The first records of eruptions date back to 1500 BC. It is estimated that there have been about 200 eruptions since then.
In 396 BC, the eruption of Mount Etna probably thwarted an attempted Carthaginian assault on Syracuse during the Second Sicilian War.
The strongest eruption is said to have lasted from March 11 to July 11, 1669, when the volcano ejected so much lava that it covered an area of about 37 square kilometers. It flowed about 16 km, destroying several villages along the way. It reached the sea and Catania, partially destroying it.
An exemplary attempt was then made to change the course of the lava by digging a trench - the first such attempt in the world.
Since 1750, seven eruptions of Etna have lasted more than 5 years, more than any other volcano except Vesuvius.
