Nearly 2,000 years ago, Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum
On August 24 and 25 in the year 79 CE, an eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under layers of ash. Since the mid-18th century the cities have been gradually excavated and are now major archaeological and tourist sites.
This date in history marks one of antiquity's most devastating natural events — the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which on August 24 and 25 in the year 79 CE buried two thriving cities of the Roman Empire, Pompeii and Herculaneum, under a thick layer of volcanic ash.
Both settlements lay close to the volcano, and the eruption suddenly covered them in ash and volcanic material, freezing daily life at the exact moment it was taking place. This abrupt burial has since served as a unique historical record, preserving buildings, objects and the layout of the cities largely intact underground for centuries.
Discovery and legacy
The ancient cities remained buried for nearly 1,700 years until systematic excavation began in the mid-18th century. Since then, Pompeii and Herculaneum have become among the world's most important archaeological sites, giving researchers detailed insight into the daily life, architecture and culture of ancient Rome.
Today both sites are also popular tourist destinations, drawing large numbers of visitors from around the world each year to witness traces of ancient Roman civilization in a way found nowhere else.
