I grew up Catholic, so I was used to going to attending Latin mass. That probably gave me some very basic knowledge of Latin. After that, I studied latin for 6 years in school.
I could not read or translate fluently, but I loved the puzzle of Latin to English translation. It was all very manual then. I would write down all the words in the sentences that I knew and then try to fill in the gaps by context. I had a small Latin dictionary to help me.
Two of the pieces I had to translate were Pliny the Younger’s letters about the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. His eye-witness accounts were very accurate and detailed. Read one translation here. I can remember being fascinated by these letters. Nowadays I could just Google it, or do an online translation of the texts.
In more recent years, a well-travelled friend was telling me that of all the places she has visited, Pompeii has left the most indelible impression. It must be so incredibly sad, yet an amazing preservation of daily life in those times.
The New Zealand Whakaari eruption in 2019 and the recent grumblings of Fagradalsfjall in Iceland brought to mind how volcanoes still hold great power over us.
Find an incredible video timeline of the Vesuvius eruption in Pompeii here
