Pomponianus was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

who was present at

Stabiae Stabiae () was an ancient city situated near the modern town of Castellammare di Stabia and approximately 4.5 km southwest of Pompeii. Like Pompeii, and being only from Mount Vesuvius, this seaside resort was largely buried by tephra ash ...

during the

eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 Of the many eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, a major stratovolcano in southern Italy, the best-known is its eruption in 79 AD, which was one of the deadliest in European history. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is one of the best-known in ...

. He attempted to escape by ship, but was stuck on shore because the prevailing wind was not favorable. His personal friend, the noted author and military commander

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

, sailed from across the

Bay of Naples A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

to rescue him. Amidst the ongoing disaster, Pomponianus and Pliny waited in the town overnight for the wind to change, after which their party was forced to decide whether to remain inside and risk the collapse of the roof above them due to the build-up of falling

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

and ash, or to attempt to escape outside and risk being buried. Pliny the Elder subsequently died during the attempted escape. Pomponianus was probably the son of Gaius Tullius Capito Pomponianus Plotius Firmus.

References

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...

. "Eye-Witness Accounts of the Eruption by the Younger Pliny." ''Pompeii and Herculaneum: A Sourcebook.'' ed. Alison E. Cooley; M. G. L. Cooley Routledge. (1 October 2013). pp. 46–. . {{Expand German, Pomponianus, date=April 2013 1st-century Romans Year of birth missing 79 deaths