Comedy
Ben tells the story of Pompeii. He begins by exploring the sources of heat that drive plate tectonics and volcanism, then describes the Scramble for the Bay of Naples, the Greek influence on the structures of the Etruscan Altstadt, and how the Etruscans left their mark on the place names of the region. He describes the Temple to Jupiter, the Basilica, and the House of Sallust, each erected in Pompeii by the Oscan-speaking Samnites following their conquest of the region around 500 AD. He describes the changes brought by the Romans following the conquest of the city by Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He describes the House of the Faun, a riot in the amphitheater, and the earthquake and volcanic eruption that silenced the city for more than a millennium and a half. He also describes the rediscovery of Pompeii and the role of nineteenth-century Italian nationalist and archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli in both associating the city with Italian national identity and establishing it as an iconic and haunting symbol of sudden destruction recognized around the world.