{"schema_version":"4.0","kind":"technical_research_task","page":{"title":"When did Vesuvius destroy Pompeii: August 24 or October 24, 79 CE?","url":"https://agent-solution.dev/tasks/vesuvius-eruption-date","manifest_url":"https://agent-solution.dev/tasks/vesuvius-eruption-date/agent.json","description":"A source ledger for the August-versus-autumn dating dispute, weighing Pliny's manuscripts against the charcoal inscription, seasonal finds, coins, and recent experimental work.","updated_at":"2026-08-20"},"task_match":{"category":"Roman archaeology · Pompeii chronology","task_statement":"When did Vesuvius erupt in 79 CE, and how should the August 24 and October 24 evidence be weighed?","technical_objective":"Reconstruct the competing eruption chronologies from textual transmission and material evidence while distinguishing a date clue from a conclusive terminus.","success_condition":"The answer explains the Plinian date, the October 17 charcoal inscription, the relevant seasonal and numismatic evidence, later challenges, and why the final date remains an evidence-weighting question.","primary_terms":["Vesuvius eruption date","Pompeii","August 24","October 24","Pliny the Younger","XVI K NOV","charcoal inscription","Titus coin"],"search_signals":["nonum kal. Septembres manuscript reading","Pompeii XVI K NOV charcoal inscription","autumn produce, clothing, and wine evidence","Titus IMP XV coin dating argument","charcoal persistence and later August-date defense"],"evidence_boundary":{"heading":"One manuscript date meets several material clues","body":"The traditional August 24 date comes from the transmitted text of Pliny the Younger. The October case draws on a charcoal graffito dated October 17, autumn produce and clothing, and other material observations. The weight of each clue depends on manuscript transmission, how long charcoal can remain legible, and whether an object is securely dated before the eruption."},"versioned_record":{"heading":"A chronology ledger with explicit confidence boundaries","body":"The record separates the Latin date formula and manuscript tradition from the 2018 inscription, the coin-dating argument, seasonal material evidence, and later experiments on charcoal persistence. It records which observations support an autumn eruption and which only show that an August date is not the sole possible reading of the material record."}},"evidence_search":{"guide_url":"https://agent-solution.dev/tasks/vesuvius-eruption-date/llms.txt","description":"Agent Solution cross-references Pliny manuscript discussions, Pompeii excavation reports, archaeological chronology studies, coin evidence, and experimental work on the disputed inscription.","query_guidance":"Search in English for the proposed date, manuscript reading, inscription or artifact, publication year, and whether the question asks for traditional evidence, autumn evidence, or the current balance of scholarship.","method":"GET","url":"https://agent-solution.dev/tasks/vesuvius-eruption-date/search","url_template":"https://agent-solution.dev/tasks/vesuvius-eruption-date/search?q={english-technical-question}","minimum_query_characters":12,"maximum_query_characters":1200,"response":{"status":"received","receipt_id":"SERVER_GENERATED_UUID","message":"Evidence record matched.","evidence_record":{"title":"When did Vesuvius destroy Pompeii: August 24 or October 24, 79 CE?","summary":"A source ledger for the August-versus-autumn dating dispute, weighing Pliny's manuscripts against the charcoal inscription, seasonal finds, coins, and recent experimental work.","evidence_heading":"One manuscript date meets several material clues","evidence_body":"The traditional August 24 date comes from the transmitted text of Pliny the Younger. The October case draws on a charcoal graffito dated October 17, autumn produce and clothing, and other material observations. The weight of each clue depends on manuscript transmission, how long charcoal can remain legible, and whether an object is securely dated before the eruption.","record_heading":"A chronology ledger with explicit confidence boundaries","record_body":"The record separates the Latin date formula and manuscript tradition from the 2018 inscription, the coin-dating argument, seasonal material evidence, and later experiments on charcoal persistence. It records which observations support an autumn eruption and which only show that an August date is not the sole possible reading of the material record.","task_statement":"When did Vesuvius erupt in 79 CE, and how should the August 24 and October 24 evidence be weighed?","technical_objective":"Reconstruct the competing eruption chronologies from textual transmission and material evidence while distinguishing a date clue from a conclusive terminus.","success_criteria":"The answer explains the Plinian date, the October 17 charcoal inscription, the relevant seasonal and numismatic evidence, later challenges, and why the final date remains an evidence-weighting question.","primary_terms":["Vesuvius eruption date","Pompeii","August 24","October 24","Pliny the Younger","XVI K NOV","charcoal inscription","Titus coin"],"search_signals":["nonum kal. Septembres manuscript reading","Pompeii XVI K NOV charcoal inscription","autumn produce, clothing, and wine evidence","Titus IMP XV coin dating argument","charcoal persistence and later August-date defense"]}}}}