What City Was Buried by Mount Vesuvius? Pompeii in AD 79

Q: What city was buried by Mount Vesuvius?

The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, along with the nearby town of Herculaneum and other settlements near Naples, Italy. Ash and pumice preserved the city so well that it gives a rare snapshot of everyday Roman life.

What happened

AD 62A strong earthquake damages Pompeii; repairs are still underway years later
Day 1 of the eruption, middayVesuvius explodes, sending a column of ash and pumice about 30 km high; stones rain on Pompeii for hours
Night and next morningDeadly avalanches of hot gas and ash, called pyroclastic flows, sweep over Herculaneum and then Pompeii
AfterPompeii lies under about 4–6 m of ash and pumice

The date has traditionally been given as August 24, but evidence such as autumn fruit and an inscription suggests the eruption may have happened in October AD 79.

Pompeii vs Herculaneum

	Pompeii	Herculaneum
Size	Larger town, about 11,000 people	Smaller, wealthier seaside town
Buried by	Ash and pumice	Deeper pyroclastic material, up to 20 m
Preservation	Buildings, frescoes, plaster casts of victims	Even wooden furniture, food and papyrus scrolls survived

An eyewitness account

Pliny the Younger watched from across the bay and wrote letters describing the eruption. His uncle, the naturalist Pliny the Elder, died after sailing toward the danger to help; he’s linked with the phrase fortune favors the bold. Today, explosive eruptions like this are called “Plinian.”

Rediscovery

Excavations began in the 1700s. In 1863, archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli began pouring plaster into hollows left by bodies in the ash, creating the famous casts of victims. Pompeii is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and new discoveries are still being made.

Is Vesuvius still active?

Yes. It last erupted in 1944, and about 600,000 people live in its “red zone,” making it one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world.