Back in May, I visited Naples for a conference, described in this post. While there I also got the chance to visit the ruined city of Pompeii. Pompeii was a Roman settlement almost 2000 years ago when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and showered the city in ash, suffocating the citizens and burying the city. The eruption was so strong that some estimate that the top of the volcano was blown off and the height of Mount Vesuvius was halved.

Now, much of the city has been excavated, land cleared away and millions of tourists roam the city’s stone streets every year exploring the way life was in the city. Along with other conference attendees, we toured parts of the old city and heard from the tour guide about what life may have been like. We also got to see what life is currently like in Pompeii. There are many, many tourists but also many stray dogs. They live in and around the ruins of Pompeii, mostly oblivious of the tourists. Although, on the bright, hot and sunny day I was there, the dogs seemed to hog all of the little shade that was available. The dogs were either much smarter than the people or were enjoying a prank on us. I tend to lean towards the latter possibility. But the dogs mostly kept to themselves and were very docile.

The ruins were interesting, when we entered we saw the grand square from which there were many shops, and malls, kind of like ancient supermarkets for people to buy fish, meat, and vegetables. I also got to see a bar, which apparently, and according to the tour guide, doubled as a brothel. So, I guess people had many of the same interests 2000 years ago as today: booze and sex. Go figure. But there was also numerous statues and decorations that survived the excavations, including a great statue of Pan. I didn’t know this at the time, the word “panic” is derived from the God Pan. He wasn’t so nice it seems.

While we saw many different facets of daily life in Pompeii, it was seeing what happened to life in Pompeii that was striking. I am not sure if I can imagine what it must have been like. To wake up to the air smelling of sulphur, choking and burning in the throat. To see the end of your world in such a dramatic way, and knowing that your neighbours and friends and children and parents are facing the same doom. These people clearly suffered before they became entombed in the falling volcanic ash.

It is very sad to see the mummified remains of the poor beings that were trapped in Pompeii. The image on the left is that of a pregnant woman, laying face down, trying to protect herself and baby from the ash, all for naught. On the right is a poor dog that had been chained while the ash fell. The dog was clearly thrashing fighting the ash, fighting its chain, trying in vain until its last breathe to escape. The tour guide mentioned that tourists always seem more moved by the dog than by any of the people. A small comment about how people relate to animals I guess. I think people are more moved, because in the thrashing movements, one can see the desperation and panic as well as the determination.

Pompeii is a piece of ancient history, and while I got to glimpse into the daily lives of people, I also received a simple lesson into how fickle life and nature are. Life is an incredibly complex phenomenon, how life formed on Earth is still mysterious, how life ends is not. Only a small change in conditions can destroy a city, only a twitch of nature can decimate a population be it volcanos or earthquakes, or if you are a dinosaur, an asteroid. But, walking around Pompeii is also a reminder of the resilience of life. In the last two thousand years, the nearby city of Naples grew into a modern metropolis, people would dig up some of the marble and granite in Pompeii for their own homes (before it became an excavations and UNESCO site), and of course, stray dogs that returned to usurp the shade from tourists.

I walked out Pompeii with a bit more appreciation of life and how easy it can end. That might sound depressing, but it reminded me to enjoy it, and not waste it. I walked out appreciating the sunlight, and clear skies a little, if not the 30 degree celsius heat.