After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Episode: What Happened The Day Pompeii was Destroyed?
Date: December 8, 2025
Host(s): Anthony Delaney & Maddie Pelling
Guest: Dr. Jess Venner, Ancient Historian and author of The Lost Voices of Pompeii
Episode Overview
This episode plunges listeners into the dramatic events and everyday life surrounding the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in 79 CE. Hosts Maddie and Anthony are joined by ancient historian Dr. Jess Venner to reconstruct ordinary life in Pompeii, dissect the eruption’s timeline, reveal new archaeological insights (including debates over the eruption’s date), and address the lasting cultural fascination with this tragedy. Special attention is given to the voices of Pompeii’s diverse inhabitants—through graffiti, preserved artifacts, and the haunting casts of the eruption’s victims.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Life in Pompeii Before the Eruption
[06:04–07:40]
- Pompeii was an ordinary, bustling Roman town of about 20,000, teeming with merchants, shops, markets, workshops, and lively nightlife, but also tranquil areas like vineyards and gardens.
- Frequent earthquakes (including a serious one in 62 CE) meant much of Pompeii was under repair leading up to Vesuvius’s eruption.
“Pompeii was a particularly ordinary Roman town… what makes it extraordinary now is the way it was preserved.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [06:04]
Did Pompeiians Know the Danger?
[08:46–10:41]
- The population did not know Vesuvius was a volcano; it was just a mountain in their minds, despite some ancient suspicion among writers.
- Frescoes depicted Vesuvius as a lush, vined mountain—not the two-peaked volcano seen today.
Quote:
“They didn’t have a clue that Vesuvius was a volcano… no one actually specifically says it.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [08:46]
The City's Diverse Population & Cultural Life
[11:16–12:48]
- Pompeii’s history is a mosaic of Oscan, Samnite, Greek, Etruscan, and finally Roman influences (only under direct Roman rule since 80 BCE).
- It was a commercial hub, evidenced by inns, foreign objects (like an Indian goddess statuette), and Egyptian influences.
The Voices of the People: Graffiti & Inscriptions
[12:48–16:00]
- Pompeii’s graffiti offers rare, candid insight: from crude boasts to love quarrels, preserved on walls, in public and private spaces.
Example:
“Successus the weaver loves the barmaid of the inn called Iris, who doesn’t care for him… A rival wrote this farewell. Someone replies: ‘You’re jealous, don’t try to muscle in on someone who’s better looking and is a wicked and charming man!’”
— Dr. Jess Venner [14:04]
- Graffiti captures spontaneous, unfiltered emotions, making ancient residents feel immediate and real to us.
The Eruption: Day-By-Day Breakdown
[17:22–27:52]
- Likely occurred in late October, not August, based on the fruits found carbonized (pomegranates, figs)—debunking the traditional date.
- Eruption sequence:
- Started as just another day; initial tremors did not alarm residents used to earthquakes.
- Midday: A massive plume rose kilometers into the sky—locals compared it to an umbrella pine.
- Ash and pumice began falling, first lightly then increasingly heavy—causing roofs to collapse and people to become trapped.
- Many hid in robust buildings like bars and public baths; some tried to flee, others were immobilized by falling debris or blocked doorways.
- 7 PM: First pyroclastic flow obliterated Herculaneum.
- ~6:30 AM next morning: The final, fatal pyroclastic flow overwhelmed Pompeii, killing all remaining residents.
Quote:
“These flows—hundreds of miles per hour, hot gas and ash… Herculaneum was buried in 20 meters of volcanic material.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [26:28]
Preservation: How Did Pompeii & Herculaneum Survive?
[27:52–30:14]
- Herculaneum, being closer, was obliterated hours earlier—remarkably preserving wooden objects, food, furniture, even a cradle with a baby, thanks to unique carbonization.
- Pompeii’s preservation was due to deep layers of volcanic ash sealing the city, while Herculaneum’s ash and heat carbonized organic materials.
Dating the Eruption: The Agricultural Clues
“One of the big ones was the fact that the Vinalia Rustica, the wine harvest festival, is held on the 19th of August… You couldn’t harvest, press, and ferment in time for an August eruption. The fresh must in sealed containers points strongly to October.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [30:14]
Human Behavior in Crisis
[32:39–35:41]
- Panic led people to carry valuables, keys, and jewelry; many sought shelter with their families (and, heartbreakingly, left chained dogs or possibly slaves behind).
- At Herculaneum, skeletal evidence documents groups of men (soldiers) on the beach and women and children sheltered in boat sheds—poignantly waiting for rescue.
