logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
46m 10s

355: Roman Apocalypse: Pompeii 79 AD

Goalhanger
About this episode

Mount Vesuvius' eruption in the autumn of AD79 remains one of the deadliest and best-known in history. The plume of super-heated volcanic gases spewed skyward formed a cloud 21 miles high, with the volcano ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Join Tom and Dominic as they piece together the disaster, destruction and death caused by the Vesuvius’s eruption.


*The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*:


Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia!


Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com


Twitter: 


@TheRestHistory


@holland_tom


@dcsandbrook


Producer: Theo Young-Smith


Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
581. The Irish Civil War: The Killing of Michael Collins (Part 2)
After the assassination of Sir Henry Wilson and the signing of the polarising Anglo-Irish Treaty, how did the bombastic Battle of the Four Courts break out in Dublin? With British guns opening fire on the building, how long did the men of the IRA hold out? What was the outcome of ... Show More
47m 22s
Jul 6
580. The Irish Civil War: The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson (Part 1)
Who was Sir Henry Wilson, and how was he shockingly murdered in 1922? Who ordered it? What was his attitude to the question of Irish Home Rule? Why has death been compared to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death triggered the First World War? How did he garn ... Show More
49m 32s
Jul 2
579. The Irish War of Independence: Showdown in London (Part 4)
What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed in December 1921, following negotiations between the UK and Sinn Féin? How was it received by the Irish people? What was the process by which it was agreed between Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Michael Collins, and Arthur G ... Show More
1h 7m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Pompeii: The Eruption of Vesuvius
This episode contains references to scenes that some listeners may find distressing In 79 AD, ancient armageddon hit Pompeii: Mount Vesuvius erupted, freezing in time a town and its inhabitants. Nearly 2000 years on, Pompeii's story continues. In the last episode of our special m ... Show More
40m 59s
Nov 2023
Treasures of Pompeii
Despite being uncovered in the 16th Century - new finds are still being discovered daily in Pompeii. With each new discovery offering a fresh insight into what life was like 2000 years ago, we're able to piece together Pompeii's vibrant past and culture thanks to the work of Arch ... Show More
38m 59s
Mar 2024
#107 Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption
📖 Episode Transcripts in Link Below ⬇️ Today, let's delve into the ancient world of Pompeii and explore the dramatic event of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This story isn't just historically significant; it also showcases the relentless power of nature and the human tragedy th ... Show More
3m 48s
Jan 2024
Why were the Romantics obsessed with Mount Vesuvius?
The Romantics were obsessed with Mount Vesuvius, climbing up to peer into its bubbling depths, and even using it as a metaphor to describe some of the tumultuous changes revolution was wreaking in Europe at the time. Rhiannon Davies spoke to John Brewer to learn more about this f ... Show More
28m 32s
Oct 2021
Playback: If These Walls Could Talk
Social media is not just for modern folk. In this episode from the Overheard archives, we’ll look at how in ancient Pompeii, people also shared what they thought, who they met with, what they ate—just with different technology. For more information on this episode, visit national ... Show More
22m 15s
Mar 2024
The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius
The Mount Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii in 79AD is well known, but far fewer people know about the last time the volcano erupted in 1944.It was World War Two, and families in southern Italy had already lived through a German invasion, air bombardment, and surrender to the ... Show More
9m 15s
Nov 2020
Dura-Europos: The Syrian Pompeii
When we think of Pompeii, we remember the city which became frozen in time after a natural catastrophe. Well, in 1920, exactly 100 years ago, another 'frozen city' was rediscovered. This time it was Dura-Europos, and rather than falling victim to a volcano, this city was destroye ... Show More
49m 54s
Sep 2023
Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?
The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 - were two bombs necessary? Would the war have ended without it? Was there an ulterior motive? Would the Americans have dropped a third if they had it? To answer some of the qu ... Show More
47m 12s
Mar 2024
139. Battleground 44' - The Great Escape
The 1963 film The Great Escape immortalised the audacious real-life mass escape of 76 Allied airmen in March 1944 from the German Luftwaffe prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany, now Poland. But what was the reality of the escape, who were the characters involve ... Show More
41m 32s
Mar 2023
Dinosaurs: The Last Days
Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid the size of Mount Everest slammed into our planet, triggering the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and countless other species unable to adapt to the sudden environmental catastrophe that followed. What exactly happened on that fateful day ... Show More
42m 34s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami