In what year did Mount Vesuvius bury Pompeii?
The eruption occurred in 79 AD. The traditional date of 24 August has been revised by modern archaeology — autumn-harvest material, woolen cloaks on victim bodies, and a charcoal inscription dated 17 October found in 2018 all point to an October date, now consensus-accepted as approximately 24 October 79 AD. 44 BC is the assassination of Julius Caesar; 117 AD the death of Trajan; 180 AD the death of Marcus Aurelius.
Read the full facts →Pompeii was a Roman provincial town of approximately 11,000 to 12,000 people on the Bay of Naples in southern Italy. It was buried under approximately 20 feet of volcanic pumice and ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in late October 79 AD. The site has been continuously excavated since 1748 and is the most thoroughly documented archaeological site of Roman urban life.
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