Citizen Pompeii
By: Kitty
Tags: ancient, cast, people, Pompeii, ruin
Category: Canon 50 mm f 1.4 lens, photo, photography, Travel
| Aperture: | f/4 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 50mm |
| ISO: | 400 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi |
Walking up to the ancient ruins of of Pompeii, I took a little break on one of the benches outside the city walls. It was a hot day, so hot I wanted to rip the sleeves off my shirt. Not long after I sat down, an older Italian woman joined me. She was out of breath and as she reached the bench, she grasped at it as though it would run from her. As she stared into space, she mumbled some words in Italian. Then she looked at me and repeated those words. I told her I didn’t understand Italian, so she regrouped her thoughts and said, “Those poor people, those poor people, those pooooooooor people.”
Throughout the day while in Pompeii, her words echoed in my head. Especially when I saw any casts of the the people or animals who died there.
This is probably one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen in my life, a cast of a hollow left in the ashes of Pompeii. When Mt. Vesuvius blew, it released toxic gasses into the heavily populated valley below. I’d like to think the people were just put to sleep, but after seeing cast after cast of the positions they died in, it does appear they suffered.
The Cuckoo's Nest 
I went to Pompeii in 2010. The place really does blow your mind. The people of a Roman city that large, their world destroyed in only one day. It’s truly a facinating place. Getting lost in all those Roman ruins makes it easy to forget that it was such a terrible disaster.
Even more amazing is they still have so much more to uncover in Pompeii. I’d like to go back and spend more than an afternoon there.