Dr. Jessica Venner

I think it's these layers of these experiences, these human experiences, and how they would have been trying to conceive of this immense disaster that was happening in front of them to their home.

And details like that are incredible.

Not only are we getting an insight into the changing empire that's happening in quite a significant way, but also the

yeah, how they would try to conceive of these disasters.

And I mentioned the giants being under the volcano, for example.

Pliny talks about how some people said that they thought they could see giants in the ash coming out.

So they're trying to understand why this is happening to them.

The area was also known for having holes that go down to hell and things, the Roman equivalent of hell.

So everyone would have had their different ideas of what's happening.

And again, yeah, that's very human, isn't it?

We try and find reason in these things.

It does.

And again, we never talk about it.

It's sort of forgotten.

There was definitely a community living there.

And again, this is being found in the archaeology now.

They're sort of baking there and creating sort of ad hoc properties on top of this layer.

And, you know, it was under about six meters of volcanic material, which cemented, particularly as there was after rainfall, it cements even more.

So they were trying to dig down.

If you imagine a graveyard with little things poking out, that's kind of how it was.