(18 April 2017) Vesuvius’s eruption of 79 A.D. caused enormous quantities of ash and debris to fall on the densely populated bay of Naples. The eruption of the volcano was spotted from the Roman naval base of Miseno. Pliny the Elder, in responded by ordered the Roman fleet to save as many people as possible. It is the first account of a military sea rescue of civilians. The international exhibition “Escape from Pompeii” organised by the Australian National Maritime Museum in collaboration with Expona, Contemporanea Progetti, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Consulate in Sydney illustrates how the Roman navy came to dominate the Mediterranean and how this generated a boom in marine trade that has not been equalled for the following 1,000 years. The exhibition features ancient artefacts from Pompeii, Sicily, Naples, and Rome. Artefacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum – a city that has been completely destroyed by the eruption – and artefacts from the remains of ships are evidence of trade of primary materials and luxury goods in the Mediterranean. Given that it was the only naval force left in the Mediterranean, Pliny the Elder was able to use it to assist people who were constantly threatened by the Vesuvius.