The Infamous “Frozen” Victims & Plaster Casts
[36:43–41:42]
- Plaster cast technique (not used anymore): plaster poured into the cavity left by decomposed bodies within solidified ash, preserving bodies’ final postures—sometimes horrifyingly detailed.
- Famous casts include the “Two Lovers” (now thought to be young men), and the “Mule Driver”—a working-class man, found seated with tools, possibly shielding his face from toxic ash.
Quote:
“He’s actually trying not to suffocate, or he’s just in disbelief, covering his nose and mouth—the ash was absolutely everywhere.”
— Dr. Jess Venner on the Mule Driver [40:14]
Written Records: Pliny the Younger’s Account
[43:09–45:43]
- Our best eyewitness record is from Pliny the Younger, then a teenager, writing decades later to historian Tacitus.
- Pliny’s uncle, Pliny the Elder, sought to observe/help, but died (probably of asthma) after sailing into the chaos.
“... All he can hear is people calling to the gods, but not knowing whether they’re listening. They create a chain to walk out—to try to get away. … That’s how pitch black it is. So absolutely petrifying.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [48:02]
Misconceptions & Popular Imagery
[50:05–51:20]
- Myth Busting: No lava buried Pompeii—the city was destroyed by ash, pumice, and deadly pyroclastic flows, not flowing lava.
- Pop-Culture Legacy: Our modern fascination is partly due to the detailed human record—the moment-by-moment preservation, the drama, the ordinariness of people’s last moments.
“It almost becomes more human the more you learn about it … you get away from Hollywood and start learning about these real people that lived there: businesswomen, brand dealers. … We can learn so much about ourselves.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [51:20]
What We Should Remember About Pompeii
[53:32–56:35]
- Misconception: Carved phalluses are not brothel signs; they’re good-luck charms to ward off evil.
- Pompeii is often misunderstood as a city merely “frozen in time”—but the real legacy is complex human stories unfolding over many hours, and it’s not the only city affected—Herculaneum, Oplontis, and more matter, too.
- It’s the stories of ordinary people—merchants, women like Julia Felix (landlord/entrepreneur), innkeepers with wine gardens, and Roman “brand” sellers—that truly bring Pompeii to life.
Quote:
“We must pay more attention to these ordinary people because they’re what make this place feel alive, instead of remembering it as a place that was destroyed.”
— Dr. Jess Venner [56:35]
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On what Pompeii can teach us:
“It puts a lot of my life into perspective… they dealt with so many challenges in life—natural disaster, famine, war, child death—and then the eruption…”
— Dr. Jess Venner [51:20] -
Rethinking disaster:
“There’s a certain popular perception that this happens in one go… but actually what you’re describing is hours of preparation, panic, chaos, and there’s a build-up here.”
— Anthony [47:18] -
A child’s fascination:
“My nephew…had been looking up the dead of Pompeii…the black plague. Whether the rats were…”
— Anthony [53:25]
Key Timestamps (Content Only)
- 02:08 – Maddie’s vivid re-imagining of Pompeii’s last normal morning
- 06:04 – Everyday life in Pompeii: sounds, sights, smells
- 08:46 – Did anyone know Vesuvius could erupt?
- 12:48 – Graffiti as a unique voice of Pompeii’s people
- 17:56 – The timeline of the eruption: day turns to nightmare
- 27:52 – Herculaneum’s preservation, and carbonized organic finds
- 30:14 – How fruits and harvests reveal the eruption’s true date
- 32:39 – People’s last actions: what they carried, how they hid
- 36:43 – Plaster casts: the infamous Pompeii “statues” explained
- 41:42 – The “Mule Driver” and the power of reconstructing ordinary lives
- 43:09 – Pliny the Younger’s harrowing eyewitness record
- 48:02 – The finale: darkness, chaos, and the end of Pompeii
- 50:05 – There was no lava; pyroclastic flows did the deadly work
- 53:32 – Phalluses as good luck charms, not brothel markers
- 56:35 – Remembering Pompeii’s ordinary people
Final Thoughts
This episode pulls Pompeii away from cliché and disaster-movie spectacle to re-center it as a human drama—a town like any other, full of daily routines, minor dramas, vibrant trade, and love affairs, which met extraordinary fate. The conversation with Dr. Jess Venner corrects common myths (no lava! phallus as protective symbol!), unpacks how archaeology continues to reshape our understanding, and asks listeners to remember the very real, ordinary people—businesswomen, merchants, innkeepers—whose stories quietly survive beneath the ash.
Dr. Jess Venner’s book, The Lost Voices of Pompeii, will be published April 23, 2027.