VESUVIUS 



443 



211. Vesuvius. When the Roman nobles were building 

 their magnificent villas and baths along the shore of the 

 Bay of Naples, the scenic beauty of the region was greatly 

 increased by a mountain in the shape of a truncated cone, 

 which rose from the plain a few miles back from the 

 shore. Its sides, nearly to the summit, were covered 

 with beautiful fields. 



In the top of the mountain was a deep depression some 

 three miles in diameter, partly filled with water and almost 



VESUVIUS AND NAPLES. 



entirely surrounded by precipitous rock cliffs. There 

 were no signs of internal disturbance. Around the moun- 

 tain were scattered prosperous cities, the soil was fertile, 

 the vegetation luxuriant. To this natural fortress Spar- 

 tacus, the gladiator, retreated when he first began to defy 

 the power of Rome. 



