Tanz auf dem Vulkan

The eruption of Vesuvius in the year AD 79 signified a collective trauma; it revealed the fragility of the civilized world. Contemporaries explained the catastrophe from the perspective of the natural sciences or mythology; the later Christian population made attempts to interpret it from the viewpoint of religion. With the eruptions since the 17th century, a unique culture of piety developed in Naples, while, the natural science conducted as of the 18th century led to the erection of the first Vesuvius Observatory in the world. The people of Naples today find themselves in a field of tension between religion and science due to the ongoing threat. This volume is dedicated to the search for explanations, meaning, and hope—despite the uncontrollable threat—based on the example of numerous works of painting, sculpture, and craft.