Records of Pompeii's Survivors #
- The article discusses the recent discovery of records about the survivors of the Pompeii eruption.
- It highlights the work of a historian who researched the fate of Pompeians after the disaster.
- The article uses the analogy of modern-day refugee crises to highlight the potential difficulties faced by the survivors.
Pliny the Younger's Letters #
- Pliny the Younger's letters provide a firsthand account of the eruption, describing the death of his uncle Pliny the Elder and his own observations of the tragedy.
- These letters provide valuable insights into the immediate events and the impact of the eruption on the people of Pompeii.
Debates about Survivor Treatment #
- Some commentators believe that the survivors of Pompeii were not treated well by the surrounding communities.
- They argue that these survivors were likely displaced and faced difficulties integrating into new communities, potentially facing prejudice and economic hardship.
- However, others argue there's minimal evidence to support this claim. They point out that some survivors did find success in new areas.
The Rich vs. the Poor #
- Some suggest that the wealthy survivors of Pompeii were better equipped to survive the disaster than the less affluent.
- This argument is based on the belief that wealthier individuals had access to better resources and transportation, allowing them to escape more easily.
- However, others argue that there is little evidence to support this claim, citing the fact that many wealthy Pompeians were also victims of the eruption, and conversely, some poor people survived.
The Impact of Historical Context #
- The article acknowledges the difficulty of comparing historical events with modern-day situations.
- It highlights the importance of considering the cultural and social context of ancient Rome, which greatly differed from our current understanding of migration and refugees.
- The article emphasizes the need for caution when drawing parallels between ancient and modern events.
Top Quotes: #
This is an English translation of the two letters written by Pliny the Younger to the Roman historian Tacitus. The first letter describes the journey of his uncle Pliny the Elder during which he perished. The second one describes his own observations in a town across the bay.
It didn't even seem to occur to the author that foreign people in circumstances like these examples would very likely have been enslaved in those times. I am not sure there was even any other possibility for them!?
Nothing changes. A buddy always says nothing has actually changed in 20,000 years... Based on the description and other accounts of the bodies, sometimes found to be attached to the buildings... that the wealthy survived while abandoning anyone else not "worth it".
So he's only searching on unique names, which is an (understandable) bias, and only found 200 out of thousands of people, while saying there are way too few bodies. There's literally zero evidence to support the fact that the rich bugged out, and only the poor died. In fact, there's evidence to the contrary, with multiple poor people found, and lots of those that didn't do well, their wealth unknown prior to te event.
That's a very "end of history" level of understanding of history and archaelogy. History is inherently political because it's shaped by our own politics as much as it is a study of the politics of the past.