All You Need To Teach Comprehension 10+

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BLM 29
The Greatest Eruption of All Time
In the year 79, Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted
violently, burying the Roman city of Pompeii and
claiming more than 2000 lives. An account of the
eruption was discovered in letters written by a young
Roman.
Mt Vesuvius lay dormant for 800 years and residents
of the surrounding cities were unaware of the danger
the volcano posed. Vesuvius had come to resemble
any other mountain with lush vegetation and an
abundance of wildlife. There was little obvious
evidence to suggest its treacherous past.
In the early afternoon of 24 August, locals noticed a
large cloud above the mountains, but were unable to
identify which mountain the cloud was rising from.
Parts of the cloud were white and other parts were
blotchy and dirty. Residents were curious about the
mysterious cloud.
As the cloud approached Pompeii, it became dense
and black. Ash began to rain down like snow, and
some residents fled the city. Darkness engulfed
Pompeii. Shrieks, yells and cries filled the air. Parents
and children called for each other, unable to see,
trying to recognise voices. Others prayed, huddled
together, terrified.
A loaf of bread, almost 2000
years old, was found inside
a baker’s oven in the buried
city of Pompeii.
Most victims of Mt Vesuvius
were thought to have died
from suffocation.
Among the victims frozen in
their final pose was a guard
dog, still chained to its post.
Mt Vesuvius last
erupted in 1631.
Those caught in the town or hiding in their homes
became victims of a sudden, powerful blast of ash
and gas which set around their bodies like plaster
casts. They would be found hundreds of years later
frozen in the exact position in which they lay or hid
in their final terrifying moments.
After the eruption of Vesuvius, Pompeii remained
buried. The first large-scale archaeological excavation
of the city began in 1860 and continues today.
All You Need to Teach Comprehension Ages 10+ © Angela Ehmer/Macmillan Education Australia. ISBN 978 1 4202 7254 3
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