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79AD 79 · Pompeii, Campania

Eruption of Vesuvius and the burial of Pompeii

The ruins of Pompeii, with the Temple of Isis in the foreground and Mount Vesuvius behind
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, burying Pompeii under ash and pumice and Herculaneum under deep volcanic flows. Excavations since 1748 have uncovered streets, shops, election slogans, kitchens and the hollows left by victims' bodies. The towns give an unusually detailed picture of everyday Roman life, and new digs still reveal rooms and frescoes.

Sites

  1. Site 1: PompeiiForum, houses, bakeries, the amphitheatre and plaster casts of victims.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: HerculaneumTwo-storey houses with charred wooden beams and the boathouses where people sheltered.Map ↗
  3. Site 3: Vesuvius crater pathA short climb to the rim of the crater.Map ↗

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