Pliny's Letters
Pliny the Younger (nephew of Pliny the elder) was seventeen years old. About 25 years later he recounted the events that took place in two letter which he wrote to historian Tacitus. This extract shows how the earthquake would have been in the area surrounding Pompeii, based on accounts from his uncles sailors who managed to escape.
"The cloud was rising from a mountain - at such a distance we couldn't tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long "trunk" from which spread some "branches." I imagine it had been raised by a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that its own weight caused it to spread sideways. Some of the cloud was white, in other parts there were dark patches of dirt and ash. ... Broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night... The buildings were being rocked by a series of strong tremors, and appeared to have come loose from their foundations and to be sliding this way and that. Outside, however, there was danger from the rocks that were coming down, light and fire-consumed as these bits of pumice were ... It was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night ... Then came a smell of sulphur, announcing the flames, and the flames themselves."
Pliny also recounted his uncles death, after receiving stories from his sailors who managed to escape. In this extract, Pliny describes how the eruption effected Misenum where he was stationed, close enough to have felt the effects but far enough away so that it was not completely destroyed.
"There had been tremors for many days previously, a common occurrence in Campania and no cause for panic. But that night the shaking grew much stronger; people thought it was an earthquake, not just a tremor ... Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. All around us buildings are shaken .... In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea creatures were left on dry sand. Behind us were frightening dark clouds, rent by lightning twisted and hurled, opening to reveal huge figures of flame. These were like lightning, but bigger ... Now came the dust, though still thinly. I look back: a dense cloud looms behind us, following us like a flood poured across the land. We had scarcely sat down when a darkness came that was not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms ... It grew lighter, though that seemed not a return of day, but a sign that the fire was approaching. The fire itself actually stopped some distance away, but darkness and ashes came again, a great weight of them ... At last the cloud thinned out and dwindled to no more than smoke or fog. Soon there was real daylight. The sun was even shining, though with the lurid glow it has after an eclipse. The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow."
Pliny the Younger's letters were written about 25 years after the eruption, and at the request of historian Tacitus who was looking for more information about Pliny the Elder's death. These letters are extremely significant and of high historical value because of the detailed and accurate depiction of the events that transpired, due to Pliny's previous scientific and academic background. His observations led modern volcanologists to name the eruption he described 'Plinian Eruptions.' They are the only surviving eye witness accounts of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.
"The cloud was rising from a mountain - at such a distance we couldn't tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long "trunk" from which spread some "branches." I imagine it had been raised by a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that its own weight caused it to spread sideways. Some of the cloud was white, in other parts there were dark patches of dirt and ash. ... Broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night... The buildings were being rocked by a series of strong tremors, and appeared to have come loose from their foundations and to be sliding this way and that. Outside, however, there was danger from the rocks that were coming down, light and fire-consumed as these bits of pumice were ... It was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night ... Then came a smell of sulphur, announcing the flames, and the flames themselves."
Pliny also recounted his uncles death, after receiving stories from his sailors who managed to escape. In this extract, Pliny describes how the eruption effected Misenum where he was stationed, close enough to have felt the effects but far enough away so that it was not completely destroyed.
"There had been tremors for many days previously, a common occurrence in Campania and no cause for panic. But that night the shaking grew much stronger; people thought it was an earthquake, not just a tremor ... Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. All around us buildings are shaken .... In addition, it seemed as though the sea was being sucked backwards, as if it were being pushed back by the shaking of the land. Certainly the shoreline moved outwards, and many sea creatures were left on dry sand. Behind us were frightening dark clouds, rent by lightning twisted and hurled, opening to reveal huge figures of flame. These were like lightning, but bigger ... Now came the dust, though still thinly. I look back: a dense cloud looms behind us, following us like a flood poured across the land. We had scarcely sat down when a darkness came that was not like a moonless or cloudy night, but more like the black of closed and unlighted rooms ... It grew lighter, though that seemed not a return of day, but a sign that the fire was approaching. The fire itself actually stopped some distance away, but darkness and ashes came again, a great weight of them ... At last the cloud thinned out and dwindled to no more than smoke or fog. Soon there was real daylight. The sun was even shining, though with the lurid glow it has after an eclipse. The sight that met our still terrified eyes was a changed world, buried in ash like snow."
Pliny the Younger's letters were written about 25 years after the eruption, and at the request of historian Tacitus who was looking for more information about Pliny the Elder's death. These letters are extremely significant and of high historical value because of the detailed and accurate depiction of the events that transpired, due to Pliny's previous scientific and academic background. His observations led modern volcanologists to name the eruption he described 'Plinian Eruptions.' They are the only surviving eye witness accounts of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.
Limitations
Pliny's letters are the only surviving first hand account from a witness of the eruption. As a result of this there is no way we can corroborate this with other pieces to test it's validity. For the most part science has backed up what Pliny discussed which does give the letters some validity. However it is also important to note that these were also written approximately 25 years after the initial event to Tacitus. It is very likely that some of the finer details could have been forgotten. As for the second letter, in which he talks about what his uncle's sailor's told him, it is also likely that their stories were incorrect. As mentioned previously, science and study has been able to back up the majority of what Pliny has said so that this can be used as a somewhat reliable source. As with this and other primary sources, we must take them as they are. Secondary sources can help to make sense of primary sources that are difficult to decipher, but they are also subject to bias which may come from science or opinion.