Pompeii may be the city most commonly linked to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, but the cataclysmic events of that year affected nearby towns just as violently: Herculaneum, Oplontis, and others.  These towns were rich in architecture, advanced infrastructures, and exquisite works of art.  The artifacts found there tell a vibrant story of an ancient Roman society, advanced in many ways, which simply disappeared.  A generation after the eruption, Romans had gone back to their old way of life, and tales of Pompeii had become part of local folklore.  Underneath their feet lay the remains of homes and families, works of art and animals, that were so suddenly smothered by Vesuvius.

Pliny the Younger’s accounts of the eruption, sent to the historian Tacitus, tell a grim but detailed tale of destruction.  Together with archaeological and volcanological data gathered from the area, Pliny’s text has allowed scientists to reconstruct the events of this catastrophe.

Beginning around noon on August 24, Vesuvius began its assault, and the streets of Pompeii and the surrounding region began accumulating lapilli, or small pieces of solidified lava.  Residents of the towns began to flee—some further inland, and many towards the sea, which was too turbulent to navigate.  By dawn of the following morning, the eruption had poured an avalanche of ash onto Herculaneum, Oplontis, and finally Pompeii.

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