Pompeii | The Last Day

A 2003 BBC Docu-drama. The highest ever rated history documentary on the BBC at the time of its release.

On 24 August AD 79, the sleeping giant Mount Vesuvius erupted with horrifying force, destroying the prosperous Roman cities Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their inhabitants were subjected to 24 hours of untold horror. Four million tonnes of pumice, rock and ash rained on the towns, suffocating the life out of the cities, and burying those who had been unable to flee.

Pompeii - The Last Day recreates that momentous day, and shows first hand the horror of Pompeii's last hours. Factual characters based on historical and forensic evidence unearthed in Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as extracts from Gauis Plinius Monor's account of the disaster, help bring to life one of the most notorious disasters in history.

Using stunning visual effects, the film recreates each stage of the 24 hour eruption and explores the devastating impact on the main characters; Julius Polybius, wealthy baker and aspiring politician; Stephanus, a cloth worker and social climber and his wife Fortunata Celadus the celebrity gladiator; Pliny the elder, in charge of the rescue mission; and, finally, Pliny the younger, who documents the horrors of the tragedy.

With thanks to MVGroup: http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Pompeii:_The_Last_Day

Correction: The narrator says that "there is no word for Vulcano in Latin because they have not seen anything like this before." He is wrong about the word, because Vulcan is the god of fire, including the fire of volcanoes, deserts, metalworking, and the forge in ancient Roman religion and myth. The Vulcanalia was the annual festival held August 23 in his honor. Sure they didn't know about the Volcano as rupture, thought they did have earthquakes, but the word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano, whose name in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology.