Vesuvius

Mythology

Vesuvius has a long historic and literary tradition. It was considered a divinity of the Genius type at the time of the eruption of AD 79; it appears under the inscribed name Vesuvius as a serpent in the decorative frescos of many lararia, or household shrines, surviving from Pompeii. An inscription from Capua to Iovi Vesuvio indicates that he was worshipped as a power of Jupiter; that is, Jupiter Vesuvius.