Located just outside of present-day Naples, Italy, Pompeii was a thriving ancient Roman city until the year 79 CE, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city under roughly 20 feet of volcanic ash.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii under roughly 20 feet of volcanic ash. This deadly eruption killed much of the city’s population, but archaeologists recently discovered evidence of survivors. In this podcast episode, classicist Steven Tuck challenges the popular belief of total annihilation and explains how people may have survived, and how they continued to live after the disaster.
Archaeologists have found evidence of about 2,000 of Pompeii and Herculaneum's estimated combined population of 15,000. This article explores what happened to the remaining 13,000 people. Archaeologist Steven Tuck has proposed that the refugees fled the cities as volcanic activity increased, likely resettling elsewhere with family and friends. There's also evidence that the Roman Empire cared for many refugees fleeing Mount Vesuvius.
No doubt the most haunting remnants of Pompeii are the plaster casts. These artifacts capture in excruciating detail what the disaster’s victims looked like in their final moments, from their body positions to the expressions on their faces as they tried to hide or escape. Learn how the 19th-century archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli came up with this unusual method of preserving the remains, centuries after the bodies themselves had decomposed.
Ancient Rome wasn’t all togas and gladiators: Pompeii had many features we’d recognize in our own cities today, both the good (like cafes) and the bad (crime). In this guide from the BBC’s History magazine, acclaimed historian Mary Beard reveals some surprising things about daily life in Pompeii.
They say history is written by the victors, and indeed we know much more about the lives of kings and nobles than of people who scraped by on society’s lowest rungs. Pompeii is the exception: its well-preserved graffiti and artifacts tell us the stories of history’s voiceless. In this longread for Aeon, historian Guy Middleton paints a picture of the brutal conditions endured by the enslaved women who worked in Pompeii's brothels.
This article describes the recent discovery at Pompeii of a fresco showing two gladiators locked in combat. The fresco was found in a cramped space under the stairs of a shop, leading archaeologists to conjecture that it decorated a cheap tavern (what the Romans called a caupona or taberna). Since Pompeii’s gladiator barracks were nearby, the tavern may have even catered to gladiators.
From cavemen to marker-wielding children, humans have always wanted to leave their mark. Read some of the graffiti left by ancient Romans here. The cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum feature exquisite levels of preservation due to the nature of their demise. Viewers can see the surviving graffiti by clicking through the site's featured collections, which include topics such as poetry and love.
Mount Vesuvius has a history going back at least 17,000 years. The volcano has erupted nearly 40 times since it blanketed Pompeii and neighboring towns in up to 80 feet of ash. This short article from the Science Museum of Virginia explains the geology that makes Vesuvius so violent, and why it’s still a threat today.
Archaeologists continue to explore the captivating remains of volcano-destroyed Pompeii. Currently they're using intricate, high-tech tools to probe deeper into the city’s history and culture. This 50-minute, in-depth documentary follows the scores of experts revealing secrets from Pompeii, including detailed images of the people killed that day, clearer scans of the buried city’s layout, and more.
Vesuvius gets all the press, but there’s an even more dangerous magma monster lying in wait nearby: the Campi Flegrei supervolcano. More than half a million people live in its danger zone. This short documentary from the BBC details how geologists monitor Campania's volcanos, and explores the sublime beauty of living in their shadow.
Weave together the many narratives of world history with our highly curated and expanding selection of diverse, fascinating resources designed to showcase the breadth and richness of Earth's story, from the earliest traces of human civilization to the dramatic developments of contemporary cultures.