city of Pompeii were long accustomed to the frequent though faint tremors that rocked the earth of their home; thus, upon feeling the ground gently quiver on (that fateful date in) October 24, 79 AD, the preponderance of the populace were unconcerned. Pompeii was one of an abundance of towns within the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, a stratovolcano in modern-day Italy.

It was an early autumn morning, and smaller fissures and releases of ash and smoke on the mountain went largely unnoticed, the residents of the region much too preoccupied with their own established routines. Promptly, in a manner quite parallel to the/a (frightful powerful earthquake/occurrence) seventeen years prior, the ground began to vibrate especially violently; the residents were in a panic, many attempting to evacuate (in a frenzied (fashion)).

(At approximately 1:00 pm, Mount Vesuvius cataclysmically erupted, spewing up a high-altitude column from which ash and pumice began to fall, blanketing the area — frantic rescues and escapes transpired during this time. Lights seen on the mountain were perceived as flames. Individuals as far away as Misenum fled for their lives. Subsequently, pyroclastic flows of the volcano emerged; the flows were rapid-moving, dense, and scalding, toppling wholly or partly all structures in their path, incinerating or suffocating all population remaining there and altering the landscape, including the coastline. These were accompanied by additional light tremors and a mild tsunami in the Bay of Naples. By evening of the second day, the eruption was over, leaving only haze in the atmosphere through which the sun shone weakly/dimly.)

Vesuvius was dormant for centuries and no eruption was recorded in memory until 79 AD. Due to this unfortunate lack of information, the inhabitants of the Campanian towns could not foresee the fatal and grave consequences of a volcanic explosion; many remained stationed in their hometowns and houses, assuming that the catastrophe would be short-termed, and (only result in a mere fraction of the destruction that transpired in actuality.)

This catastrophic disaster lingered in the minds of many; in the years following, all tensions and dynamics of the Roman world became increasingly focused and intensified. As the society strove to rebuild and recover itself, a competitive, ambitious and treacherous world was revealed. New money challenged ol