the end of pompeii

In AD79, Pompeii was a large city and port about 150 kilometers south of Rome. Ten kilometers to the north of Pompeii was the beautiful and peaceful mount Vesuvius.

August 24th was a holiday. At noon, happy crowds filled the streets. Markets and restaurants were full. Suddenly there was an immense explosion. Flames leapt from mount Vesuvius. The peaceful green mountain became a terrifying volcano. A strong wind blew the cloud toward Pompeii. Day became night. People were panic stricken. Few could escape. Thousands of people were suffocated by gas. The eruption continued for days. The whole town was buried to a depth of 17 meters.

Because the destruction was so sudden, the ruins of Pompeii give us a unique picture of what daily life was like in a Roman city nearly two thousand years ago.
On the walls of many houses we can see not only beautiful paintings but also read many personal messages written by ordinary people. One message says: publius gives us good bread. A girl says the man who wants to marry her is too ugly. One humorous writer says: every one writes on walls except me. A poet wrote
Nothing lasts for ever
Though the sun shines gold
It must sink into the sea
These sad words seem to suggest the sudden end of Pompeii.
Some people say that the god punished them because they were doing filthy and bad things. I do not know if that is true but that can be possible.