I didn't really know what to expect from the ancient city of Pompeii. I didn't know much about it other than the fact that it is the most well-preserved city of the ancient Roman Empire.

The entrance to Pompeii

The entire city was well-preserved because it was buried under ~4 meters of ash for nearly 2000 years after a major eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Mount Vesuvius has erupted many times in the past and it is likely to erupt again in the future. It is not the largest volcano in the world but it is one of the most dangerous ones because the area surrounding it is still very densely populated, which is why alerting people who live nearby when seismic activity is first recorded is crucial to saving their lives.

Earthquakes and small tremors are an indicator that a nearby volcano is about to erupt violently and it was volcanoes like Mount Vesuvius that gave me the idea of using people within a social network in different time zones to alert other people if a violent natural event in their area is likely to occur before it actually occurs in order to save more lives

Volcanoes are mainly unpredictable because it is uncertain at which point after the last seismic activity is recorded the volcano will erupt, and this is why it is important to notify people of any seismic activity, even of tremors that would not normally awaken anyone in the middle of the night.

The rear view of the entrance with Mount Vesuvius in the back

From a scientific point of view Pompeii is very interesting because of the erupting volcano nearby and because it contains a very large number of well-preserved artifacts from the Roman Empire. 

From a humanitarian point of view the site is horrifying because it contains a large number of remains of poor people preserved in the position in which they died, and if you don't feel anger, or frustration, or even just a little bit of sadness there then I have bad news for you.

17 years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD there was a massive earthquake that destroyed many buildings in the city of Pompeii, and affected every aspect of life in the area.

The fact that in those 17 years almost nothing was rebuilt suggests that many of the wealthy inhabitants abandoned the area and left behind the poor and the handicapped who were unable to restore the city to its former glory as a direct result of the lack of funds.

The site has been exposed to the elements for several hundred years and it has started to decay. Many people feel that more should be done to preserve it.

But then again, if people haven't learned the moral behind the story of the site, then what's the point in preserving it anyway?