Major Earthquake Strikes Campania, Pompeii Severely Damaged, Tsunami Hits Port of Ostia

Earlier today a major earthquake struck the Roman province of Campania, minor aftershocks are still being felt throughout the region. The city of Pompeii has been hit the hardest, many buildings and structures have been destroyed. This is due to the fact that many buildings inside Pompeii were built in a fashion that made them vulnerable to earthquakes. The materials used to construct these buildings consisted of wooden beams, bricks, and blocks. In addition, since the establishment of Pompeii as a settlement, it has changed hands three times. It is a much older city compared to others in the area. As many of you know, Pompeii started out as an Etruscan settlement, which was later conquered by the Samnites, and ultimately became the Roman colony it is today after the Social War of 91 – 88 BC. Each time the city changed rulers, its conquerors simply built on top of existing structures and foundations, making it very fragile and unstable. Therefore, when this earthquake struck Campania, Pompeii’s foundations and structures crumbled without much resistance. The nearby town of Herculaneum was also affected by the earthquake, but has far less damage. Back in Pompeii, many of the rich and wealthy are leaving the city at an alarming pace, we can expect a change in demographics and a new ruling class to take their place. Already there are merchants and traders that are moving in to rebuild the town and replace the wealthy patricians.

No Running Water

The aqueducts and the Castellum were heavily damaged in the earthquake as well. As a result there is no running water in Pompeii for the time being. Repairs are already underway, but due to the extensive damage, it is speculated that it will be months before the repairs are finished, running water returns to the city. Residents will have to venture out of the city to obtain water supplies during this time.

The extensive damage on the Castellum can be seen from this angle.

Grain Shipments Lost In Tsunami

As if there wasn’t enough bad news, the Port of Ostia, near Rome, was hit by a Tsunami later on in the day. Unfortunately, there was an entire fleet of cargo ships in the harbor, waiting to unload their grain shipment set aside for Rome. These cargo ships, which hail from food-abundant North Africa, make this yearly trip to the port of Ostia with all the grain supplies Rome needs for the entire year. The tsunami engulfed every cargo ship in the fleet, and their precious cargo of grain has been completely lost. There is talks of rioting in the streets of Rome, for fear of starvation and hunger. Emperor Nero plans on rationing grain from the storehouses to quell the unrest.

The port town of Ostia.

Ostia’s location on a map of Italy.

Plans to Repair the Town

While repairs are underway, there are talks of reconstructing Pompeii with the same style of architecture and decoration that Emperor Nero himself used to decorate and design his palaces and buildings in Rome. Two such examples are the Domus Transitoria and the Domus Aurea. Emperor Nero’s second wife, Poppaea Sabina, hails from our city of Pompeii, which could be the reason why there are plans to redesign and redecorate the city. Funds to rebuild the city are also being directed to Pompeii as we speak, no doubt because of the influence of Poppaea Sabina and the power of the Emperor himself.

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