FOUR DAYS BEFORE ERUPTION
11:00
Minor earth tremors gently shake Pompeii, but not enough for any of its citizens to stop going about their day-to-day business in this bustling, prosperous city. Minor earthquakes are common here in the region of Campania; the residents barely notice. The collective opinion is that there's nothing untoward about this morning's seismic activity.
This is despite the enormous and devastating earthquake that hit Pompeii in living memory. In AD 62 (sometimes recorded as AD 63), the city was severely damaged and a tenth of its 20,000-strong population killed. Almost all of its adult population will have lost at least one loved one or friend in that giant quake, but an air of possible complacency pervades its rebuilt streets. The markets are busy, the trade is brisk. Everything appears to
