A Dangerous Beauty

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if time simply stood still? Well, I have. I guess that is not too shocking coming from someone who has always had an overactive imagination, but an interesting thought, nonetheless, right?! Believe me when I say, I witnessed time standing still. Last week, we visited Pompeii; the ancient Roman city that was buried beneath soot and rubble after the massive eruption of Mount Vecuvious in 79AD. A town that was known for its wealth, luxury, and beauty died in a flash.

The Pompeii city center with Vecuvious looming in the background. 

That is what is so incredible about this town. Many people do not know this, but there were actually four towns that were swept away in the wrath of the "mountain", but Pompeii was the most developed. And because the city was hit with a soot and smoke combination, not boiling lava, everything in the city was just buried under rocks for centuries and preserved, only to be discovered again in the 1740s. 

 

A plastered cavity of a Pompeiian
attempting to escape the invading smoke,
thus suffocating. 

This program has been amazing and has taken us to some pretty unbelievable places, but I might go out on a limb here and say that Pompeii has been my favorite so far. The mystery, the wonder, the tragedy; this town is so marvelous and so fascinating! I love the history and the stories. Though morbid, it is amazing how the ash has preserved the cavities where the trapped bodies once lay and we can learn so much about the lives of the people who lived here and died here. 

Or maybe I like Vecuvious' strength. She was reckless, she had no rules or limits, her path was her own. She was imaginative and free. She was a kind of beauty that was dangerous, and for that all the more alluring.