Writing history.

Much of what we know about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. comes from two letters that Pliny the Younger wrote to Tacitus, a famous historian. In the first letter, Pliny described his uncle's interest in the eruption, and how Pliny the Elder came to the at Stabiae. In the second letter, he described the effects of Vesuvius's eruption on nearby Misenum. He and his mother fled and somehow survived.

Read the introduction to Pliny's second letter and the excerpt. Then put the statements that follow in proper chronological order.

WORD TO KNOW

convulsive: shaking violently and uncontrollably.

On the morning of August 25, after Pompeii was destroyed, fallout from Vesuvius spread across the Bay of Naples, toward Misenum. Violent earthquakes shook the ground as young Pliny and his mother decided to flee.

PLINY'S SECOND LETTER

[At first] we stood still, in the midst of a most dangerous and dreadful scene.... The sea seemed to roll back upon itself, and to be driven from its banks by the convulsive motion of the earth.... On the other side [of the bay], a black' and dreadful cloud, broken with rapid, zigzag flashes, revealed behind it variously shaped masses of flame.... Soon afterward, the cloud began to descend, and cover the sea....

[Pliny's mother begged him to leave her, afraid that she would slow him down. He refused, though, and they ran together, along with a crowd of other people.]

The ashes now began to fall upon us.... I looked back. A dense, dark mist seemed to be following us, spreading itself over the country like a cloud.... [A darkness like] night came upon us--not such as we have when the sky is cloudy, or when there is no moon, but that of a room when it is shut up, and all the lights put out. You [could] hear the shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the shouts of men. Some calling for their children, others for their parents, others for their husbands, and seeking to recognize each other by the voices that replied. Some wishing to die, from the very fear of dying. Some lifting their hands to the gods. But the greater part convinced that there were now no gods at all, and that the final endless night of which we have heard had come upon the world.

CHAIN OF EVENTS

Number these events I-10, in the order in which they are described.

--A. The volcanic cloud covers the sea.

--B. The force of the earthquakes pulls the sea from the shore.

--C. Suddenly, it grows dark as night.

--D. Vesuvius erupts.

--E. Violent earthquakes shake the ground at at Misenum.

--F. Pliny and his mother begin to flee.

--G. "Masses of flame" flash from the mouth of the volcano.

--H. Pompeii is destroyed.'

--I. The screams of children can be heard.

--J. Ashes start falling on Misenum.

BONUS: Imagine you were at Misenum on August 25, 79 A.D. Write an eyewitness account about surviving Vesuvius's eruption.

Skills Master 2, p. T-7

1. D: Vesuvius erupts.

2. H: Pompeii is destroyed.

3. E: Violent earthquakes shake the ground at Misenum.

4. F: Pliny and his mother begin to flee.

5. B: The force of the earthquakes pulls the sea from the shore.

6. G: "Masses of flame" flash from the mouth of the volcano.

7. A: The volcanic cloud covers the sea.

8. J: Ashes start falling on Misenum.

9. C: Suddenly, it grows dark as night.

10. I: The screams of children can be heard.