Crater of the Mauna-Rao, in Hawaii from Volcanoes and earthquakes.

Object Details

Book Title: Volcanoes and earthquakes.
Caption: Crater of the Mauna-Rao, in Hawaii.
Educational Notes: People have been fascinated by the incredible power of volcanoes throughout history. Many ancient civilizations even believed that volcanoes were the work of gods or goddesses! The Ancient Romans believed that Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, caused volcanic eruptions. According to mythology, Vulcans forge, where he did his metalwork, was beneath Mount Etna, a volcano on the island of Sicily in Italy. Every year, people would celebrate the festival of Vulcanalia by building large bonfires, and a flamen, or a type of priest, would oversee the festival. However, before the festivities even started, one custom on this day was to start work by candlelight to make use of the fire gods powers. To worship Vulcan, the Romans also built temples dedicated to the god, but worried about the risk of fires breaking out in the city because of Vulcans strong and possibly destructive powers, these temples were located outside city limits!

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic: Volcanoes; Erupt; Earth; Plates; Surface; Lava; Vulcan; Mythology; Fire; Rome; Roman Gods