The great escape from Vesuvius

QUESTION What was the fate of the refugees from the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius?

There’s an assumption that when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, everyone was wiped out.

While that’s largely true for herculaneum, it took three days for Pompeii to be destroyed and covered in ash. Upwards of 15,000 people escaped.

Professor steven Tuck, chair of classics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, found evidence of families from Pompeii settling along the north side of the Bay of Naples.

he discovered that people in this area worshipped Vulcanus, god of fire, and Venus Pompeiana, patron deity of Pompeii.

There is a tomb inscription at Naples for six members of the Caninia family, a name originally unique to herculaneum. Another tomb in Naples, for a woman called Vettia sabina, has the word ‘welcome’ in the Oscan dialect spoken in Pompeii. records show that the roman government gave some financial aid to the refugees.

however, there’s also evidence that emperor Titus took the wealth of those who died in the eruption without leaving heirs.

Adam Smith, Edinburgh.

QUESTION What’s the most inappropriate shop name?

FURTHER to the earlier answer, I laughed heartily at the firm of accountants called swindells.

They could have teamed up with the Irish firm of solicitors Argue and Phibbs which once operated in Co. sligo.

Neil Ferguson, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh.